giving thanks for networks

Jan 5:  I give thanks for my awesome homeschool tribe.  We went to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester for the day with some of our posse, and everyone had such a great time.  If you've never been there, well worth the trip.  Similar to the way DC Children's Museum was set up for those of you who grew up in the area, except way smaller.  Totally awesome.  We wrapped it up at a yummy Thai restaurant there on the pedestrian mall a few doors down, and then stopped by a coffee shop a couple more doors down to refuel for the ride home while the kids ran around outside a bit longer.



These mommas and their kids (shout out to Kristen, Melanie, and Stephanie) are such a vibrant part of our network, and I'm so thankful for our freedom to explore and learn in a natural & fun way. 

Jan 6:  I give thanks for Facebook.  Yes, it's true.  Such a great centralized wealth of information, a great virtual community, a great voice for those who want to share their thoughts with any segment of 'their' public, whether mundane or profound, a great place to network, and of course, a great place to reconnect.

What are you thankful for?

return to freedom

After a foray into the public school system, we have joyfully returned to freedom.  This is something that is hard for many people to understand... why we do it, and what it really looks like.  There is no need for anyone to take offense, or think that I'm implying you're wrong if you choose to send your child to school like most of the population.  

     Simply consider that one very important word:  choice.  We all do what we must do, and most importantly, what feels right for ourselves and our families.  There are many different approaches to parenting, teaching, and learning.  I don't feel that I have to explain or justify my choice to anyone; however, I'd like to try to help those I love who don't quite 'get it' by painting a clearer picture of this whole scenario.  I'll have much more to say on the subject in the future, but for now, I thought it might be useful to begin with a few good notes and metaphors I found this morning as I was browsing around.  

     There is a movement called 'unschooling' which some people think is totally outrageous and really can't comprehend.  While I wouldn't say that we are complete unschoolers (yet?), it makes alot of sense to me and greatly influences the way we live.  

So, what does that mean and what does it look like?

From childplay.wordpress.com:

What unschooling is:

holistic

comprehensive

relevant

child led

passion driven

exploratory

What unschooling isn't:

standardized

cookie cutter

linear (or, maybe it is, depending on the kid!)

negligent

unlearning

lazy

     Meredith, another unschooling mom who moderates the Always Unschooled listserve, says to a newbie mom trying to envision what this is: "You might also find it helpful to do some reading on the theory of Multiple Intelligences, and also personality styles, since personality plays a big part in the specifics of how people learn.  But probably the biggest thing to know about learning is that it looks like life.  People learn as a function of living life - we're designed to learn.  Our own internal drives push us to go on exploring and discovering - it's part of human nature itself.

   A big part of learning is making mistakes!  That's an idea school trains out of us, but discovering is all about running into something new, something that challenges our expectations or doesn't turn out the way we think.  

   One of the greatest gifts we can give our kids is the safety to make mistakes.  We get to be their soft place to fall, the person who helps them regroup and try another idea, the person who can offer other ideas without insisting our ideas are better.  That's challenging!  We soooo want to be able to offer the fruits of our own learning to our kids so that they don't Have to make the same mistakes we did.  It's a little humbling to realize that sometime they actually want to (not all the time, but especially as my kids get older I see them not wanting my ideas and perspectives so much any more - they want to do it their own way, even if it's harder that way)!"

     This was written by a mom, Debra Rossing, on one of the listserves to which I subscribe: 

"Maybe this image will help:  In the traditional schooling model, you are served a pre-decided meal (like a prix fixe dinner at a fancy restaurant - you get what someone else decided to prepare that day).  But before you even take a bite, the waitress comes over and cuts it up into specific sized pieces and then arranges it in the order that you are to eat it.  And, you must eat a certain amount of the pieces at a certain interval.  No alternating between a bite of salad and a bite of potato, no lingering over a particularly tasty bit of tomato, it must be eaten in the proper sequence and timing.  Meanwhile, your dinner companions are each served something else, based on criteria of age and where they grew up.  Even if their food looks interesting, you aren't to share bites from other plates, unless of course, you finish all the requisite bites for this time period that are on your plate and ask the waitress for a bite of something else you've seen.  After each set group of bites, the waitress comes over and asks you question about what you ate and you need to be able to answer the way she expects - if the soup was too salty for you, but it was salted "correctly" you have to say it was salted correctly, even if you didn't like it.  Periodically, they bring medical equipment over to the table to make sure you are properly digesting what you've been eating.

