There’s also the misconception that home learners do not get enough socialization or that they have behavioural or learning disabilities. We hope our blog and what Ethan does can help parents and children better understand the educational options that are available to them.

October 13

October 14

October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

October 19

Let us know if you have any questions related to unschooling or SelfDesign, the distance learning program that Ethan is enrolled in.

Hello, 

Another fantastic week. I found myself watching all the google trick videos and trying them out. 

I have to admit I was so excited to play breakout!

 It was the only videogame I had growing up and I only had it when we went to Lake Tahoe on vacations. What a blast from the past and my breakout game was only in black and white. How times have changed. 

Ethan can you imagine a life with no computers, apps, digital computers, videogames, online research and programs? 

I mean you do read a lot of books, so you understand that. I had a set of encyclopedia from which I looked up information. Otherwise I had to ask teachers, parents, friends or just not know….

I was also very fortunate to have a bookshelf full of these from 1963-1995. Do you know what these are? They were an incredible resource for world cultures, animals, nature and space….

If you don’t know your parents might. 

Ethan you are learning so much theory and equations any desire for hands on? 

How about some ideas for building new science and physics projects?

 This looks like a pretty neat site.

in the morning, he set up this giant periodic table.

What is Ethan using this periodic table for? 

4 player chess

Seems like it has been a while since he played. Any new insights or is he just keeping up with his skills? 

Exploding pumpkin origami

Tell me more….does the pumpkin really explode. 

Halloween this week, making your costume, plans? 

Taking notes on google secrets, planning for 4 part video

You did so much research and demonstrated them all so clearly with your great sense of humor. Well done, comprehensive and engaging. 

I wonder if you could get your videos to come up in searches for Google trick? I think people would really enjoy them. I suppose you have to work on the key search words you enter. 

Photography Carl here… I noticed that the photos Ethan took of this 3D drawing only had part of the image in focus. So I taught Ethan about controlling depth of field using the camera’s aperture priority setting. This picture was taken at f13 to show how the lower f-stop made everything in focus.

Ethan are you interested in doing more photography or were you learning this to make your 3D pictures pop more? 

math is “powers to the imaginary unit”. Powers of i

Then,He learned About Solving sinusoidal Equations of the form sinx=d.

then, math: how to find the area of a hexagon.

learning about TESS and the new world it just found.

then, he made a simulation!

Ethan I could use some of your chalkboard tutorials on your recent math and physics. I have to admit I am quite behind you now . I never took physics, trig or calculus…

I guess I can ask questions though. 

How has you recent studies of force and acceleration influenced the ways you see objects, vehicles etc. in motion around you?  

phisics! today it is “centripetal force and acceleration intuition”.

reading “Things to Make And Do in The Fourth Dimension”

This book looks super interesting! Right up your alley comedy and mathematics!!

What are you learning from the book? 

Have you tried any of the games and puzzles? 

If you could write a letter to the author what would you say? 

Will you be making any videos based on the book? 

Have you watched any of his video talks? I attached one

Math is boring, says the mathematician and comedian Matt Parker. Part of the problem may be the way the subject is taught, but it’s also true that we all, to a greater or lesser extent, find math difficult and counterintuitive. This counterintuitiveness is actually part of the point, argues Parker: the extraordinary thing about math is that it allows us to access logic and ideas beyond what our brains can instinctively do―through its logical tools we are able to reach beyond our innate abilities and grasp more and more abstract concepts.

In the absorbing and exhilarating Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension, Parker sets out to convince his readers to revisit the very math that put them off the subject as fourteen-year-olds. Starting with the foundations of math familiar from school (numbers, geometry, and algebra), he takes us on a grand tour, from four dimensional shapes, knot theory, the mysteries of prime numbers, optimization algorithms, and the math behind barcodes and iPhone screens to the different kinds of infinity―and slightly beyond.

Both playful and sophisticated, Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension is filled with captivating games and puzzles, a buffet of optional hands-on activities that entice us to take pleasure in mathematics at all levels. Parker invites us to relearn much of what baffled us in school and, this time, to be utterly enthralled by it.

.

yes, it’s that bad.

the best is…a 500m asteroid with the impact 10 y away. so, the Earth goes the length of its diameter every 7 mins. so we need the asteroid to arrive 7 minutes before or after. so, divide 7 mins by 10 y is about 1/1,000,000. so we need to push it by 1 part in a million.there are six ways to do this.

1. force. slam an object into the side of an asteroid, knocking it off course.
2. nuke it… but miss. yup, explode a nuclear bomb right next to an astroidd, and that will push it off course.
3. graffiti. spray paint an asteroid white, and the sun will push it off course.
4. gravity tractor beam. get a 20-ton spacecraft flying next to the asteroid. the gravity of the spaceship will gradually pull the asteroid away!
5. rocket. the simplest. attach a rocket to the asteroid.
6. laser beam. shoot a laser at the asteroid and it will be gone.

the worst-case would be that we catch it only a few months before it hits. in that case, we need to shoot a nuclear bomb at it. but!!!!!! make it go deep into the asteroid.

