Learning should be FUN!

I'm such an idiot.
Really, I am. Not that I expect anyone is disagreeing with me. Hmmph.
I don't know what the tarnation is wrong with my head.
I got some Bizarro World bee in my bonnet, and lost my ever-unschoolin' mind for a moment.

When I was downstairs today, I thought - "Hey, I could get out the puppets, (I've been meaning to, and to ambitiously put together the puppet theater again sans instructions) and the felt letters, and we could play some fun games! Yeah! Learning should be fun!" The wiser me now shakes her head. Blockhead.

Honestly, people.
School talk.
"Learning should be FUN" is school talk.

Of course learning should be fun... If You're In School!! Or learning school, for that matter.

If you're practically forced into learning something not of your choosing - but laid down by some gray-haired boring old bureaucrat who knows nothing -and cares less!- about your interests!

Around here, learning is life.

Living.

Breathing.

Playing and being and scooping and imagining and loving and digging and experimenting and helping and cooking and eating and rough-housin' and listening and measuring and spying and discussing and arguing and questioning and reminding and communicating and running and looking and figuring and estimating and laughing and guessing and supposing.

Point being - (obviously) trying to make learning fun is like... trying to make the moon shine bright when she is at her most resplendent.

Once again - I can't help but think -
School imitates life.

Phew.
Glad it didn't take me very long That Time to come to my senses.

banishing the doubt

I have this hung up on my wall downstairs.
I need it hung up on the wall. I'd tack it to my forehead if I could see it all the time and I thought it'd sink in.

I'd like to thank everyone for the encouragement over the weekend - for all the helpful and wise words - and to Steph - that was a hilarious comment, and I appreciated it well!
I've had a couple of days to think about the whole thing.

It was never about (well, not in any sense that mattered - maybe for a split second, but I know better than that) my son not being up to par with peers. I'm encouraged enough by the knowledge, skills, and interests he demonstrates. Trev is very interested in his world.

I think what it came down to first was wondering if writing is something all children are interested in quite naturally at that age, and then if I had been dismissive of its importance in my own thoughts and actions - ie, been of the mind "he'll do it when he's ready" and not thinking twice (until now) about it.

We have tools around, of course. Worksheets that I've made for tracing, lots of dry-erase picture books and workbooks. They're never used. Aside from drawing letters outside with sidewalk chalk and our few games that we play writing letters, we don't do much.

So the question becomes - have I been remiss?

Since most of the time my children don't seem to have any lack of interests and resources, I don't bother them. I just let them go on their merry way. All on their own they get out tools, equipment, different toys, or ask to do different things.
Most of the time I don't lead them at all.
Strewing has become a non-issue around here, as it hasn't been necessary of late.

I wonder now if I have been a bit careless in leaving it entirely up to him. I don't intend to take his choice away, and demand (or even request) "you will learn this now", of course, but I wonder if I've been remiss in not demonstrating well something that is extremely useful and valuable.
Such as "I'm going to make the grocery list - do you want to help?" And "I'm writing in our blog" and "I'm writing a letter".

I had a thought along these lines that I could offer to write down his very interesting stories. He loves making dinosaur movies, but is embarrassed by the way his voice sounds (aren't we all?) in the recordings.
Perhaps making books would be more to his liking. I could write the pages. He could help if he wanted. He could draw dinosaurs, or plants, or put stickers in, or whatever.

These ideas are absolutely not meant to manipulate him into satisfying my own needs and ego. It's about exposing my children to yet another tool or medium that's at their disposal. The last thing I want to do is to create hard feelings related to learning and discovery.

So my best answer is to practice consciously -but naturally and not manipulatively!- offering this tool as an option - while being completely unattached to whether my children pick it up, or not.

Great Moments

How 'bout this.
How about a "notice great moments" challenge/meme?
Keep track of your wondrous moments for a week - all in the same post, if you please!

Things that are related to parenthood.

Wonderful things that made you laugh, or cry.
Great moments of learning.
Great moments of loving.
Great moments of kindness.
Great moments.

Ten things - you have a week to notice ten wondrous things that happen(ed) in your life, then share them. If you can't name only ten, then we'll all be really happy for you!