   Alternatively, natural learning (aka unschooling) is more like being at a grand buffet.  You can choose what and when and how much.  If the serving utensils are a bit cumbersome for you, people are there to assist.  If you're unsure about how to carve yourself a piece of the roast chicken, ask someone and they'll show you how and/or guide you in doing so.  If you want more peas but no more potatoes right now, that's fine.  If you want to eat each individual pea separately, to enjoy the taste and texture, great.  If you ONLY eat peas for a while, then switch to ONLY cantaloup, then have a mixed plate of cold veggies, salad style, fine and dandy.  And if one of your dining companions has something on their plate you've never seen before or tried, you might ask to taste it.  If you see something at the buffet and don't know what it is, you can ask and someone will describe/explain it to you, making comparisons/contrasts to other foods on your plate(s).  'That's a lychee.  It's similar in taste/texture to a bit of canned pear but not exactly the same.  Still fairly mild in flavor and a little sweet but not as sweet as something like a strawberry.'  If you decide to simply sit back and observe the environment for a bit, that's fine, there's no time requirement on your eating." 

To wrap it up for today, here's a copy of the 'Curriculum Description' I submitted today to Arlington County as part of my Notice of Intent to homeschool my child, and below that a highlight from our week.

"Our curriculum is self-designed to include the major areas of academic study in an age- and level-appropriate manner—language arts and mathematics, physical and social sciences, history, geography, and anything else that surfaces as an interest.  Largely using an inquiry-based approach, we call on a wide and varied list of resources including books, workbooks, the internet, online curriculums, videos, workshops, classes, museums, galleries, field trips, nature, our community, collaboration with other families, travel, and conversation with people of all ages.  Visual and performing arts are often integrated into our learning processes and can spontaneously provide intriguing starting points for further probing into specific aspects of any of the academic study areas.  Part of my approach in educating my child is to take into account the seven intelligences as defined by Howard Gardner—the idea that “all human beings are capable of at least seven different ways of knowing the world…. language; logical-mathematical analysis; spatial representation; musical thinking; the use of the body to solve problems or to make things; an understanding of other individuals; and an understanding of ourselves.”

            Our in-home learning consists of various activities including but not limited to: reading, workbook pages—both published and self-designed, creative writing, cooking, sewing, gardening, cleaning, computer games, blogging, piano lessons, art projects, science projects, singing, dancing, spanish practice; creative play & role-playing; elaborate character development & set-building; shooting photography & video; and art & music workshops which I teach, with other homeschooling families joining us.  Activities outside of the home include ice skating, dance classes, gymnastics, art, drama, nature center classes, survival skills classes, and whatever else arises of interest.  While we have specific blocks of time in the home each weekday that are specified ‘lesson time’, we live in such a way that learning is a natural, organic, always-happening, ongoing process—an exciting part of everyday life!"

On Monday, we took a field trip with a few friends to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Center - an awesome kids' spot in Winchester that is very similar to the Children's Museum in DC (now closed down.)

Here is Phoenix trying on an oxygen mask at the 'hospital'.

Then there is Adobe pushing her friend Lucca in the wheelchair.  The place was small, but the kids had such a blast!  There was so much to do... There was a replica of a Native American longhouse, a climbing wall, an ambulance and hospital, a library, all types of cool hands-on science stuff, a cider factory, an 'infinity mirror', a fun house mirror, a place where you could build a house, a large version of a honeycomb that you could climb inside of, and on...

I'm loving life; it feels so good having my two munchkins together again...

(photos © artis mooney 2010)

check out groovy nate

after much anticipation, the "Meet Groovy Nate" CD has launched!  you can buy it on the
Groovy Nate site.  support a local artist!

for those of you who don't know, Groovy Nate is an awesome children's entertainer who performs regularly around arlington, alexandria, and the d.c. metropolitan area.  he and his family happen to be good friends of ours.  a papa of two, he and his wife kisha have been developing the groovy nate thang for the past several years, and now, the release of his first CD!  kisha writes a majority of the material and has done alot more behind-the-scenes work than i initially realized, as the director and vocal coach, among other things.

nate puts on a highly engaging show - if you have young ones and haven't had the pleasure to see a Groovy Nate show yet, go to his site, and find one!  and grab a CD while you're at it. you're in for a real treat.  he incorporates puppetry, beat-boxing, and other sound effects, as well as guitar & vocals.  his show is very interactive, & he has the kids movin' & groovin', callin' out, & crackin' up.  nate also offers workshops & birthday parties, and performances can be tailored to a specific theme upon request - see his site for more info.

now, one of the coolest things about his CD for me, besides it being fabulous, is that this is my daughter adobe's vocal debut!  she is featured in several of the tracks, along with nate's two children & another friend, and she has a solo on the track "Inside Beauty".  another thing that i really love about this CD is the quality musicianship & variety of music styles from track to track - blues, hip-hop, reggae vibes & more.

if you've already checked it out, or once you do, i'd love it if you'd leave a comment!  thanks.

(photo: © artis mooney.  groovy nate leads a princess parade through the woods at a birth day party.)