Are these really the proposed solutions to an asteroid heading toward earth? I could not tell if you were joking or completely serious. 

Have a wonderful week and I will be in touch about setting up a Zomm call for the fall connection. 

Natasha

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This is from Ethan’s nature school teacher Mink for their October 16th class…

It was a wet morning but it didn’t stop the Wednesday North Van crew from playing hard! Everyone enjoyed playing “freeze fox” followed by a wildly popular forest ecology game lovingly titled “oh no, I’m poop!”. Mink taught a fun two part rain song that was written by her friend in Ontario and everyone sang, stomped, clapped and snapped as the rain poured down. Scott told part 1 of what promises to be an epic story, as we all huddled under the big white tarp eating snack.

After story, Mink’s group (the Ravens) made their way toward eagle island. On the way Mink got laughed at for her poor beatboxing skills by kids who wouldn’t even try! Once there, The Ravens played a few rounds of a sneaky movement by game called “icky stick”. Afterward they all snuck out to individual sit spots. Some of the awesome sights included jumping fish, bird alarms warning of a swooping bald eagle, the sight of mist moving through the mountains and the sound of rain on the lake. It was suuuuper peaceful. Until Mikaela’s group showed up (haha just kidding). After some free play and crafting time, Craig’s group joined the Ravens in Eagle Island for some friction fire practice!

Scott’s Group started by walking to the Lake and overlooking its foggy gloriousness and saying ‘WOW!’- captivated by the beauty. They went onwards to a favorite forested spot and got going with setting up a tarp. It was exciting to see the enthusiasm of everyone to play a part in learning the knots and figuring out which trees to attach it to. After this, they all sat down and started focusing once more on carving and sanding elderberry containers! Some people even started shaping their corks. Next, everyone was keen to play a game. Scott presented  a team building game called Red Fish Blue Fish. It requires a combination of teamwork, sneakiness and patience. The group succedded eventually- after a decent amount of exasperation… and after enduring all of Scott’s trickery and refining their strategy.

Mikaela’s group collected edible plants along their walk to a spot on the East side of the lake! With a pot full of trailing blackberry, huckleberry, salal, and thimbleberry leaves plus western hemlock needles for a citrus taste, the group found two big boulders to climb before lunch and tea brewing! The group was so excited to put together the stove and watch over the tea that they almost missed the three young deer that came right into their lunch spot! They watched the deer graze the same huckleberry leaves that were in their tea for a while before they slowly make their way out of sight. After lunch, it was time to warm up their bodies and Mikaela introduced the game Titanoboa! The group had to find the ”poison dart frog balls” and hit the Titanoboa with all three balls at the same time before getting frozen! The group all agreed that Titanoboa is their favourite game. They headed back to the big group, playing many trail games and one more round of Titanoboa!

Looking forward to seeing you all in a few days for another round of crazy forest adventures!

-Your North Van Nature Fam

Ethan’s writing about ‘a potentially habitable planet!’

by Ethan Kwan | Oct 18, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments

so, there is a star, called GJ 357, and TESS(the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satelite) found a planet around it!https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13266

of course, scientists had to confirm it. tess finds its planets by looking for little dops in starlight.https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/multimedia/images/transit-light-curve.html

when scientists confirmed that existed, they found two more!https://scitechdaily.com/tess-discovers-habitable-zone-planet-in-gj-357-system/

also, one is in the habitable zone!

I guess that is all Ethan wrote! bye!

Ethan’s writing about how to stop a “killer” asteroid

by Ethan Kwan | Oct 15, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments

so, there is an asteroid headed for earth. what do you do? well, it depends on the size of the asteroid, and when its gonna hit.yes, it’s that bad.

the best is…a 500m asteroid with the impact 10 y away. so, the Earth goes the length of its diameter every 7 mins. so we need the asteroid to arrive 7 minutes before or after. so, divide 7 mins by 10 y is about 1/1,000,000. so we need to push it by 1 part in a million.there are six ways to do this.

1. force. slam an object into the side of an asteroid, knocking it off course.
2. nuke it… but miss. yup, explode a nuclear bomb right next to an astroidd, and that will push it off course.
3. graffiti. spray paint an asteroid white, and the sun will push it off course.
4. gravity tractor beam. get a 20-ton spacecraft flying next to the asteroid. the gravity of the spaceship will gradually pull the asteroid away!
5. rocket. the simplest. attach a rocket to the asteroid.
6. laser beam. shoot a laser at the asteroid and it will be gone.

the worst-case would be that we catch it only a few months before it hits. in that case, we need to shoot a nuclear bomb at it. but!!!!!! make it go deep into the asteroid.

