Video to come.

Morning

Every morning for breakfast, I’m always surprised by what Dong Eun comes up with. We’ve enjoyed a great breakfast every day on this trip, so I’m thankful for what Dong Eun has been doing every morning for us.

And Ethan started his day with the Kindle again. He’s now on either book 6 or 7 of the Harry Potter series.

With breakfast done, it was time to get some math work in before going into the Geo Centre.

Geo Centre

The Geo Centre turned out to be a lot more interesting than expected. The location is very cool, as it’s built under Signal Hill, and we got free admission again using our Science World memberships.

There were a lot of exhibits about the history of Newfoundland and the different industries that have been some of the main drivers of the economy here.

Ethan also watched a movie about how the Earth was formed. And there was an exhibit about the Titanic, so overall, the Geo Centre gave him a well-rounded, but more focused experience. I’m guessing he probably likes the varied exhibits of the science centres he’s been to, but this was still a cool place.

Afternoon

The Geo Centre, and all of Signal Hill, offers free parking so we were able to stay and have our lunch in the van. But before lunch, Ethan did some reading and writing. We ask him to complete one section a day, and that seems to be what he’s happy with. (Not totally happy with, but that’s what he’ll do)

I had some work to catch up on, so Dong Eun and Ethan got a chance to play Monopoly Deal while waiting for me. It’s been a while since we’ve played, so he was happy to play a few rounds. Monopoly Deal is much more strategic than regular Monopoly, and it’s also much more compact, so it’s been a great game for us all to enjoy.

We also needed to add something to Ethan’s costume so it wouldn’t blow away in the Newfoundland wind when he was out trick-or-treating. It probably wouldn’t have been good if the costume kept flying up and hitting him in the face.

Dog Park

We decided to take a short drive to Quidi Vidi and stopped at Quidi Vidi Lake. Ethan practised skipping stones here, too. He’s still working on his technique but is getting better each time.

This turned out to be great, as there was a dog park with several dogs for Ethan to play with. There were some balls around, so Ethan would throw them for the dogs to fetch. It was great fun and a nice way to enjoy this area of St. John’s.

Trick-or-Treat Time!

After the dog park, we needed to find some food and head over to Arthur and Jennifer’s place for trick-or-treating. There was a Sobeys right near their place, so we found some delicious deals for dinner. One thing we love about Sobeys is there 50% deals. And there food is actually good!

We also ran into a person I saw on the ferry who was wearing a Canucks jacket. I said hi and found out he’s from here, but lives in Vancouver. He drove his sister’s car back to St. John’s and is flying back to Vancouver. Anyway, food…

Now it was time for the main event. Ethan had been excited all day long to meet up with Michael and go trick-or-treating. The two of them had a great time and it was also fun for Dong Eun and I, as we had a nice chat with Michael’s mom, Jennifer. We also got to see St. John’s in a totally unique way, so it was a great night for all of us.

 But

Afterwards, we spent some time at Arthur and Jennifer’s home to chat some more. Ethan and Michael played chess while we chatted about our trip and gawked at all the candy the kids got in one night.

But it was starting to get late and we had to get going. We felt so happy and grateful for Arthur and Jennifer’s hospitality, and love that we’ve made new friends.

Back to Walmart

We decided that we wouldn’t chance another night like the night before with the wind, so it was back to Walmart to camp. Inside JuJu Jr., we checked out all the candy that Ethan got and chatted about how much fun we had today.

We’re very lucky to do this together as a family, and today will be another great memory from this trip. We hope to stay in St. John’s a little longer, but we’ll have to pay attention to the weather and play it by ear.

Tomorrow, we’ll see some more sights and catch up with Michael later in the day, so Ethan can play with him again.

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 31, 2017 – The Geo Centre & Halloween in St. John’s appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Video to come.

Morning

Ethan started his day by doing some reading and writing work. He’s not a big fan of showing comprehension, but maybe he’s accepted that the practice may be helpful.

However, he does like working on math and asks plenty of questions. For example, he wanted to know why multiplying by zero equals zero.

Dong Eun observed that the questions he’s asking are to help him understand why something exists so that he feels like there is a purpose to what he’s learning, rather than simply memorizing facts or rules.

Breakfast time

It was leftover cod cheek soup with toasted hot dog buns, which was perfect because it was a chilly morning. We love the apples we’ve had on this road trip across Canada, so apples are always a breakfast staple.

After the soup, we had some snacking rounds, which we’ve only seen here in Newfoundland. They are made without additives, preservatives or artificial anything, so we decided to give them a try… the 50% discount didn’t hurt, too. Much to our surprise, they were amazing! A little bit like a mini Montreal style bagel in taste and texture; kind of soft and chewy.

