one small change:: new for february.

So looking forward to a new month with another small change.  Surely I have something in mind...  Oh yes, I always have something in mind when it comes to making changes.  Always room for improvement right?

February is about carbon offsetting.  From wikipedia: A carbon offset is a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Okay, before I go any further, I do not consider offsetting to be a real solution.  It is not a justification for creating greenhouse gases.  But like it or not, it is a bit of a feel good mechanism for those times when you just "need" to fly or drive somewhere.  And, we do have a few family trips planned this year (big and small).

The only real solution is to use less resources all the time.  And that is always our ultimate goal.

Last spring the hubby and I organized to offset our (okay, okay I don't really do the work..he,he)  HIS commuting to work carbon footprint.  Half of the year (the deep in snow and sliding on ice half) Dave drives our Honda Civic to the office (20km return each day).  The other half of the year (even in rain and bitter cold - that man is a glutton for goals) Dave rides his new pedal assisted bike safely to the office.  Yes, Dave has replaced his bike and even ended the season last year with a few weeks of riding.

This month I'm going to try offseting our non-commuting driving kilometres.  That odometer keeps ya honest!

what i dislike about unschooling.

Now for the negatives (apres moi) of this oh, so inspiring method of learning.  A type of learning that always happens (being that it is mainly unplanned it will happen no matter what path one follows).  I do see unschooling as an integral part of our homeschooling life because it is part of life learning and important for all of us.  But I don't see it working as the primary learning method in our home.

Unschooling is by definition child-led learning and I believe children (who are immature beings and not miniature adults) need a loving, present adult to guide them in their days.  This loving adult(s) is the young childs world and as they grow they will constantly look to this adult for confirmation, reassurance, understanding, interpretation, reaction and (above all) guidance.  It is my opinion that, if this relationship of leader-follower is nurtured it will continue on through childhood.

As such, when it comes to the family's daily rhythm, and material shared and studied, the child will follow the path outlined by their parent.  I prefer to nurture this natural order by leading my children with material to learn and a method to follow.

True unschoolers do not lead their children in their learning.  They do not establish a pattern of parent leading and child following and usually do not have lesson/learning times.

It is this concentrated time for learning (lesson) that I feel is very important for their growth and our child-parent connection.  A time for the parent to bring something special (and always magical to one who is excited to learn), a time for child to concentrate on a task at hand, a time to produce something specific together or alone.   And as a child gets older, this is a time to learn truly academic topics that do not present themselves in everyday life (a key precursor of the unschooling method).

I believe our children expect us to inform them gently how their day will proceed.  If we, the parent, turn to our child and ask them to make the decisions (begin the day asking them what they want to do or learn) it is confusing for them and gives them way too much responsiblity and power for their developmental stage.  Children should be treated with the same respect we treat all beings, but children are not miniature versions of adults.  The younger a child is, the less choices I believe they should be given.  The relief at not having to decide is so nurturing for their young souls, and by caring for them this way in childhood, they will grow into decision making when they are truly ready.

lavender dreams.

A fragrant little project Iko and I did together.  Member that lavender we picked from our garden so, so long ago???  (Actually we both completely forgot about it).

 

It is hard to remember when the world is now so cold and white.

But the boys sure do love their lavender moons.

one small change:: january.

Our one small change for January.  I have been addressing water use in our home.

In the Shower:

Our current system.  A KDF-55 filtration unit (removes 95% of chlorine and heavy metals) attached to a Deluxe Hand Held 3 Way Combination Showerhead (purchased with the filtration unit).  This showerhead has a maximum flowrate of 9.5LPM.  Not horrible but also not good.  And this showerhead does not have a trickle mode for increased water savings when hair washing etc..

So, I have my eye on this new showerhead - the Waterpik EcoFlow Handheld Showerhead.   It has a flowrate of 5.7LPM and a trickle mode for only $30 at Canadian Tire.  Only, it is not available at the Trail Canadian Tire so this errand will have to wait for a trip to Castlegar (we like to accumulate many errands before driving anywhere to do them).  And with Iko in a cast, we have not been concerned about doing errands at all.

Hand Washing:

Also on our growing list  for errand day - a faucet aerator (an inexpensive and hopefully easy fix) for the bathroom sink.  Although the little people are slowly learning to respect our water resource at the tap; we don't want them to respect it so much that they come away from a much-needed hand washing with just the tips of their fingers moist....  "because we're saving water mama" (ha!).

