Video to come!

Morning

You know those pictures of people hanging out in their van in nature? Well, it felt like that this morning. Even Ethan marvelled at how nice it was to wake up with nature all around.

Dong Eun made oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, which really hit the spot.

Ethan has been helping with getting things ready each morning, but sometimes, he needs to remember to do his chores before he can play. We think it’s part of getting into a routine and developing the habit, so we’re sure he’ll get there.

We got on the road and couldn’t stop saying how nice everything was. It’s been great for Ethan to see all this nature and the different ways it’s been presented to him. Today, the highlands were beckoning.

Our first stop was a spot overlooking the water where we could see the spectacular landscape of Cape Breton and feel the sea breeze hitting our faces. (Which never makes for attractive photos, btw!)

As we continued on our way, we went back down to sea level. This happens quite often on Cape Breton. Here, we found a rocky beach with no one on it but us.

Ethan’s been using his camera more the last couple of days, and took some photos of Dong Eun from some unique perspectives. I’ll share the photos he chose in another post.

With all the rocks around, it was fun to build stone towers.

There was also a kind of dock made from stone that Dong Eun went out onto because she was the only one with flip flops on.

The coolest thing about coming to this beach was that Ethan finally figured out how to skip stones across the water. He practiced for so long trying to get the technique right until he was finally successful. We like that he keeps trying even if something is hard or not working the first time.

From the beach, we went up to another view point along Cabot Trail. One thing we noticed is the large number of lookout points and viewing areas along Cabot Trail.

At this particular spot was a memorial dedicated to those who served and gave their lives so that we could enjoy these views and the way of life we have here in Canada. These messages always cause me to reflect and be grateful for living in Canada. I always read these messages to Ethan, but I’m not sure the weight of the message gets through. I’m sure it will as he gets older and perhaps looks back at these photos and blog posts.

Another couple from BC!

At one of the beaches we stopped at, we met Ian and Judy from Prince George, BC. Ian was curious who the owners of Juju Jr. were, as he was thinking it would be an older couple like him and Judy. He was pleasantly surprised that it was us and we ended up having an hour long chat with him and Judy.

Ian had owned a Westfalia way back when so he was curious how our ’94 was holding up on the trip. We had a great time talking to both of them and feel so lucky that our little van has helped up meet so many nice people along our journey.

We can’t wait to see Ian and Judy again…hopefully, when we take a trip up to Prince George and beyond next summer.

Afternoon

Anyway, from seeing the views it was now time for a light lunch of peanut butter and bananas on the delicious buns we got from Farmers Daughter.

Our main destination today was Skyline Trail, an apt name since the trail is up high and goes right out to the edge of a cliff.

Along the trail, we read the various information signs teaching us about why there were so few trees, what was being done to restore the trees and how the moose population was four times the sustainable amount for the area. The moose population had increased because moose have no natural predators in that area.

Once we got out to the end of the trail, we were met by an amazing view and winds so strong, they could probably blow a small child over the edge. In fact, they sometimes have warning signs about extremely strong winds. Luckily, our child isn’t that small so he was okay to play and have some fun.

There was also time for some impromptu yoga poses.

On the way back to Juju Jr., Ethan found a unique looking beetle. We thought it looked similar to the beetles he saw at Entomica.

By now, it was late afternoon and we had to start moving on to find a place to camp for the evening. But Cape Breton has some kind of hidden gem around every turn.

In this case, in was a place called Lone Sheiling, where there was an actual Scottish sheiling that had been built. What made us stop, originally, was the beautiful yellow colour of the trees in this area.

Evening

It was again dark when we arrived in Ingonish and started looking for a place to camp. We found something near the beach and took a chance that no one would bother us here. And the fact that the bathroom was open was an added bonus.

Before dinner, Ethan worked on the writing part of his assessment, but wasn’t feeling very motivated. We explained to him that he can write it in as creative a way as he likes, kind of like telling a story. We wanted him to show his personality and write creatively. This made something click in his brain, as he quite quickly filled the page with a story.

We were very proud of him. He was also proud of himself, which is probably even more important, because he finally found a way to make writing fun.

One of our main reasons for unschooling and choosing SelfDesign was to allow Ethan the opportunity to express himself in his own way, and to write or think within the limitations of traditional schooling. Hopefully, this sparks some additional creative writing; in fact, he wrote a new Adventures of the Box book right after finishing the assessment.