I guess that is all Ethan wrote! oh well. huh.

The post Unschooling Journal October 13-19, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

February 24

Sunday at home. What to do? With the beautiful weather, we knew we had to go outside.

February 25

February 26

February 27

We wrapped up the evening by reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The story is getting more interesting because the narrator is now embarking on a journey to find what they think is a giant narwhal.

February 28

March 1

March 2

And that was Ethan’s week! He helped with preparing food for the family and did a lot of his usual activities.

Ethan started the morning with some violin practice. We watched some videos of Benjamin Zander, a music teacher with the Boston Philharmonic, and were inspired by the way he teaches and inspires students to view music as an extension of our lives.

I listened to Benjamin Zander’s TED talk on classical music. Thank you for introducing me to a new inspiring person. Did you watch this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LCwI5iErE

He learned about verbals and wrote a fun story using gerunds.

Now gerunds are fun…my favorite ones I think involve sports kayaking, biking and skiing!

He explained that there are circles throughout. He also thought about how the negative space was a bunch of curved triangles.

I really appreciate how Ethan is looking at the curved triangles in this image and considering negative space. I wonder if he will try to figure out how to find the surface area of these curved triangles?

I am interested in the relationship between with this geometric pattern often called overlapping circle grids or sometimes the “Flower of Life” and physics. Ethan might find some interesting history and ideas to explore too:

triangular circle grid
1+
3
4
7
19

Ethan drew a magnifying glass looking into a solar system. More exploration of perspective here…

Ethan made a square root wheel. You turn it and it shows a square root and the answer.

Now this was so cool! Where did he find this idea or did he come up with it on his own?

We’re trying to reduce the amount of packaged or prepared snacks we’re having so Dong Eun made these healthy cookies without flour, oil or sugar. We definitely feel that nutrition has played a huge role in how Ethan learns and behaves. Even when he was still in the womb, Dong Eun always ate well and continued to do so after Ethan was born.

I would have to agree. Often families seem at a loss as to how to address their children’s difficult behaviors. My first question (but I don’t often say it) “is what is your child eating and drinking?” “How might a healthier diet and long nights sleep help support this child to self regulate better.”

Ethan does seem very healthy and bright. The in utero nutrition that Dong Eun so carefully attended to can not be underestimated!

We read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It’s an interesting book with some not so easy vocabulary and sentence structure. For example, he asked me what capricious means and I couldn’t answer. We know now

It’s so wonderful that Ethan enjoys classic novels so much! The richness of language really sets them apart from some more modern children’s literature.

I said that I would offer some more resources for Ethan to better express himself including his needs and feelings. I would like to suggest non-violent communication. There are many resources on the internet. Here is a simple overview in a graphic:

It just so happens that there is an entire LE library page dedicated to this topic of communicating at home and beyond: https://selfdesign.learning.powerschool.com/selfdesignlearning/library/cms_page/view/34194154

Communication can be a friend or foe. Effective communication leads to improved relationships and experiences. Poor communication can have the opposite effect. Want to become a better communicator? Learn more about skills in verbal and non-verbal communication here.

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I found a bit more on music, this time Jazz and mathemetics…the article is linked below

John Coltrane Draws a Picture Illustrating the Mathematics of Music

http://www.openculture.com/2017/04/the-tone-circle-john-coltrane-drew-to-illustrate-the-theory-behind-his-most-famous-compositions-1967.html

The post Unschooling Journal February 24 to March 2, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

February 17

February 18

Today was Family Day so we spent even more time together than usual 🙂

February 19

February 20

February 21

February 22

February 23

And that was Ethan’s week. We also received Ethan’s Winter Connection from his LC, Natasha, which is a progress report.

Ethan is doing very well, according to the report and he was very happy and proud to hear the praise that Natasha had for him.

Unschooling has certainly been a perfect fit for Ethan.

I picked out a few highlights from your observing for learning. Ethan has such full and incredible weeks. I get a real sense of each day because you share so many pictures too.

I can’t believe how many different ways Ethan uses his chalkboard. I also really appreciate that it is not a whiteboard. I feel like there is something very tactile about chalkboards that are lost in whiteboards. Also the medium of chalk versus marker is much more dynamic. I also prefer the dark background versus white, but this is my opinion.

Some interesting facts about chalkboards:

In recent years, green colored boards have largely replaced blackboards. Studies reveal that green color relaxes the eyes and prevents fatigue. Furthermore, the human eye is highly sensitive to the green color, and for this reason, the use of green boards has extensively increased.

As compared to whiteboards, blackboards still have a variety of advantages: … It is easier to draw lines of different weights and thicknesses with chalk than with whiteboard markers. Dashed lines can be drawn very quickly using a technique involving the friction of the chalk(or chalk marker) and blackboard.

