Ethan had another great week of unschooling, but I’m not sure people actually believe me because every week is such a positive experience. But I guess it’s about the experience that you and your family have, rather than what others are doing. The whole point of homeschooling/unschooling is the individualization and finding what works for your child.
What I hope is that anyone who sees what Ethan is doing each week is inspired and finds a way to homeschool that is right for them. That being said, we have nothing but great things to say about unschooling because children really do know what they want more so than us, even as their parents.
For example, after last week’s stop motion animation class, Dong Eun and I talked about finding more materials/resources about stop motion animation or even movies that Ethan could watch.
But just as I put a stop motion animation book on hold at the library, Dong Eun had a brilliant moment of insight, which she often does, and said that we should hold off and let Ethan come to us or show that he’s interested before we do anything more.
We asked Ethan if he’d like to check out some stop motion animation books and much to our surprise, he said no. So we didn’t push it and trusted that Ethan knew what he wanted.
The cool thing is that he did eventually make another stop motion animation video but it was because he wanted to. He didn’t feel like he needed to learn more at this time and just wanted to try something on his own.
So I hope you find our posts helpful or inspirational as you work towards a way of unschooling or homeschooling that helps your child be happy, engaged and motivated to learn.
March 25
This week, we started off by going to my parents’ place for brunch but it was also to make some Chinese shrimp dumplings that you normally get for dim sum.
Ethan helped a bit with this but found something more interesting.
And what he found was my parents’ TV and some educational kids programs!
But he did want to make a pizza using homemade dough.
Ethan loves happy faces so he made his pizza into a happy face 🙂
Happy and delicious!
We spent most of the day at my parents but after we got home, Ethan spent some time experimenting with Universe Sandbox before calling it a day.
March 26
Ethan started off the morning by reading a book about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It was kind of like an encyclopedia about the tech and background story of the movie.
Ethan told me what hedron means because he heard about it as a way of describing the shape of the cube pictured. I look up hedron and found out that it’s a suffix used when describing a geometrical solid figure. The prefix would tell you how many faces the shape would have.
Ethan said that understanding hedron and how this cube was made helped him learn that you can turn three sides of the puzzle without affecting any part of the colours. Honestly, I’m still not sure I understand what he was talking about!
Ethan absolutely loves Universe Sandbox and spends time experimenting with it almost every day. He’s always trying new things with stars, moons and planets to see how they interact with each other in different scenarios.
And he solved another cube! Getting closer to solving them all.
We left in the morning to go to the Lynn Valley Ecology Centre for a “Birds of Prey” class but unfortunately, it was a first come, first serve situation with admittance and it was full when we arrived.
That was fine because Ethan had a couple friends coming over and needed to clean his room. Keeping his room tidy is a challenge but he’s working on it.
Room cleaned and teaching his friends how to make stick bombs.
Ethan has really been into making stick bombs and experimenting with new designs. Here, he made a five-pointed star shape.
In the evening, Ethan checked out some coding projects shared on the Scratch website.
Showing me some of the projects he’s created and shared online.
Ethan has been fascinated by large numbers for quite some time and wanted to learn more about them, in particular, the names and just how big numbers can be. He found a video describing a series of large numbers and was motivated to write out each of the numbers he was learning about.
While learning about these large numbers, we talked about factorials because Ethan was learning about them. We were curious about factorials of certain numbers so we looked online and found a factorial calculator.
It was fun trying different numbers with the calculator. Ethan asked what the factorial of Googol would be and we looked it up online and found this from Dr. Daniel of The Math Forum:
“In fact, the number of digits in googol! is VASTLY greater than the number of particles in the universe,”
Ethan was very excited about this video and learned what Googolplex ↑ Googolplex is. He had to figure out what the up arrow meant, along with other unfamiliar math symbols.
I’ve always been curious if bajillion is a real number so we looked it up and found that it’s not a real number but simply a way to express a large number of something.
March 27
Math in the morning. When Ethan is into something, it’s the first thing he wants to do when he gets up.
Since finding the video about large numbers, he wanted to continue learning about them and found this video about Skewes Number that he watched right after breakfast.
He also completed more of his list of big numbers and their scientific notation.
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Next, he made a chart to describe big numbers that included scientific notation, how the number is written using powers and how many zeros there are.
After that, Ethan spent some time coding and created an effect for the background of his game where the background swirls around on its own.
Next was some violin practice.
Ethan started a new comic book series called Adventures of the Staple!
After he finished his comic books, Ethan tidied up the papers in his room. He created file folders to keep things better organized.
