Snippits From Unschooling

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We've finally been spending some time OUTSIDE. 

Padawan has taken a (renewed) interest in Air Soft guns. He spent his birthday money on a new a rifle complete with scope. My parents were gracious enough  to let him have his present a couple of weeks early since the weather has been so nice and we all know it could get hot and humid here any time now.

He designed (and with the help of his dad) built two target/can holders out of some scrap lumber to use for target practice. He also has plans to make a ghillie suit. (I had to look that one up.)

After UPS delivered the package, my two guys spent the afternoon learning how to adjust the scope.

And since then we've been sitting on the porch shooting at targets with the bb gun and the Air Soft rifle. (Yeah, I might be a redneck- did I mention I was sitting in my rocking chair while shooting the bb rifle??)

Padawan's been estimating distances, converting distances between feet and yards, and calculating travel times of the bb's based on the feet per second that his different Air Soft guns use. I've just been trying to hit the targets.

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Oh, and speaking of outside...we spent one afternoon using his bug vacuum to capture some of the bugs in our yard. Then we knocked them out in the bug killing jar, and used the internet and our insect field guide to identify them. This is something that we have enjoyed doing together since he was about 4 yrs old.

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I am loving my new job as an intern to a web designer. I am only working about 6 hours a week, but I am learning a lot about all things Wordpress really

fast.

Being an assistant is right in my comfort zone. I don't have to deal with clients. I can just work on the task lists at my own pace behind the scenes.  :)

The website I am doing for the client my new "boss" gave me is not going as well. There seems to be a breakdown in communication. She doesn't really know

what she wants, and expects me to read her mind???. Let's just say mind reading is not my forte.

-4-

This week Padawan has been researching the history of the Atom bomb, and all things related to the testing of neuclear weapons, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was another learning  (or re-learning) experience for me because I did not realize that much testing had been going on over the years!

He installed a Gulliver's Travel mod in Minecraft that allows his character to change sizes. Now he's added a Godzilla skin to his character, and he has plans to build the city of Tokoyo so Godzilla can terrorize it.

He's also been watching tutorials and learning how to use a 3D animation program called Blender. (And teaching me new vocabulary to go along with it)

Google has been my friend lately. :)

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On the schooly side of things, about twice a week we have been reading and working through some of the experiments and activites in the science LifePacs,

reading a chapter in our "Who Is God" book, and reading the lessons in his health book that I bought last spring.  This is what we do when Padawan says he's ready to "do school".  (Well that and watching random Youtube videos until we make our way into what he calls the "weird part of Youtube).

It is just schooly enough to make him feel like we have done school, yet not too schooly.

One of the science units was about plants. We grew some seeds in a plastic bag and studied root systems. We also looked at the structure of leaves, and changed

the color of a stalk of celery by putting it in a jar with colored water.

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We've also had a lovely discussion involving types of governments recently.

Me: Do you want me to keep paying for the Clever Dragons membership since the trial is up or do you want me to cancel it?

Him: Whatever you think.

Me: Well, if you like it and are going to use it then we will keep it for a couple more months. But if you're not, I will cancel it.

Him: It's up to you.

Me: No, I want your input. I didn't sign up for it as a thing that you "have to do". It was more of "Hey, this is educational, and you might like it sort of thing."

Him: I said its up to you.

Me: This is YOUR education and I want you to have a say in things.

Him: Well, my education should be a Dictatorship- not a Democracy. And you are in charge.

Me: No, it is a Democracy. Let's take a vote.

Him: Nope. It is a Dictatorship.

Me: In that case- I am making a Dictarship type decision about Math for next year. We are getting Ko's Journey- even though you didn't like the narrator's voice.

Him: Okay (proud that I made a decision as a Dictator)

Me: Now back to the Clever Dragons question.

Him: Mom, you are not being a very good Dictator. You have already reverted back to your Democratic ways!

A few days later when I asked him if he was going to log onto Clever Dragons, he said "You have forced me into making a decision. Cancel it.

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Oh, and last week I metioned that his Public School friend had about 6 weeks left of school- he told me that we are going to have to do school during the summer because we really haven't done much school- ya know. (Yeah, that again).

My comeback: "I'm such a good teacher that you've been doing school and didn't even know it."  ;) 

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