For teachers like my mother, the chalkboard’s appeal is largely aesthetic. My mom found chalkboards easier to clean and considered their green color more calming than white. (This perceived calming benefit is among the reasons chalkboards remain popular in Japan, where they are still present in 75 percent of K-12 classrooms.) Likewise, my mother enjoyed the feel of the chalk in her hand and liked how her handwriting looked on the chalkboard.

A good article here in case Ethan is interested in the history of chalkboards, whiteboards and smart boards in education: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/10/theres-no-erasing-the-chalkboard/503975/

I think Ethan has really found something special in his chalkboard. I am so glad you are taking so many photos of how he uses it because the thinking and learning that he is expressing on it is phenomenal!

How to find the volume of a sphere-

This is such a great video! I shared it with a few of my other learners. Ethan has really improved his animations and transitions. I love the music and editing he did on this piece, creative and informative. You are such a great teacher Ethan and using very engaging tools.

I wonder if you will make a video someday about unschooling or homeschooling. I would be so interested to see wht principles or ideas you would share on the topic.

Solving cube in a cube pattern videos

All I can say is wow, not only was I unaware that cube in a cube was a thing or that you could solve cubes in this way. Thank you for continuing to expand my knowledge Ethan

video of playing Hunter’s chorus, filmed in black and white.

This video is beautiful. I think the choice to film in black and white is lovely. I am so happy to actually hear and see you playing the violin!

We finished the night by watching Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and reading Q&As from xkcd.com.

I checked out the xkcd.com website. Interesting and sort of strange to navigate around. I think I need a bit more time to explore. How does Ethan like to use this website?

We’re going to work on being a plastic free home after watching CBC Marketplace’s episode on just how much plastic is still being used. In particular, they talked about how much plastic there is at grocery stores and how consumers can demand that stores ask their suppliers to go plastic-free.

This is a very difficult challenge. Less plastic is a great goal. There are many ways to accomplish this from using pyrex storage containers, wax wrapping instead of plastic sandwich bags, using reusable shopping bags, buying items in bulk….I am sure Ethan had a bunch of more ideas, but there is still so much plastic in use around us!

https://www.treehugger.com/green-home/11-easy-ways-reduce-your-plastic-waste-today.html

I was really struck by plastic when I was in Nepal. There is no recycling going on there and even trash removal is very rare, so many people burn their trash and plastic as in much of the third world. Not to mention all of the plastic that winds up in the ocean and Ethan has been learning about that. I think it is so difficult for us (any age) to really take in all the damage all this plastic is doing to the environment.

Here is one cool idea. I had grade 5 students tell me how they are making their own beeswax reusable wraps. Here is a tutorial and I saw several youtube videos as well: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-your-own-reusable-food-wrap-244307

Are there any grocery stores like this one in London which are packaging and plastic free yet?

Ingrid Caldironi decided to cut down on plastic two years ago and says the best advice is to “be prepared”.

She told Newsbeat: “At first when you’re trying to do your weekly shop it can be difficult to avoid plastic packaging.

“I found local shops and markets were good because I could bring my own boxes to put cheese or vegetables in, but it does means you have to plan ahead.”

She now runs her own waste-free shop where customers bring their own containers to refill with products like shampoo, pasta or tea leaves which are stored in glass jars.

The Bulk Market in East London

Image caption The Bulk Market in East London
Ingrid says: “Obviously, running the shop makes it much easier for me to avoid plastic.

“What I’ve found since starting the shop is that people pretty much want the products and they don’t care about the packing.

“Our customers are happy to bring their own containers and they don’t mind travelling a bit further to shop with us because of that.”

Ingrid says starting out on a plastic-free life can be as easy as changing one thing.

“The first thing I did was buy a reusable coffee cup. I drink coffee everyday and buying throw away cups is such a waste.

“It made a big difference in the waste I was producing.”

She also has a few suggestions for other ways you can cut scale back on the plastic in your life.

He learned about how math is also a part of music from this TED Talk.

I am glad you watched this talk. The world’s ugliest music…strange to hear someone play it on the piano isn’t it? And the way they used math to find notes for music that had absolutely no pattern or rhythm and how ugly we find that sort of music. How is the piece based on pi going?

He completed everything in this book! We bought this book in fall of 2017 during our cross-Canada road trip. It was also when Ethan first started unschooling. He’s always loved this book and it’s been a great resource.

I can’t believe he did everything in the math book! What an accomplishment! Hooray Ethan. Now what?

What sort of larger patterns or mathematical understanding does Ethan have now that he feels this sense of completion?

He also learned about nonlinear functions from his math book.

Here’s an experiment he did to prove that the area of a circle is πr squared.

This is wonderful. I remember when I went to a French school for K-8 we had to do a lot of proofs not just equations, especially in geometry. This reminded me of doing a proof, but in a video format not just on paper…so cool. He is already doing proofs on his own as well as equations. I will see if I can find some other ones for him to try.