Laundry:

Our old top loader will have to stay for a little longer.  At least until spring and the snow is gone and moving heavy appliances into our home is less treacherous.  And maybe even longer if we truly do have a (possible) window of opportunity to install geothermal heating...

Dishwasher vs. Hand Washing:

The question:  Is it possible that a dishwasher could use less water than hand washing dishes?

The answer:  It's possible.

Of course it's not that simple (it never is).  After perusing the following online resources and water use experts, I conclude that if you have a new (i.e. european quality energy efficiency and water use rated) dishwasher you may be using less water in your dishwasher than by hand.  But, it truly is not that simple.  To make and dispose of the dishwasher itself has environmental cost (sourcing all that plastic and metal etc., manufacturing footprint,  shipping and then eventually disposal of the unit).

Our house was outfitted with appliances when we purchased it four years ago.  We suspect our dishwasher was installed at the time the house was built  (20 years ago).  So, comparitively, our machine is a dinosaur and probably not a water miser.  There is nothing wrong with it, I can't imagine replacing it.

So, we are left with hand washing.  Waterwise estimates 63 litres of water used in typical dishwashing sessions by hand.  That blows me away.  When I look at the sink after we have finished the dishes, there is no way we are using that much.  How to do it with less water:

Scrape dishes (into compost bucket) prior to washing.  Do not rinse.

Plug sink and fill with minimal soapy water.

Wash dishes in soapy basin (start with small items that fit in low water bath and cleaner items like drinking glasses that don't require much water for scrubbing).

Rinse dishes under trickle of water from the tap (so that rinse water adds to your basin of soapy water and eventually makes a deeper washing bath for bigger pots etc.).

Generally we hand wash the dishes once a day after supper.  I load the dishwasher with little things throughout the day to keep the clutter down.  By using the dishwasher for these little bits (that keep the kitchen sane) I end up running our dishwasher once a week at the most.  I think I am happy to have it's help even if I cannot justify it from a water use perspective.

Sounds like good old fashioned hand washing is still the way to go (oh, and it looks like I can still multi-task while the dishes get scrubbed :-).

chairlifting two little bugs.

In case you didn't visit here last winter, this family loves to play in the snow.  We all love skiing.  We love, love, love skiing.  I should mention that Rosslanders are notorious for going on waaay too long about skiing...

Anyways, I've said it before chairlifts are one of the things I love most about days at the ski hill.  So, needless to say I am downright sad about missing this season with Iko.  Those winter days are some of the best dates we have had.  I'm also feeling sad about missing a season with all four of us tucked in on the chairlift together.  Have a look for yourself, it's downright cozy.

{Photos by R.C.  - Taken in December 2009}

But I'm not feeling that sad...because...as it turns out, I have a new dating partner this year and it sure is sweet to have adventure time alone with him.

what i like about unschooling.

After the big decision to homeschool our children came the bigger decision - how.  What methods, what curriculum, what will our days be like, how to parent and school children of different ages, how much will it cost, what kind of government support is available, how/where do we register, is there anyone locally who is also homeschooling????  Many questions, lots of research, a few answers.

Over the years I have done copious amounts of research on how homeschooling happens.  I'm sure no two families are alike.  But there are some general learning philosophies out there that do resonate with families.  I have seriously evaluated several.

I started years ago with the founder John Holt and his theories about unschooling.  {quoted from the growing without school website}  This is also known as interest driven, child-led, natural, organic, eclectic, or self-directed learning. Lately, the term "unschooling" has come to be associated with the type of homeschooling that doesn't use a fixed curriculum. When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world, as their parents can comfortably bear. The advantage of this method is that it doesn't require you, the parent, to become someone else, i.e. a professional teacher pouring knowledge into child-vessels on a planned basis. Instead you live and learn together, pursuing questions and interests as they arise and using conventional schooling on an "on demand" basis, if at all. This is the way we learn before going to school and the way we learn when we leave school and enter the world of work.

What resonates most with me about John Holt's philosphies on learning is his idea of an intelligent child.  He writes, "When we talk about intelligence, we do not mean the ability to get a good score on a certain kind of test, or even the ability to do well in school; these are at best only indicators of something larger.  By intelligence we mean a style of life, a way of behaving in various situations, and particularly in new, strange and perplexing situations.  The true test of intelligence is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do." {from How Children Fail by John Holt}

We learn all the time.  Unschooling happens all the time.  It allows for developmentally appropriate learning; it maintains interest and enthusiasm as the child focuses on their interests; without an explicit plan or timeline for objectives it removes all aspects of pressure and judgement; it presents learning as part of life and subjects as integrated phenomena present in everyday pursuits.  All of this resonates with me because I have seen this happening for almost six years.  We don't need to "teach" our baby how to walk or talk it just happens because they want to learn it.  They are born wanting to imitate and learn all about life.  If their experiences do not alter this pure joy to learn, then learn they will continue to do. 