Ethan has also been very happy about getting his Kindle privileges back and is usually reading Harry Potter every chance he gets.

But this morning, we wanted to see downtown St. John’s and then head up to Signal Hill. On the way, we saw a nice park with a playground so we stopped. The heritage homes in St. John’s are very cool, btw.

New Friends

We noticed some kids around Ethan’s age playing in the park. Since it was Monday, we thought it was a bit strange. Ethan liked it, and quickly started playing tag and hide and go seek with the three boys there. As luck would have it, they were also in Grade 4.

I talked to the dad who was with the boys and was told their elementary school needed to be shut down due to some structural damage. The kids had been out of school for almost a week, and today was their last day. Lucky for us!

The dad, Arthur, who is a philosophy professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, was taking the boys to Tim Hortons for hot chocolate. His son, Michael, invited Ethan and so we met up with them at Tim Hortons.

We had a nice chat with Arthur and they invited us to go trick-or-treating with them tomorrow night. Ethan was very happy and excited, but now we have to come up with a costume!

Afternoon

After the hot chocolate, we said our goodbyes and made our way downtown. We stopped by the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, which was built between 1839 and 1855, and was the largest Irish cathedral outside of Ireland at the time.

Inside, Ethan was a bit restless so it was a good opportunity to talk about being respectful in places of worship and how we should behave.

In downtown St. John’s, we picked up some maps and information from the tourist information centre. While we were parked, I didn’t pay the meter because I knew we’d be leaving soon. A parking bylaw enforcement officer came by so I started to engine to signal that we were leaving. But he wanted to talk.

Luckily, it was a friendly chat about our trip and that he has family out in BC. He was a retired RCMP officer who just wanted to chit chat and tell us about life in St. John’s. We’ve met such friendly people here, and it’s something we’ll always remember about Newfoundland.

Harbourside Park

We found a free parking spot (again!) and walked down to Harbourside Park.

On the way, we met a young woman who recently moved here from Toronto and loves the St. John’s lifestyle and friendly people. Ethan got a chance to play with her dog, which he always loves doing.

We also learned about Newfoundland’s two famous dog breeds: The Newfoundland and the Labrador.

We learned about some of the history of Harbourside Park and how Newfoundland was first discovered by John Cabot. And Ethan even found time for a little posing by the water.

UPDATE: Ethan told me to say he loved the park…NOT!

Signal Hill

We finally went up to Signal Hill, a short 5 minute drive from downtown Newfoundland. Another cool thing was that the weather was clearing up. We took the opportunity to snap a photo with the most eastern Canada 150 sign.

Signal Hill itself is pretty awesome. We read about its history and loved the views, too.

Ethan brought his camera and took some snaps, as well. Afterwards, we made our way down the short trail to the Queen’s Battery.

Ethan learned about how the canon’s were loaded and fired, and also why they were there in the first place.

Lunch & Hiking

We needed to fuel up because we wanted to hike the longer trail that led down to the water from Signal Hill. So it was sandwiches made from leftover cold plate meat.

UPDATE: Outside of where we parked, which was at the Geo Centre, we saw two Newfoundlands… the dogs!

And then it was time for the 1.7km one way hike, which was really 3.4km because we had to come all the way back up, too! But it was worth it, as the views going down were amazing.

There were three sets of the red chairs that have been placed all across Canada for the 150th birthday celebration, so we had to sit in all three. And Ethan found a heart shaped rock for Dong Eun.

And there’s always time for a GIF…

Near the end of the trail, the scenery and landscape were just as impressive.

Dong Eun and Ethan have been playing a game where they choose a pose, usually, it’s a funny face. But Ethan lately just smiles nicely, leaving Dong Eun the only one to make the face. But she’s a smart cookie and caught on to him pretty quickly.

We finally got to the end and decided to walk a bit more to see this very unique St. John’s neighbourhood. We loved to quirky signs in people’s homes, especially the one warning us of the attack cat.

Ethan found some berries and wanted to make mistletoe.

But now it was time to go back, as it was going to be a bit of long hike uphill. A local stopped and offered to take our photo. Another example of how friendly people are here.

Even the rocks are friendly.

Evening – Costume Making Time

With an invitation to go trick-or-treating, we needed to get Ethan a costume. We don’t like to buy costumes, as they are not overly original and we don’t think it’s a good way to spend money. So, we brainstormed some ideas and decided that Ethan would make a ghost emoji costume.

We picked up some poster board and a set of markers, that he needed anyway, and stopped at the 24 hour Sobeys to make the costume. Ethan followed a design he found online and created his own version of the ghost emoji.