In mathematics, a proof is an inferential argument for a mathematical statement. In the argument, other previously established statements, such as theorems, can be used. In principle, a proof can be traced back to self-evident or assumed statements, known as axioms, along with accepted rules of inference.

As I understand it, a formula is a method for solving a mathematical problem expressed using alpha numeric characters like the quadratic formula is a method for solving quadratic equations when factoring will not work. I understand a proof to be a logical argument that may or may not produce a formula, but will produce a statement that something is true or false mathematically.

Here are some Algebra proof examples on IXL: https://www.basic-mathematics.com/algebra-proofs.html

https://www.analyzemath.com/Equations/proof_quadratic.html

This is the sort of proofs I would have to do in grade 7/8…all in French.

I will take some time to respond to the next two events you shared regarding Ethan expressing himself, his feelings and finding ways to problem solve more difficult inter and intrapersonal relationships. I will take a bit more time to reflect and share in Week 26

• Next up was his skating lesson. Today was a test day but we didn’t get any other information from the teacher. Ethan was happy and excited about the class. However, he mentioned that one of the boys in his group had been pushing him down and laughing at him. We explained to Ethan that he had to take responsibility and talk to the teacher, rather than only being upset and telling us afterwards.

We went grocery shopping but Ethan didn’t want to go. He was a bit whiny and so we had a talk about being better at using words to express himself, rather than just reacting with displeasure.

The post Unschooling Journal February 17-23, 2019 – Friends and Math appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

The post How To Solve A Rubik’s Cube Pt 1 of 2 [Video] appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

February 10

February 11

Ethan and Dong Eun had an interesting talk about what makes something alive. Out of curiosity, Dong Eun asked if the planets and stars are alive.

Ethan said that it depends on what you consider alive. Ethan explained the different definitions of “alive.” Dong Eun asked what being alive meant and she said that something alive might have energy in order to come to life.

Ethan said some rocks have potential energy to roll down a hill but they’re not alive.

They talked about what else can define being alive.

Ethan said that maybe whether or not something can grow could be alive, but Dong Eun said that at the start of the solar system, everything clumped together to form planets and stars.

She asked if that should be a definition of being alive?

Ethan said that the earth is constantly being bombarded by meteorites and is growing but that doesn’t mean that the earth is alive.

Ethan finally suggested that something alive is something that can reproduce.

They finished the conversation with Dong Eun wanting to think more about Ethan’s last point and find a counterpoint.

She couldn’t find something to argue against Ethan’s point so they decided that perhaps Ethan’s definition of being alive is the most logical explanation.

Dong Eun said that even in humans, if our cells are no longer reproducing, we can’t live.

He finished the night with some coding and read some questions and answers on the xkcd.com site.

February 12

February 13

February 14

February 15

February 16

Ethan was supposed to have symphony practice and skating lessons but there was no class this week because of Family Day.

However, we didn’t know about symphony class until we arrived at the community centre. We decided to hang out and go to the library instead.

Another week and we’re now into mid-February. We can see how Ethan has continued to progress in his learning.

Our call with Ethan’s LC, Natasha, helped reassure us that Ethan is doing well and to keep letting him lead the way in his learning.

That’s sort of the whole idea of SelfDesign and unschooling and it’s something we’re very happy about because of how happy Ethan is.

Ethan and Dong Eun had an interesting talk about what makes something alive. Out of curiosity, Dong Eun asked if the planets and stars are alive.

Ethan said that it depends on what you consider alive. Ethan explained the different definitions of “alive.” Dong Eun asked what being alive meant and she said that something alive might have energy in order to come to life.

Ethan finally suggested that something alive is something that can reproduce.

She couldn’t find something to argue against Ethan’s point so they decided that perhaps Ethan’s definition of being alive is the most logical explanation.

I think this is a very interesting discussion. What makes something alive? Ethan i am going to ask you some questions and propose some interesting theories to go further on this topic, if you are interested….

Have you ever heard of the Gaia theory. It is a theory which suggests that the earth is a self regulating system which is alive. You can learn more about the science upon which James Lovelock developed this theory. Let me know what you think.

The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet. The scientific investigation of the Gaia hypothesis focuses on observing how the biosphere and the evolution of life forms contribute to the stability of global temperature, ocean salinity, oxygen in the atmosphere and other factors of habitability in a preferred homeostasis. The Gaia hypothesis was formulated by the chemist James Lovelock and co-developed by the microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s. Initially received with hostility by the scientific community, it is now studied in the disciplines of geophysiology and Earth system science, and some of its principles have been adopted in fields like biogeochemistry and systems ecology. This ecological hypothesis has also inspired analogies and various interpretations in social sciences, politics, and religion under a vague philosophy and movement.

