A Typical Unschooling Day

The next few days, I hope to record what we actually DO in our unschooling days! I am inspired by :
http://unschoolingcatholics.blogspot.com/2009/04/typical-days-1.html

So keep checking in to see what gets added.

Yesterday evening, Big Sis and I attended a planning meeting for a local community organic garden. A United Methodist Church congregation near us wants to use its extra land for community sharing, so why not a garden? I attended the actual meeting, which was full of relaxed, neat outdoorsy types. Big Sis and a friend played around the garden beds and in an enormous pine tree. After climbing a tree got too sappy, the two friends played "Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox, What Time Is It?", and some other neat non-competitive field games.

One game the kids made up last week is called "Curry!" Each child sits on a bench and decides what Indian spice they will represent. Then someone cries "CURRY!" and they all run around, mixing themselves up. Eventually they end up tangled together in some sort of humanoid, spicey concoction. I love these healthy, physically affectionate games that require a little friendly tussle.

I think the game has been inspired by "Sardines" a modified hide and seek game where the children try to find one common person and squeeze into his hiding place like sardines in a tin. Lots of fun!

I like any game that involves food.


Later in the evening, our family trekked out to find a couple of trees. We recently cleared out some weedy trees in our back yard, and I hoped to replace them with something nice. The kids helped me find a beautiful young Blue Spruce for our front yard. Doing math was easy for Big Sis. The four foot tree was $50.00, and the five foot tree was $140.00! She decided that we could give our littler tree a year to grow and save us 90 bucks.

Big Sis also recognized most of the trees at the nursery- Oaks, Maples, a lovely, thin Tulip Poplar, which I bought. We ended up with the Tulip Poplar (about 10 feet tall) and a Red Oak (also 10 feet) to put in the back and side yards.

A few years ago, Big Sis and DH picked out a Tulip Poplar for my birthday at our old home in the country. It grew so fast and beautifully. And it was only $20.00! We hope this one will do the same. I miss my 2 acres with the 50-some trees we planted. :(  Big Sis does too. We are starting over on a smaller scale.

When we got home, Big Sis browsed some books and played with some Star Trek and Star Wars figs. Little Brother, pleased with a drive through ice-cream cone, also played for a good hour creating worlds for his Star Wars figs.