Once he finished tidying up, he added some notes to the list of big numbers he made earlier.
Ethan then made several stick bombs in different shapes and configurations.
He also taught Dong Eun how to make these new stick bombs. Whenever Ethan learns something new that he’s really into, he loves teaching others about it.
He made a twist tie ring for Dong Eun 🙂
He made a second stop motion movie called Cards.
Here’s the movie…
Later, he explained the large numbers and chart he made.
Ethan really enjoys the Korean version of Murderous Maths and spent some time reading it again.
He worked on more stick bombs but what was interesting is that he started with one design and built the other designs from it.
To demonstrate that all the stick bombs came from one design, he stacked them on top of each other.
Ethan then made a new stop motion video about the earth and the sun. Here’s the process he took to make the video.
After the set and character pieces were ready, Ethan filmed his stop motion video using my iPhone. He then exported the footage into iMovie and edited his video.
Once he finished editing, he uploaded the video to YouTube.
And here’s the finished video…
March 28
This week, we borrowed a number of Horrible Histories books because they are written in a similar style to Murderous Maths. At first, Ethan said the books weren’t that interesting but after giving them a try, he has found them to be fun to read.
It leads us back to the question of how much should we be introducing to Ethan and how autonomous he should be with his learning.
I suppose if we think of ourselves as librarians, we’re doing the “right” thing by offering suggestions based on what he’s previously enjoyed.
The library had a workshop on mason bees, which are kept at the library, so Ethan went to check it out today.
The cheetos were used as pollen and it was used to show what the mason bees pollinate.
The teacher had the kids play a game to guess which things are pollinated by bees and which are pollinated by the wind.
The peanut looking things are the bee cocoons.
Information about different types of bees.
The teacher provided lots of fun facts and information about mason bees.
Here, she explained how mason bees reproduce by using mud and laying eggs inside a tube along with some food. The kids learned that mason bees lay their own eggs because they don’t have a queen.
Here, she cut open the tube with the bee cocoons, as some of the bees haven’t emerged from their cocoons. The bees will eventually emerge so humans can help them in this way.
One of the cool things was being able to make a hive for the mason bees.
This was an excellent class put on by the West Vancouver Memorial Library, as it was informational and engaging.
Once home, Ethan sent out an invitation to his friends for a party Ethan wanted to have on Friday.
Later, Ethan worked on some equations with exponents.
He was curious about small measurements and it’s so cool how easy it is to find answers online. Being a home learner in our connected age is fantastic because information and resources are readily at hand.
And here is further exploration of how small things are from a Khan Academy video.
Ethan wrapped up his day by writing a journal entry. He likes finding funny or interesting ways to describe his day, which always makes for an entertaining read.
His writing is also a good way for us to gauge his emotional well-being and how he sees the world.
March 29
Today was supposed to be “Ethan Goes to Court” but he didn’t go because the lawyers who were going to take us had to reschedule. Ethan wasn’t too upset since he was looking forward to going to the law firm for the annual Easter event.
But first, breakfast, and a piece of toast with an interesting pattern caught Ethan’s attention. The bread was placed on top of the toaster as the other two pieces of bread in the picture were being toasted. The result was a fun pattern burned into the bread.
We arrived at the law firm and Ethan did some learning before the party started.
This was a video about physics and gravity so Ethan was very interested.
Ethan then switched to some Discovery Education videos about space…what else, right? 🙂
The party started off slowly, as only one kid showed up early. He was about 5 years old and very chatty. Ethan seemed to like talking to him about the show they were watching.
Easter egg hunt.
Ethan loved this funny sign that was meant for taking photos.
He added a sour candy to his hot dog and said it tasted pretty good.
One of the party guests made slime for all the kids.
Back home, Ethan checked out his loot.
He then did some math practice with factor trees and long division before calling it a night. He usually spends about 30 minutes reading in bed before going to sleep each night.
March 30
On Good Friday, Ethan’s friends were coming over for the party so Ethan prepared a few things.
But first, he wanted to show me how he could manipulate a compass with a magnet.
Inspired by the sign from yesterday’s Easter party at Winright Law, Ethan made some signs for his party.
He reused some card stock that I had used to draw some characters for a video. It was fun to see how he repurposed the drawings by also adding some text to them.
Signs done, time to help clean up before his friends arrived.
When the first two kids arrived, they played outside as it was a beautiful day out.
Back inside and more kids arrived, so Ethan started teaching them how to make stick bombs. He really loves teaching other people how to do things.
Then it was time to head up to the party room for some games, food and fun.