Many people are involved in this discussion and debate. Here is just one example, read more at this link: https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_does_being_alive_or_Life_different_from_being_conscious_or_Consciousness

http://www.gaiatheory.org/

Person 1: Hey, I am interested in knowing what is Life and What is Consciousness? How different are they? How are they interconnected?

We have various life forms like plants, fungi and other microbial systems that we treat as living but science declare them not to have consciousness. So how is ‘living’ different from being ‘conscious’? Science declares that even advanced life forms like few animals don’t have consciousness.

So is it that:  “Not all living entities have consciousness but all conscious beings or forms are living.”

Person 2:

I’d equal ‘living’ with ‘showing metabolic activity’. No presumptions about the amount of metabolic activity made.

‘Consciousness’ is different: where do you draw the line between consciousness and ‘mere reflexes’? Science is continuously redefining this line… OK, without a brain consciousness is hard to imagine. But how many nerve or brain cells are required to develop consciousness?

So here are my questions:

Is the earth a living being, a self regulating system? is the earth alive? Are stars alive?

What is the difference between alive and consciousness? Or how are they related?

The scientist Rupert Sheldrake (whom I have met and listened to this very talk) suggests that the sun is also indeed conscious.The talk is a bit long, but he is quite interesting. It might be a film you watch in a few years…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEyT1tqz7vk&feature=youtu.be Is the Sun Conscious.

However Sheldrake has done some very fun and surprising research with dogs and their ability to sense when their owners are coming home. Doggie ESP (extra sensory powers). He likes to explore topics using scientific methods, but are on the edge of what everyday science says is possible.

This video is in German with English subtitles but one of the shorter easier ones I could find today: very cool.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrXiymq.3NczA4ABUEPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTB0NjZjZzZhBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=sheldrake+ESP+dogs&type=dhm_A0HGR_ext_bcr_T__alt__ddc_srch_searchpulse_net&hspart=domaindev&hsimp=yhs-st_emea&ei=UTF-8&fr=yhs-domaindev-st_emea#id=1&vid=3148cab0607beeb7e3b8a3ff48871014&action=view

I also wanted to share some really cool winter science activities in the Library.

https://selfdesign.learning.powerschool.com/selfdesignlearning/library/cms_page/view/29554346

You have had a lot of snow in Vancouver! It’s freezing here in Nelson, one of the coldest February’s I can remember.

I wanted to pass along a long list of resources from another LC.

If you see a book he would like, I have had learners in the past request them at their local library and the library will order, purchase and hold it for you…

Some resource recommendations to inspire further learning ~

Nick and Tesla Series by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith: High Voltage Danger Lab, Robot Army Rampage, Secret Agent Gadget Battle, Solar Powered Showdown, Super-Cyborg, Gadget Glove, Special Effects Spectacular

Nick and Tesla Series – Penguin Random House

The Story of Inventions by Anna Claybourne

Story Of Inventions: Anna Claybourne: 9781409555551: Books …

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions …

The Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words: Randall Munroe …

Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh

Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women …

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Winner of the 2017 … – Amazon.ca

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: Chris Grabenstein – Amazon.ca

Read-Aloud Revival

Read-Aloud Revival

Superhuman Encyclopedia: Discover The Amazing Things Your Body Do

Super Human Encyclopedia: Discover the Amazing Things Your Body …

John Muir, Earth – Planet, Universe, by Julie Bertagna and William Goldsmith

John Muir, Earth – Planet, Universe by Julie Bertagna – Goodreads

Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote: Kirsten …

Children’s Book Review: Bold and Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won …

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark – Amazon Canada

YouTube: If Punctuation Had Sound

If Punctuations Had Sound, English would be so fun – YouTube

BUGGED: How Insects Changed History

Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders From Nature

Science Comics series

Birding Is My Favourite Video Game: Cartoons about the Natural Word from ‘Bird and Moon’ by Rosemary Mosco

Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons about the … – Amazon.ca

Pacific Northwest Plant Knowledge Cards: Pacific Northwest Plant Knowledge Cards highlight 65 edible and medicinal plants from the Pacific Northwest coastal region. The cards include beautiful photographs and descriptions to help identify plants, names of the plants in three different Indigenous languages, including SENCOTEN, Hul’q’umi’num, and Dididaht. The cards were inspired by Feasting for Change: Reconnecting Food, Land & Culture where Elders and Knowledge Keepers led plant walks and discussions about edible and medicinal plants. Each card describes traditional uses and ways of harvesting each plant, featuring seasonal indicators and a legend to help quickly identify uses of each plant.