I tag seven people:
Evie
Melissia
Child's Play
Julie
Kim
Aubrey
Danette

Happy Living!

note: do it however you like - save it in a draft, then publish at the end of the week, or publish your Great Moments as they happen. It's up to you.

stumble

Okay. I know better.
I really, really do.
But today (while at work :) ) I watched John Stossel's Stupid In America (gosh, I love that piece) and this lady said in an aghast voice "My kindergartner didn't know how to write her name!!! Can you imagine a kindergartner not writing her name?!?"
And I thought "Oh."
My six year old doesn't write his name. I spose he could - with help, but he doesn't. (has once or twice)

It really doesn't matter, right? I'm freaking (sort of) and stumbling over nothing, right?

I'm so glad that I'm having this moment (or few hours) at work, and not taking it out on my son!

timeline details

I don't know if it was a rhetorical comment, but here's a better close up for Evie.

It consists of things like

1 bya Multicellular organisms appear; initially colonial algae, and later seaweeds living in the ocean

900ma The choanlaflagellates develop. THese protists are considered the ancestors of the entire animal kingdom.

750-580 ma Precambrian Varangian Ice Age - So severe that oceans freeze except for in the tropics. Last big freeze, after this evoloution begins to accelerate.

600ma Spounges develop from cell colonies. Following spounges are jellyfish and multicellular animals, appearing in the ocean.

590ma Cambrian - Aquatic life is developed. All modern phyla of animals develop. First vertebrates arise, trilobites are abundant. Flatworms, the first animals with a brain have developed.

...

360ma Plants evolve seeds.

You get the idea.

Very fun.

Well, for me it is.

Trev's thrilled that we're in the carboniferous and the Permian, now.

I wish my desktop was working so I could print out some pictures - but it can wait.

Wierd Things meme

Fine.
Evie tagged me for this one. Maybe I should just pretend that I didn't see it?
No, that wouldn't work, she knows I read her blog daily....

10. Taking a cue from Evie (aka Edie) I'll say that to touch my tummy (belly) button is to journey into the center of the earth - it's quite violating and sends my brain into spasms - Don't Do It. I may never forgive you.

9. I really don't like spiritual/inspirational music (and don't consider myself Christian), but I could listen to Bing Cosby and Perry Como croon Christmas carols all year long. Don't ask me. I don't know.

8. I detest jazz. Except for Blues. In fact, I'll take probably take any and every other kind of music over jazz.

7. As a kid when we were road-tripping, I'd count the (lane devider) lines on the road, and if my Daddy was driving too fast so I lost track, I'd get into a sort of panic mode. The good news is that I was able to save myself, and talk myself down, which I believe to this day is the fine line between true OCD and not. OCD is something I believe I truly understand, but do not suffer from. Very edgy feeling, that.

6. Sported a mohawk for three? years. Think I've mentioned that one before.

5. I still have a baby tooth - it's my left incisor. Dentist offered to pull it and then dig for the big one behind it, with best wishes, but I thought "What? No, thanks."

4. Acquiring a drivers license well after the age of 16 runs in my family.

3. I love just the thought of a convoy.

2. I love classical music but I honestly have No Idea how people can tell one composer from another. In my defense of complete ignorance - my brain needs the voice to tell me who the music is by.

1. I wave my fork in the air between bites of food. My son does the same thing. Surely a grave offense.

I tag...
Kim
Julie
Melissia
Aubrey
Teri
MD - wait! Dang! Edie snagged her!
Lena
Organic Sister
Life With Us
Wild and Free.

That's it since Evie stole KM, Laura, CP, Rinnyboo, Stephanie, and MP, that's all the bloggers I know! :)

#88

Begin the timeline.

Neighbor

Well, they sold the house next door!
It's finalized, and she's young, and single, and pretty, and seems very hyp!
I don't see her and Mrs. K becoming bosom friends, but I could be way off. I'm not threatened by the possibility, I just don't want to feel that my family's lives are fodder, you understand.
Trev was outside in a long-sleeved shirt and underwear, I went to meet her across the front fence, said something about runnin' around in his undies, and she said "I do it all the time!"
I think we're good.
phew!

I'll write more later.
Thanks so much, everyone, for the well birthday wishes. (It was a dud, by the way, but it's not a big deal - if I want another one, I'll just have another one! With balloons, and cake, and pots and pots of honey.)