After playing inside, the kids headed back out to enjoy the nice weather and work off the pizza. The party ended not long after as it was just for the afternoon.
Ethan gave his friends a handful of craft sticks each so they could practice making more stick bombs.
After the party, Ethan relaxed by watching some astronomy videos on Discovery Education.
And he did some light reading of one of his favourite book series… Captain Underpants!
Before bed, Ethan made a five-pointed star stick bomb.
March 31
Today, we were going to have my family over for turkey as part of Easter. We don’t celebrate these holidays from a religious point of view… we just like to eat the food!
Ethan spent the early part of the day playing with the stick bombs he and his friends made the day before.
He played with the DIY cube puzzle he made a while back.
And experimented with his Snap Circuits set.
Ethan’s friend Kal was playing outside so Ethan went to join him and one of Kal’s friends.
After coming in, Ethan did some experiments with physics and gravity in Universe Sandbox.
He read an article about Voyager 1’s journey in interstellar space that I found and shared with him. I actually sent this via text message a few days ago but he wasn’t too interested in reading it. I think it was because he didn’t want to actually read, since the article looked a bit long.
When he did read it, he skimmed it, as he didn’t know about some major facts mentioned in the article. I’ll try again with something a little simpler to read.
His cousins came over early and Ethan showed them some of the games he made in Scratch.
Turkey all ready to be carved up.
It was nice having everyone over for an Easter dinner, but when it was over, Ethan wanted to chill out by reading. Here, he was reading a book about amazing facts.
And that was it for the day and the week.
If you have any questions about unschooling, please feel free to leave a comment. See you next week!
Hi Natasha,
You asked some great questions and we do in fact have things we’d like to ask and get some help with. Here are your comments/questions and our thoughts…
Hello,
What a full week again! I totally agree unschooling is working so well for Ethan. He is so motivated and inspired to follow his own curiosity and natural wonder about so many different things.
I was wondering if there are specific ways you would like my support or suggestions at this point in the year? I feel like I want to support Ethan to just keep exploring, researching, experimenting and creating. I look forward to seeing what he is up to every week. I feel inspired as his excitement for learning is so infectious. He is so in charge of his own learning journey that I am having a hard time thinking of resources to suggest.
We also feel that unschooling is working well with Ethan and that it’s been a good fit for him. He’s very happy and has found subjects he loves, such as space and math.
What you said about supporting Ethan to keep exploring, researching, experimenting and creating is exactly what we’re hoping for.
What we’re noticing and what we think will be important, is for Ethan to learn how to express his comprehension. We also would like him to develop his analytical and critical thinking skills.
He reads a lot but doesn’t ask questions or wonder why something is the way it is. We want to help him learn to ask questions or make inferences about why, what, who, when and how and to express those thoughts so that he is able to communicate with others.
We feel that this skill will help him to learn anything he wishes and learn in a much deeper and meaningful way as he progresses through his school years.
Is it developing critical thinking skills, analytical skills or something similar? Is it working on language arts more?
As an example, he was telling me how the moon’s core is solid and very hot. I asked him how people know that and we discussed the importance of not always accepting what is written, but to also ask questions about how something came to be. This is especially important with the amount of information available online.
So we have started using more of the SD subscriptions, such as Canadian Reader and Classroom Ready Science News, and read the stories he likes along with answering the comprehension questions. He doesn’t exactly love this but with topics he’s interested in, he seems ok with it.
We’ve also found lists of classic children’s books and have started reading Black Beauty with him each night. He was immediately interested in the story, which I was surprised by because the language is not easy to understand. It’s also my first time to read it so in that way, it’s been good for both of us.
We are trying to ask him more questions about what he’s read or what he’s learning about to get him to talk more about what he’s learned or what he’s thinking. When we find something that clicks with him, which is usually space these days, he doesn’t stop talking about it.
We feel that unschooling is powerful and a great opportunity for Ethan to become the best he can be and contribute positively to society.
So, we’re trying to help him develop lifelong learning skills so that he feels confident about tackling any subject and being able to communicate his thoughts. How can we start building these skills from the most basic level and progressing to higher levels of skill?
We’ve also discussed having him go to high school for Gr. 10-12, if he wants to, but only at a school that encourages learning and that has a rich, positive environment.
We’ve been reading a book called “The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way” by Amanda Ripley. She talks about the PISA test and how it tests analytical and creative problem-solving using real-life problems and situations.
We’d like him to learn how to handle challenging situations and problems through logic, creative thinking, problem solving, situational awareness and empathy towards others.
We want him to really understand what being a human being is, to understand others and the world around him, and to contribute to the world, rather than just doing what is “expected” or “normal.”