Pacific Northwest Plant Knowledge Cards – Resources | Vancouver …

Crystal Experiment:

How To Make Crystals with Borax Science Project for Kids

Borax Crystals: How to Grow Giant DIY Borax Crystals | Dans le …

Nature’s Art Box: From t-shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool projects for crafty kids to make with natural materials you can find anywhere

Wildwood Chronicles

Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles, #1) by Colin Meloy – Goodreads

Keeper Of The Lost Cities Series – Shannon Messenger

Cressida Cowell’s series starting with the Wizards of Once https://www.cressidacowell.co.uk/book/the-wizards-of-once/

Mashup Math MashUp Math

https://mashupmath.com/

Carson-Dellosa Guinness World Records Math, Grade 3

Carson-Dellosa Guinness World Records Math, Grade 4

Canadian Girls Who Rocked the World

Canadian Girls Who Rocked the World: Tanya Lloyd Kyi – Amazon.ca

Canadian Boys who Rocked the World

Canadian Boys Who Rocked The World: Tanya Lloyd Kyi – Amazon.ca

Boys who Rocked the World

(U.S. version)

Boys Who Rocked the World: Heroes from King Tut to … – Amazon.ca

And finally,

cute factor is high in this resource 🙂

For learners 14 years old and younger:

Name the Puppy 2019: Help the RCMP name their newest puppies …

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police needs your help to name the next generation of police dogs. The chosen names will be given to 13 German Shepherd puppies born at the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alberta. The 13 children whose names are selected will each receive a laminated 8×10-inch photo of the pup they name, a plush dog named Justice and an RCMP baseball cap. Contest rules are simple Names must begin with the letter “M” Names must have no more than nine letters Names must be one or two syllables Contestants must live in Canada and be 14 years old or younger Only one entry per child will be eligible Entries must be received by March 26, 2019. Contest winners and the winning names will be announced on April 30, 2019, on the RCMP website and social media. There are two ways to enter Enter online Send a letter to the following address. Be sure to print the child’s name, address, telephone number and the suggested name for a puppy. Attn: “Name the Puppy Contest” Police Dog Service Training Centre Box 6120 Innisfail, AB T4G 1S8 We love to receive drawings and paintings! If submitting by mail, children are invited to get creative with their entries.

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February 3

February 4

February 5

February 6

Today was nature school day so we only saw Ethan when he came home. He was very tired. According to his fitness tracker, he walked over 12,000 steps today.

Since he was tired and hungry early, we went out for sushi.

February 7

Later on, Ethan had his taekwondo class and after dinner, he watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

February 8

February 9

And that was Ethan’s week! He had a busy week with a lot of outdoors time because of the great weather.

I talked about Ethan’s experience as an unschooler to a couple of parents this week and felt grateful that we can do this with Ethan. It’s great being able to spend so much time with him as a child, especially because he’s now 10 and growing up fast.

I had a Zoom session with Ethan and his parents this week. I will be including all of their mid-year reflections in the Winter Connection posted by Feb 24th. Here is a summary of what they shared as highlights so far:

Chemistry: Ethan made his own version of the periodic table, he got the idea from a science book, and had a the thought to make his own. He wanted to explore what the atoms look like and made a big one.

I shared ideas about the elements that go into making a cell phone. Ethan is wondering what do new elements look like, and how they have not discovered them yet.

We discusses his recent explosion of writing. I asked Ethan what had shifted? He explained that writing kind of like drawing using specific symbols. He enjoys writing about things which interest him. He considers writing as a way to show you know. A means to express something.  His parents added that his writing is increasingly neat and Ethan is putting more energy into.

We talked about how he got his new chalkboard. It helps him express ideas better than on paper,  he can erase quickly and it is a fun feeling to scrape chalk into meaning on the chalkboard. He says getting the chalkboard was his idea. He had seen it few times. And then it was only $19.99 on sale. He absolutely loves it.

I asked them about all of the videos ethan has been making in the last few months and which apps and programs he uses. He explained that he is making videos using powtoon to make animations, like in the climate change video. He is drawing on the computer drawing tablet, and the  app graffic for mac. He can use the tablet and the recording app screen flow making those math videos, And he uses keynote to make slideshows. Apple imovie to edit the videos.

Ethan talked about violin, he sees his violin teacher on Tuesdays, then he practices until the piece feels complete. The teacher tells him how to improve, lets him continue for the rest of the week.

Ethan says playing the violin is just fun. His parents see him always very motivated to play the violin. He is teaching himself to play other songs. Despacito, aha take on me, spring from four seasons. He recently was inspired to take the digits of pi, link them to notes and create a new song. It is a work in progress. I can’t wait to hear what he creates! Wow!

Ethan explained his learning process in math, “I find what’s in the book, what’s interesting. Sometimes I learn a bit more, continue it to the next day.” Right now he is learning how to solve algebraic equations on both sides.

Lately he has been working on lots of cubing stuff, challenging himself adding arrows on the pieces, makes it harder, not just colors but get arrows in right direction. The 3 by 3 cube is easy, 4 by 4 really hard. He says he will watch youtube if he gets really stuck.

