This has been a week of small projects + games! Both kids are loving to use their bodies to act out charades clues, in groups and at home. I finally downloaded a charade cue generator to make guessing more fair because, especially at home, we knew one of us had written the clue! It just wasn’t difficult enough.
Both Rosetta and Wilder expanded their friend-making skills this week as we met five new families! Our groups are growing; they tend to get unruly in the spring. We practiced introducing ourselves at home, talked about how they like to be included when they go somewhere new/meet someone new. It went pretty well (not just because of us) and all of the new people will be returning. Hooray!
Rosetta worked on projects all week, ranging from baking to art. We spent a whole day re-covering our clipboards, which had gotten gross from years of use. We used pen knives to carefully remove what was left of the old graphics. Rosetta chose “seasons” as the new theme + picked art she thought fit each one, then traced, cut + glued each onto a clipboard, trimming carefully around the clips. Between the several coats of Mod Podge, we watched some YouTube videos + learned to play Calico together. Tricky, but fun!
Wilder spent a lot of time online, learning a new game on the Xbox. It’s an open-ended, survival game with beautiful graphics. He’s living through frontier times, exploring territory on horseback, and says it’s the “most relaxing game ever.” It has a creative mode (so no one’s trying to kill him), and he can wander the world like a true frontiersman. He loves how real everything looks, and, to him, there’s so much wonder. Even the shops reflect the period pricing and barter, and he spends a lot of time doing menial tasks like caring for livestock and chopping wood. This history buff has enjoyed the opportunity for a more lived experience than all the crowded “history days” we attend in urban settings.
This week, we tried a new way to organize our family by using lists. Each kid received a journal for Christmas that’s a daily, self-ordered checklist. We chose Wednesday to start, as that’s our home day, and began planning our day at the table after we finished reading. We picked up sushi from Sprouts that day and ate outside, enjoying the warmer weather and discussing which books we want to read next. Writing the goals themselves by Friday, we managed to get a few more tasks finished than usual by day’s end. They don’t seem to care about checking stuff off the list, just putting it on (that complaint is my own). After a long, slow January, this is my ramp-up to resuming regular activities by next week.
Rosetta’s strawberry cake! / Last visit to Movement Golden under our membership / Monday Wildlings (1) charades and (2) collages / We’re still trying to figure out how to score Calico, but isn’t it cute? Cats + quilts… / Clipboard recovering project in the beginning + the end (2) / Maeve is a flower / Wilder’s new ramen style / Thursday Wildlings at Sloan’s Lake Park North / Some pottery wheel practice / Experimental rice krispie treats by Rosetta (this is very good!)
Unschool Stories 