An unschooling parent's job is to facilitate this learning by:

providing a role model for them to imitate (i.e. if you want them to learn to read then read yourself),

offering them developmentally appropriate opportunities to initiate interests,

trusting our children and the process,

trusting that learning is happening all the time even when it appears to be dormant,

and saying "yes" as much as is possible (hardcore unschoolers almost never say no to their children).

Unschoolers usually do not follow a specific curriculum.  They spend their days engaged in their meaningful pursuits which always culminate in learning.  Two books on my shelf are:

How Children Fail by John Holt

Learning All the Time by John Taylor Gatto

storytime.

Our days flow in and out of preparing food and cleaning, in and out of art, and in and out of play.  Even though we have a daily rhythm, our activities happen in an organic and spontaneous way.  Storytime is different.  Storytime always happens the same way.  It is special and magical.  It is deep and soul nourishing. 

For storytime we use a glass lantern that we made together.  Inside the lantern is a beeswax candle.  I call the children to storytime.  We light our candle.  The children sit quietly.  They are very still and excited to listen.

The story is the same for two to three weeks.  This way the deep meanings and rich vocabulary have time to work their way into the children's bodies.  The stories require slumber in the core of their being.  And nestle-in these stories do.  Snippets of evidence appear all the time - sometimes many weeks or months after a story has been ended and replaced.

Storytime doesn't happen with just any old story.  Stories for kindergarten children are really delightful.  Stories with morals, values, lessons, tradition and meaning.  Stories with repetition are especially nurturing for the youngest in the audience.  However, no matter the story, they both listen with rapt attention for storytime stories are not read aloud.  They come from me.  The children look into my eyes and I can see all their understanding is coming from the way I am expressing the story (even as I try to hold back judgement and personal interpretation - phew!).

Often the first time I tell the story I will just tell it very simply.  But as the story integrates itself into our days I may use props like bits of bark, wool, nuts, felt pieces, cloth, etc..  Simple props are the most interesting and imaginative.

When the story finishes, the candle is extinguished and we move on.

for the birds (and the beasts).

We live in bear country.  Our house is on a well travelled bear path and being at the edge of town we do indeed see bears.  Black bears (although I guess a grizzly is possible).  Usually we find them roaming near town in early spring and late fall when the alpine food is scarce.  In the winter we put down our guard because bears hibernate right?

Well, we thought they hibernated and we always get excited to feed our bird friends.  But as you can see we had a furry visitor this past week.  Turns out nothing is certain in this neck of the woods.  Poor scraggly bear.  And, it's just not safe to put our birdfeeder up anymore (this is our second feeder this year, ahem!).

But it's not so bad if a bear happens upon a birdseed pinecone or a popcorn cranberry wreath from our Christmas tree.

But the bears didn't happen upon them yet.  The birds, chipmunks and squirrels have been delighting us with their appreciation of our culinary efforts.  The recipe:

• collect pinecones from the forest floor (easiest before snowfall)
• tie twine around top of pinecone (for hanging on a branch)
• coat thoroughly with a natural (no additives, preferrably organic peanut butter)
• roll, dip, twist, sprinkle with plenty-o-seed
• freeze
• find a willing branch and wait for feathered friends to appear in droves (the bluejays are especially happy as they often cannot feed from commercial feeders)

 Such a treat to have the forest friends right at our doorstep.

childhood activities:: toys for five and under.

Last week I gave a little tour of the toys in our home.  Now for my philosophy on the toy thing.  Not for everyone but heh, this is the place where you get bombarded with my opinions (he,he).

Keep it simple.  Less is more.  Open-ended.  Non-specific.  Natural warm materials.  Organize.  Rotate.  If in doubt, throw it out (I mean pass it on of course).

For a one year old.

Almost no toys at all.  Seriously.

inside::  pots and pans, wooden spoons, make a kitchen drawer with neat odds and ends to open during meal prep, soft blocks and homemade bean bags, a ball to roll and chase,  basket of wool bits and strings or pieces of cloth, mini broom, feather duster, miniature animals, small blankets or scarves, lego (a few pieces of large size lego), simple wooden puzzles

outside::  simple riding toy (good for inside too), sand box, little shovels, water, bucket, ball, mud, snow, simple garden tools, and all the natural elements of your surroundings

For the two year old.