Ethan is having fun! Enjoying every moment, into every single thing. He is very inspirational and a very good teacher.

Going outside and playing, weather so nice, find a way to express himself drawing lines in the sand, track, like a road, dead end

His parents spoke about feeling more comfortable with unschooling and that they are no longer concerned about ethan’s home learning experience. The experience has been eye opening for all of us. They are confident about what he is doing, and getting to know him better. Home schooling provides special time and they all cocreate that time together.

They talked about how they want to share their success with other families and not sounds like they are bragging, but if they hear of a kid where school is not working they feel compelled to share their experience with Self Design and Ethan unschooling. They have to try it.

When his parents ask him, “Do you want to go back to school? He says, “No” right away. They respect his decision and also feel like they might need to find someone else to work with him, in math particularly. Also they have looked into summer camps for science, space camps in the states, but it is far away. There is a possibility that they might go to Florida in september, if so they will definitely go to the Kennedy Space Center.

Ethan encouraged me to t try to push him as his LC.  I can ask lots of good questions. I will write to Ethan directly.

Spring goal by Ethan is open ended and quite profound: “To learn things and see where it takes me.”

I told them all that Ethan is a Self Design star.

The post Unschooling Journal February 3-9, 2019 – Family appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Each video has a practice problem. Here they are…

The post What are inverse trig functions – 5 Part Video Series appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

January 27

We started the day by going for a jog along the beach.

January 28

There were other things he did today, too, such as playing the violin, editing and uploading a new video to YouTube about Rubik’s Cube combinations and reading a book about Roman soldiers.

January 29

UPDATE: Ethan and Dong Eun took a walk this morning along the beach and took notice of all the birds that were there. Ethan observed their behaviour as there were many birds there.

Ethan wrote most of the descriptions, except the ones that are capitalized correctly.

January 30

January 31

UPDATE: This morning, Dong Eun and Ethan went for a jog along the seawall and stopped to watch the birds again.

February 1

February 2

What a busy week, as usual. Ethan loves to spend time doing the things he enjoys. We asked again if he’d like to go back to regular school and again, he said no. Unschooling has really been a great thing for him… and us as a family, too.

I will be working on the Winter Reflections and will be writing a shorter response to your Observing for Learning this week. After February 24th, you can find my LC version in the “Seasonal Connections” menu on the left hand of the Learning Platform.

I am looking forward to our Zoom or phone call. There are so many highlights from Ethan’s year so far. I would like to hear from you what you would like to see included in the Winter Reflection.

Also please think about how you would like to spend the remaining LRS funds, you have until the end of April so there is no rush, yet I do need to make sure it is in the budget.

I already mentioned how impressed I was by the Climate Change video that Ethan made. He summed up some very key points with his wonderful sense of humour and personability and creativity and design. It is quite simply brilliant! I wonder if he could enter it some sort of contest or submit it to some organization which works with youth and climate change as a resource? Maybe I will see what I can find and see if anything resonates.

Thank you for sharing and documenting his process from brainstorming ideas on the blackboard to the finished animated product. I have watched it many times already and shared it with friends and some students. I had a person subscribe to his Youtube channel right on the spot!

I am so pleased that Ethan found the airplanes and instructional videos of John M. Collins. What a wonderful way for Ethan to combine his honed origami skills with aerodynamics. The planes must fly so impressively. I can only fold a few airplane types and I would like to increase my repertoire so thank you for the great tip.

In response to “Ethan loves to spend time doing the things he enjoys. We asked again if he’d like to go back to regular school and again, he said no. Unschooling has really been a great thing for him… and us as a family, too.” I have to say I completely support him in his decision to continue unschooling at this point. To be honest I don’t know how a teacher or school would integrate Ethan’s current math level into a grade 5 or even 6 class. Not to mention how I truly think he would be quite bored in lots of ways and feel frustrated that he could not pursue his interests at his own pace and demonstrate his learning in all the ways he does. All that being said, perhaps there is an alternative or independent school in Vancouver which allows students to learn at their own pace as develop their own curriculum to a certain extent or at least do thematic multidisciplinary learning. One school in San Francisco comes to mind, perhaps there is something similar in Vancouver in case he changes his mind in the future.

http://www.sfbrightworks.org/

Brightworks is an innovative new K-12 alternative school, located in San Francisco, and dedicated to the principles of hands-on, engagement-based learning.

Motivated by the success of participants in Tinkering School to build big things, Gever, our founder, wanted to translate this enthusiasm, focus, and sense of accomplishment from a one-week summer camp experience to the traditional school day.

Founded in 2010, Brightworks has spent years refining and expanding what is possible with hand-on education.

http://www.tinkeringschool.com/

Until then he is fully engaged and designing his own learning path. He is inspiring!

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