this moment - kitty step stool

{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you would like to see what others have posted or if you would like to join in here is the link to SouleMama's Blog:
http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2011/01/this-moment.html

Being the Model

One of the aspects of unschooling is to pursue our interests. This isn't just for the kids. This is a life choice that should include everyone. Parents can model this so that the kids follow their interests as well. I'm so proud of my husband for going after his interest of learning how to play hockey. I must say that a man in his 30's learning how to play hockey for the first time looks much different than a child learning and this makes me even more proud of him. The kids are also proud of him. We all go and watch when we can. 

It's so cute that Austyn tries to tell him how to improve his skills because he sees himself as a much better hockey player than his Dad. It's wonderful to see them give each other advice. They also understand how hard it can get out there. There is a much better understanding between the two of them now that they both play. It's not as easy of a sport as it looks.

Gymnastics comes to an end

 I bought Zoe a gymnastics outfit. She wore it with pride for the last couple of classes. 

It's funny to watch her because she can do so much and she does it like she is showing off to an audience, but I can see that she feels confined by the teachers instructions. She will do what she is told when the teacher is looking but when the teacher turns around she does extra. This extra is usually flips or extra jumps. She is fun to watch.

Freedom

 Here we are on a beautiful morning in the park. No people around. It's early and I was summoned out of the house to get coffee (since we were all out).

 As I sit there watching my kids quietly, sipping a Tim's I can't help but wonder if they realize just how lucky they are. Right now most of the other children in this city are sitting in a class room. They have to be quiet and listen for instructions from their teachers. My kids are free to explore and talk and are not confined by walls or instructions. 

 Sure there are no children here at the moment, but why does there have to be? They seem content on their own at this time. Playing, running, digging, talking... why do they always have to have other children around? They have moments of real socialization and other moments of free solitude. 

 Why should they always have instructions and books and curriculum? They create their own. Freely exploring their world with wonder and enthusiasm, they learn so much. 

I think back to my childhood in a classroom and look at the happy faces of my own children and realize with great confidence that they are happy. This is what childhood is meant to be like... Free!

this moment - sharing the cat scratcher

{this moment}

*** *** *** 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you would like to see what others have posted or if you would like to join in here is the link to SouleMama's Blog:
http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2011/01/this-moment.html

Glad We Moved

It's nice to be in a better area. Cul-de-sacs are nice for riding bikes. What a nice change from a busy area of apartments to a house.

Zoe's Dance Recital

 Her class are meeting to be taken back stage.

 Zoe is so excited!

 Austyn had dressed up for the occasion.

 Here is the first dance of the preschool section. Zoe is on the right at the back.

 She knows just what to do and seems to find the experience interesting.

Not all of the little ones in her class stayed for the finale but she did. She wanted to and the whole time she was back stage without us. She loved it.
 

While Her Brother Plays

 While Austyn plays lacrosse Zoe does many things. She sometimes plays with toys that she brought, colours, plays with friends or plays on the iPad. Here she is trying to do some acrobatics on the bar.

 Here is another move. I think the baby wants to join in.

Here is her friend. They are working together on an educational iPad game.

Here she is dancing. I think she can't wait to dance on stage.

The Last Junior Rangers

 We got a pleasant surprise this time in the trees. There were wild roses everywhere. I guess Alberta is famous for these roses. It is the official flower of Alberta. 

 The children got to use digital cameras to find the colours given to them on little mickey mouse swatches. They were allowed to take pictures of anything they saw. There were many pictures taken of Zoe's pants.

 Austyn worked closely with his friend. 

 This bee must have been dying. It didn't move and allowed us to get close for pictures.

 The kids were to colour pictures and draw pictures with textures. Austyn used a tree to get a bark rub.

 Zoe used the paved walk way as a texture.

 The kids then had to go and catch insects. This bee was a good catch. It was fun to watch it fly away when they let it go.

 The dandelions looked much different this visit.

 Austyn caught a centipede.

 Austyn measured how many inches this dandelion stem was from his memory of how big an inch is on his finger. The stem was 18 inches long (according to him).

The kids got to run around and play games before heading home. They will miss going to these fun activities and it was nice to meet so many new friends (some of whom are homeschooled).

Homeschool SportBall Ended

 Zoe and Austyn made their coach something for the last day. They really like him a great deal.

 The parents and siblings got to join in on the fun on the last day.

 Can't forget one last cheer.

 Each child was given a ribbon. Above Austyn is giving his coach his gift.

Here he is opening Zoe's pictures that she put in an envelope. 

It was so much fun. We will be sure to sign up for this again.

Learning Spanish

I started using Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish and I must say that I LOVE IT! I've finished the first level and am on the second level now. I have the iPad app to go with it. The kids and I use it. I also downloaded a program called eFlashSpanish. She really likes this app and the best part about it is that it's free!

Here she is using it. Oh, and Austyn tried to get in there too. LOL!

Medieval Things

 Austyn drew some interesting swords from a sword book we got at the library and made up one of his own. 

Here is a sock doll I made for him. In this picture it's not stuffed yet and he is picking out the buttons.

Here is the doll finished. It's actually a vampire doll but I had a bit of trouble doing the teeth. It may look a bit sad. LOL! I have to fix the eyes already because they are loose. I never said I was good at sewing. It turned out nice, considering.

I will need to get embroidery needles one of these days so that he can sew his own things more. My needles are too sharp.

 The doll was an activity we chose from this book. The mead recipe from a previous post is from this book as well.

Silly Resolutions

 I'm sad to say that with so many changes we've had behavioral problems. These kids must be stressed. I've been having trouble finding ways to deal and help them through their rough spots, but it's not so easy. One day when they were not listening I decided that instead of getting angry I'd just blow my nose (still have a cold) and cross my eyes in the process and see if they noticed. Yup! They did. And here are the pictures that came out of it. 

 They listened better after this playful act. I guess I still do have some ideas up my sleeve.

You just never know what will work. We all felt better after all of this cross-eyed fun.

Zoe's Cafe

Zoe loves to play pretend. There are two more common pretend plays that she does. One is hospital and the other is restaurant. We recently put batteries in her (possessed, because it goes off on it's own when not touched) Barbie coffee/latte machine. Here she is explaining what she is doing. As you can see, it incorporates penmanship and usually money.

Lacrosse Tournament 1

 Austyn's first lacrosse tournament finished. 

 They all did a great job. Here is a team picture.

 Three friends in a hug!

Another metal.


Here is a goal he got on one of the games. This goalie was not letting many balls by.


Here is the assist he had on the last game.

Nature on the Farm

 This huge farm property at Rainbows End Farm provided many opportunities to view nature. There were hawks, ravens, woodpeckers and many other birds.

 This cow bird was taking a rest after enjoying the mud in the cows pen.

 The children were sent on a nature scavenger hunt. They had to find a beaver chewed piece of wood, leaves, a piece of coal, a piece of sandstone, a live animal or insect, a wild flower and much more. 

 The scenery was spectacular.

 A sight I'm not use to seeing... I think a beaver was here.

 The stream was a favourite for the kids.

 Weird place for a mushroom.

 A beaver was here as well.

 This is one sandstone that the Tyrell Dinosaur Museum Scientists left behind of a duck-billed dinosaur foot print.