All of the above and:

inside::  good simple books, 12 piece wooden jigsaw puzzles (maybe 24), wooden train set with engines (we have Thomas because it is sold locally), simple puppets, small metal cars, dress-up capes and hats, little people and animal figures (we have a vintage Fisher Price (oops did say old?) set from my childhood that the kids spend a lot of time imagining with), cushions or a couch (or a mini trampoline) to jump on, little backpack, lego, small musical instruments, paint, things for sorting (e.g. buttons, beans, berries, string, bits of cloth etc.), bigger blankets and scarves

outside::  a simple sliding thing (sled), wagon

For the three year old.

All of the above and:

inside::  more elaborate dress-up outfits (tigers, pirates, wizards, firepeople, fairies etc.), books, 24 and 48 piece jigsaw puzzles, a simple structure to build forts (I attached rope to the walls in a variety of patterns for hanging sheets), big sheets and blankets and pillows, lego (the smallest kind at this stage - you don't need a lot), more and different puppets, baskets

outside::  tricycle, stumps, logs, rocks, climbing (our yard is pretty steep mountain terrain so we are set-up for climbing - now gardening, that's limited).

{forts - March 2009}

For the four year old.

All of the above and:

inside::  block crayons, scissors, other building sets to rotate on and off the play shelf (e.g.  wood links, tinkertoys, knex), simple boardgames (candyland, jenga, frustration, cagola), watercolour paint

outside::  two-wheeled scooter, bicycle without pedals (add pedals when needed),

{playing library - January 2009}

For the five year old.

inside::  50 and 100 piece jigsaw puzzles, more art supplies, playing cards, more board games, lego

outside::  hammer, screwdriver, simple materials to make outside forts (preferably from natural environment), this year we added bales of hay which has been a pretty neat plaything

 {beavers in a dam -  august 2009}

That's it.  I'm sure I forgot a couple of things but really, with just some of the above you will have a very rich play environment.  Especially because children really like to play with non-toy playthings most often.  Notice how few things we added each year.  Most of the playthings Iko uses (he's 6 in April) have been his favourites since the beginning (from the one and two year old category).  He just changed the WAY he plays with these items.  It has been very cool to watch this progression.

the glass castle.

Let me start off by saying I really liked this book.  It is Jeanette Walls memoir of her childhood as part of an extremely unique and vibrant family.  Yes there is poverty, pain, suffering, hunger, eating from the garbage, filth, neglect, abuse and addiction.  But there is also love.  And many times along the journey there is true happiness.  Unlike Angela's Ashes, which is often thought of as a parallel memoir, The Glass Castle is not depressing.  In fact, it is serious food for thought in an age where children are becoming less independent at older ages.

Certainly different from the stereotypical middle class American family, these four children are essentially left to care for themselves and eachother.  There's no over-protective parenting going on here.  The mother simply ignores her children completely and focuses solely on herself.  The father, highly charismatic, charming and loveable is cherished by his young children but he is an alcoholic whose drinking binges last days on end.  The family is dirt poor, living off of nothing most of the time, and sometimes barely surviving.

This book really makes you think about poverty and the insidiousness of growing up poor.  This story has a relatively happy ending (considering) but for most of the characters in this novel and in these circumstances the endings are depressingly pathetic.  To think, in this age of wealth in developed nations (this time USA) that people are living in such deplorable conditions with almost no hope of improvement.

For me the highlight of this novel is that the eldest three siblings genuinely create family.  Even as immature children they nurture, love, protect and teach eachother.  Their bond is truely inspiring.  The fourth child who grows up separately from her family (with help from wealthier neighbours) misses the family bonding.  Interestingly enough, she is the one who has the least stability and success as an adult.

Anyone read this?  What do you think?

childhood activities:: our toys.

When Iko was a baby we lived in a small miners shack two blocks away from our current home.  These were his toys until he was two. 

We chose these toys with care.  Oh yes, he played with much more than this.  He played with ALL the non-toy items in our home (sometimes to the chagrin of the mama).  You know what they say about the pots and pans!!!

Now our toy collection has grown.  Mainly a large collection of Fisher Price community (bottom of closet) that I played endlessly with as a child.  But in this closet you will also find lego, bag of small dolls, a shelf designated to the outgrown one year old toys (still enjoyed from time to time), tinker toys, a variety of little cloth and paper bags (very useful for play), and puzzles and games are on the two top shelves mostly.  Many of the games up high are for much older children and adults (I guess Dave and I used to play those in our spare time....?).