Yes, he was quite proud of himself and we were proud of him, too. He had asked a few times if he could buy a costume, but with some creativity, he made himself a unique costume that he’ll always remember.

After dinner, Ethan added a few finishing touches to the costume. We happened to have a toque with horns, so it was the perfect last addition.

Now it was time to head back to Signal Hill and camp for the night. We just hope it won’t be too windy and/or rainy.

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 30, 2017 – More New Friends & Signal Hill appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Video to come!

Morning

The plan for today was to have breakfast at Costco. Yes, hot dogs and poutine were on the menu, but we came to our senses and had some eggs with potatoes, instead. We did have some waffles that were more like donuts because of how sweet they were, but that was the extent of the unhealthy breakfast options.

There was even a massive flock of seagulls over the Walmart parking lot telling us not to have Costco for breakfast.

Since the weather wasn’t too nice, and since I had fallen a bit behind with these blog posts, we decided that Starbucks would be the best place to spend the rest of the morning.

These blog posts are not just recaps of our travels, but they also serve as learning observations for Ethan and are submitted to his Learning Consultant (a BC certified teacher) every week. We only have to write one report for the entire week, but daily blogging helps us, actually, me, remember what happened each day. It’s better than trying to recall an entire week’s worth of happenings.

When we got to Starbucks, Ethan had to finish up some math and English work before he was allowed to come into Starbucks and use his computer.

Afternoon

By the time he came into Starbucks, it was after twelve. I had settled into a nice rhythm of writing and posting but it was nice to have some company.

Ethan has been really into making videos to teach French, so he was busy working on his latest offering. The screen on my old MacBook Air isn’t looking too pretty, so I’m quite impressed by what he’s been able to do, in spite of the circumstances with the laptop.

And here’s a link to the video he made, and I’ll post it here, too. He uses Google translate to find the words, and also for how to pronounce the words in French.

Ethan was also very happy to get a new subscriber to his YouTube Channel, so he made a video to say thanks.

And because he’s been learning to use the Mac, he made a video to teach people some Mac shortcuts.

With all our work finally done, we went to Costco for a very late lunch. So yes, we did eventually make it to Costco for some food.

After eating, we did a bit of shopping and Ethan wanted to try on a new toque. We need some warmer socks, as it can be a bit chilly out here in St. John’s. But we can’t find socks and clothing made with mostly cotton. A lot of things are acrylic or polyester based, so we’ll keep searching.

And I got to try a much too loud fleece jacket. I’m hoping to replace the jacket I left in Sudbury(?), as I loved that jacket and because it’s kind of cold without it. But I’ll just put on more layers for now.

Evening

We left Costco and went for a drive to see the end of the Trans Canada Highway. For some odd reason, there is no official marker for the end of the highway. There should be something like Mile 0 in Victoria, so that people like us can take goofy photos with it and have proof that we actually made it to the end of the Trans Canada. Anyway…

After that short drive, we went to Walmart to find warm socks. Costco’s were ok but we didn’t need a 12 pack of socks. When we were leaving, we received a text from Simon, Ethan’s best friend’s dad. Eldon was wondering if Ethan could join him for Halloween, but we’re a little too far to make it back in time.

But Ethan ended up talking on the phone with Eldon for about 30 minutes, catching up on what’s been happening, and telling Eldon about his blog and latest videos.

Now we needed to find something for dinner, so we went to our new favourite grocery store, Sobeys. They have some great deals at night time, so we picked up another cold plate for 50% off, along with some craw fish and cod cheeks to round out our Newfoundland dinner menu.

Dong Eun made a fantastic cod cheek and veggie soup, and fried up a few cheeks, too. They tasted like other fish cheeks, I’ve had, but just bigger. The cold plate was awesome again. The craw fish were ok, I guess. They kind of tasted like a mix between lobster and shrimp, while also leaving my fingers smelling like craw fish, even after scrubbing with baking soda.

After dinner, Dong Eun let Ethan know that he could use his Kindle again. His privilege had been revoked for nearly a week, as we wanted him to pay attention to his behaviour and remember to do his chores. He’s been good since and we’re proud of him for always trying to do things better every day.

He immediately dove into the sixth Harry Potter book, and I’m sure he’ll have the Kindle glued to his hands until he finishes book six and seven.

So that was our relaxing day in St. John’s. No cops came, either, so it was especially relaxing. Tomorrow, we’ll try to get up to Signal Hill and visit downtown St. John’s, too.

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 29, 2017 – Starbucks & Catching Up with Friends appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.