Dong Eun says that she simply wants him to be able to think, to think well 🙂
How do we even start? Are we already on the right track? What can/should we do?
That’s a lot for you to digest!
But we know how considerate and thoughtful you are when it comes to understanding Ethan and what we’re hoping to do.
Any thoughts/ideas you might have are most welcome. We’re sure there is no one perfect answer and that it’s going to be an ongoing process.
We would love to hear your suggestions and feedback about what we can do and what we’re continually doing with Ethan.
Overall, we think this first school year of homeschooling has been good for Ethan and for us. We’d like to keep the momentum going and work with you to make that happen.
Thanks!
hi!
o-k! I will get started….now!
-I am a bit confused about the stick bombs…you made so many of them. Do you enjoy making them or do you use them in some way?
well, stick bombs are fun to make and I usually have fun with them. so,I just enjoy making them.
-What are you wondering about most right now?
right now,I’m wondering about what to wonder about…oh! got it. how pulsars spin so fast.(about 1000 rotations per sec)
-Do you have any big project plans that you are dreaming of for this spring or summer?
well, not really, but my plans are to rest, and go to the beach.
-What is your favorite kind of music to listen to?
well, I usually like classical music to listen to(e.x.Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007 and Allgretto), but sometimes I like party music. 
-What sort of art do you find really interesting?
well, normally classic and old stuff
-What do you wonder most about in space?
about how pulsars spin so fast.(about 1000 rotations per sec)
-If you could meet anyone who would it be and why?
well, I really don’t know. maybe famous people that were interested in astronomy because I like astronomy. 
I just love your stop animation videos! Blackout and Cards both made me laugh a bit, they have a nice sense of humour to them both. I also like the music you chose. Do you have any more stop animation ideas brewing?
no.not really except I’m planning to do a few clay stopmotion movies.
-Do you watch any other stop animation short films for inspiration?
no. not really. sometimes.
that’s it! those are the answers to the questions! so, that’s it! bye.
Hello,
What a full week again! I totally agree unschooling is working so well for Ethan. He is so motivated and inspired to follow his own curiosity and natural wonder about so many different things.
I was wondering if there are specific ways you would like my support or suggestions at this point in the year? I feel like I want to support Ethan to just keep exploring, researching, experimenting and creating. I look forward to seeing what he is up to every week. I feel inspired as his excitement for learning is so infectious. He is so in charge of his own learning journey that I am having a hard time thinking of resources to suggest.
You are both such talented bloggers and vloggers about your experience, maybe you can make this list someday: https://blog.feedspot.com/unschooling_blogs/
Top 50 Unschooling Blogs & Websites for Unschoolers and their Parents
I wanted to remind you that I will need Ethan to explore the communication-core competencies library page and pick one video or article or quote and do some sort of self reflection about it as an observation for learning in the next week or two.
https://selfdesign.learning.powerschool.com/selfdesignlearning/library/cms_page/view/36393437
Perhaps it could be a good time to show him the SD Library (in case you have not already). He might find some new topics or areas or interest or enjoy some of the resources there.
I have a few questions for Ethan:
-I am a bit confused about the stick bombs…you made so many of them. Do you enjoy making them or do you use them in some way?
-What are you wondering about most right now?
-Do you have any big project plans that you are dreaming of for this spring or summer?
-What is your favorite kind of music to listen to?
-What sort of art do you find really interesting?
-What do you wonder most about in space?
-If you could meet anyone who would it be and why?
I just love your stop animation videos! Blackout and Cards both made me laugh a bit, they have a nice sense of humour to them both. I also like the music you chose. Do you have any more stop animation ideas brewing?
-Do you watch any other stop animation short films for inspiration?
I just love your stop animation videos! Blackout and Cards both made me laugh a bit, they have a nice sense of humor to them both. I also like the music you chose. Do you have any more stop animation ideas brewing?
Here are some of the benefits of making stop motion films:
Benefits of Stop Motion Animation
- Offers children ownership and autonomy in the film making process
- Teaches children how stop motion animation works
- Debunks the mechanics of how movie-making happens
- The creative constraint of the medium encourages problem solving
- It’s a simple, hands-on technology that young children can achieve
- Encourages children to project and plan out where a story is heading
- Fosters iteration and experimentation through trying and testing
- Supports storytelling
This was a classic from my childhood: stop motion animation of Gumby! Gumby on the Moon, YouTube. Maybe you will find some inspiration and new ideas from these films:
Best Stop Motion Videos from Short of the Week. Lots of good inspiration here.
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