He’s written books 4, 5, 6, and 7, but I haven’t uploaded them so I’ll need to get on that.

But first, dinner, which was spaghetti with sunny side up eggs, carrots, tomatoes and ketchup. This is a very Hong Kong style of cooking that my mom used to make when we were kids. You can still eat dishes similar to this in Hong Kong cafe style restaurants.

Anyway, the spot we picked was great, as nothing except the sound of the ocean could be heard the entire night.

We’ll see what daylight has to bring.

If you’re just reading this blog for the first time, we are a family of three traveling across Canada (and likely beyond) in a 1994 VW Westfalia camper van called Juju Jr. Our son Ethan, age 9, is unschooling and so we want him to learn from being on the road and traveling. So he’s also now a roadschooler and we are documenting the trip and his learning on this blog.

The post Home Learning Journal October 25, 2017 – The Cape Breton Highlands appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Video to come!

Morning

Last night, we stayed at a local Walmart and when we woke up, we were greeted with pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins made by Loretta. Ethan was happy to see them again, as usual, and was even happier to have a muffin for breakfast. Dong Eun also liked not having to cook.

Ethan worked some more on his fourth grade assessment. We’re still trying to find a way to motivate and encourage him to write. We know he’s creative and we know that he can write if he put his mind to it.

Once we were done breakfast and cleaned up, we headed for Cape Breton. We followed the directions of a new navigation app, which told us to mostly take a smaller road, rather than the Trans Canada Highway.

But interestingly, we got to experience something new… There was road construction and to get through the construction area, we were escorted by one of the construction trucks.

We went back onto the Trans Canada and eventually made it to Cape Breton.

Afternoon

We kept seeing signs for the Farmers Daughter market and were curious what it was. So we pulled in to check it out and were impressed by the local products and the in store bakery.

At one point, an older fellow asked if were the ones from BC and told us about how he’s been across the country 3 or 4 times. He also mentioned how he has two daughters living in BC. We then found out that he was the owner of the market and had a nice chat with him about the store.

He told us about the contest he held where if someone worked with him for 5 years, he would give them 3 acres of land. I remember that story in the news and told him that I might have even applied. Obviously, I didn’t get the job.

Before leaving, we bought their oat cakes and Ethan and Dong Eun had to get a photo with the giant red chair outside the store.

Back on the road, we couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of Cape Breton.

Everywhere we looked, it was nice and we had to stop to enjoy the views up close and to have lunch.

Ethan also got a much needed toenail trim.

He then picked some leaves to press them using his new math book. This is something he learned from seeing Loretta do the same thing.

With our belly’s full, we drove on and encountered the rocky shores of Cape Breton. This was the first time that any of us have seen something like this.

It was easy to see how the earth pushed the fault lines up to create this dramatic shoreline.

Driving further along, we came up to a grassy area overlooking the water.

A little further and we were back down at sea level, visiting a local beach. Ethan took the opportunity to write something into the sand for Dong Eun.

A short distance away, Ethan collected sea snails and made a game from them… If the snails started trying to move, we had to flip them over and poke them so they’d go back in their shell.

We also saw a mask making shop, that unfortunately, was closed for the season. It seemed like many places were closed for the season, but it meant no tourists, too.

Ethan has been enjoying all the little things he can do on the trip, such as finding sticks and carving them.

Evening

There was so much to see that it was dark before we started looking for a place to camp for the evening. We drove along Cabot Trail until we found a quiet pull out area. It turned out to be a great spot because we saw more stars in the sky than we have ever seen in our lives.

How amazing that the people here get to gaze up at the sky and see such a sight every night. Ethan ended the night by doing some math. He then stretched with Dong Eun to get ready for bed.

We took one more look at the sky and called it a day.

If you’re just reading this blog for the first time, we are a family of three traveling across Canada (and likely beyond) in a 1994 VW Westfalia camper van called Juju Jr. Our son Ethan, age 9, is unschooling and so we want him to learn from being on the road and traveling. So he’s also now a roadschooler and we are documenting the trip and his learning on this blog.

The post Home Learning Journal October 24, 2017 – Cape Breton Island’s Cabot Trail appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.