This is our dress-up chest.  Capes, hats, scarves, costumes etc..

And a picnic hamper full of toy pots, pans, dishes, and food.

In the basement I keep a rainy day bin.  It has the metal cars, a marble game and wood links (these are activities with a lot of pieces and one of Iko's favourite games, for the past couple years, is to dump ALL the pieces of EVERY activity he can find into sacs and then take them camping, or dump on the stairs and play store, or pretend he is a miner and they are gold.... I think you get it).  So creative, and just as much fun with 50 some odd pieces of things (especially for the "gold-diggers" that have to sort through all the bits to put them away).

In our living room we have wooden blocks, playing cards, the books, and musical instruments (drums, xylophone, piano and little percussions).

In our kitchen we have a tea set and a small table.  And you have already met our art cupboard.

There are no toys upstairs in the bedrooms.  The children rarely go up there to play at all.

And so that's it.  The toys in our home.

sun and snow.

mindful gratitude.

Giving thanks and showing appreciation are really so, so important.  In our world, in our lives we have so many things to be grateful for and sometimes we spend very little time reflecting on our abundance.  Everyday I look around my town, my home, my family and realize how lucky I am to have this life.  No matter how much room for improvement there (almost) always is, there is even more room for gratitude.

As we spend time writing notes of thanks to family and friends who sent us heartfelt gifts and greetings this season.  As we make homeschooling and family plans for the winter months and even the upcoming summer.  As we share meals with friends.

And as we share meals with each other every evening.  We feel grateful.

Mindfully grateful together.

Iko and I made gratitude cards for our dining table.  Each card has a verse on one side and art on the other.  The verses are respectful and beautiful and they are quickly becoming part of our family.  They nestle in the pinecone basket centrepiece and are read after we light our candle and before we begin eating.

beautiful light.

Just a jar lantern.  A jar, tissue paper, white glue, sponges.

Insert beeswax votive when dry.  A magical light for a special mood...

rhythm of the home:: our days.

Establishing a rhythm does take some time.  The older your children are, the harder it is to make changes to your homelife.  I have been actively thinking about rhythm since last spring when I began my homeschool planning.  This fall (and again in December) I sat down and made a list of all the nurturing activities I wanted to incorporate in this kindergarten year for both my children.    And then I took the list and developed daily and weekly schedules.   A glimpse into the rhythm of our kindergarten winter days.

7-9am          wake, dress, set-table, breakfast, cleaning, teeth

9-10             main lesson time (see below*)

10-10:30      storytime (candle lit and I tell the children a story from memory)

                     quietly dress to go outside

10:30-12      hike in forest, play outside, explore neighbourhood, garden work

12-1             lunch, clean-up, teeth and face

1-1:30          circle time (finger plays, songs, poetry and a puppet/felt story)

1:30-3          nap time

3-4               play inside or outside, laundry, (rightstart math activities)

4-4:45          supper preparation, tidying up

4:45-5:45    supper, meal clean-up

5:45-7         "fun time" or bath, piano playing with Daddy, quiet book reading

7                  to bed with bedtime routine

Although it appears a bit rigid, it's really not.  Sometimes we skip activities completely if the mood of the day is contrary.  Sometimes we are having so much fun with one thing we keep on playing.  Some activities take longer than the allotted time and I know this and adjust accordingly.  But most of the time we naturally follow this flow and it works best.

I try to balance the day with active, energetic times followed by quiet, reflective activities.  I notice that if I keep the children in my space, and tweak the energy now and then, the days flow so peacefully.

*Our main lesson activities are as follows;  mondays baking, tuesdays watercolour or form drawing, wednesdays handwork/crafts, thursdays modelling and poetry, friday house cleaning day.  Often the activities build on and relate to the main storytime.  The weekly pattern is fluid, days can and do switch, and our schedule allows for any changes or special activities related to the season etc..  After all, one of the things we cherish about homeschooling is learning in the world when an opportunity arises.

We generally follow this rhythm on the weekend too (minus main lesson, storytelling and circle).

If we arrange a play time with friends (usually 2-3 times a week of planned visits), it still happens mainly in the morning, on the weekends, or (to a lesser extent) after school lets out.  If a friend is playing at our house they will often join our storytime and circle times (and oh do they love it).

So, that's what our days are like these days.