I’ve had a few people ask me about unschooling this past week and it’s nice to have the conversation about alternative forms of education for our kids. Hopefully, this blog and those chats provide a different perspective for parents to consider when it comes to their children’s education.
With that said, here’s what Ethan was up to this past week…in Ethan’s own words! Ethan will be filling in each day’s activities, instead of me as a way to practice his writing. Should be fun to see what he says.
November 18
Sunday morning and Ethan was practicing violin. He loves playing and spends quite a lot of time practicing. At some point, we discussed where the United Kingdom is but Ethan had a bit of trouble finding it, so we decided it might be good to learn some geography this week.
We borrowed a drawing book about perspective from the library and Ethan found something to practice on YouTube.
It was a beautiful day out, so we met up with Kal to hang out at the playground.
We then went for a walk along the seawall to John Lawson Park where the boys played for about an hour.
On the way home, Ethan found this fuzzy branch but I’m not sure what it’s from.
Ethan drew some optical illusions and took the photographs, too. He’s been taking more and more of the photos, especially when I’m not home or when Dong Eun is doing her own things.
Practicing drawing in 3D from a YouTube video. He usually finds these things on his own, based on what he’s interested in at that time.
Another optical illusion that he drew.
Scooping yogurt is a learning experience when you’re trying to figure out how to get runny yogurt from dripping everywhere when you try to get it into a bowl.
Another optical illusion that he worked on.
We then went to Indigo to find some new books because we were invited to a private 30% off sale.
We got Ethan this globe to help him with learning more about geography. He was very excited about getting this because he’s wanted one for a while.
Ethan also got some new notebooks, along with a big sketchbook to help him draw when he feels like it and to design things that he wants to build.
And we got these books tonight. We bought The Secret Garden, even though we’ve been reading the library book because we want to build up a classic book collection. Animal Farm should be interesting!
November 19
hi, Ethan here. so first, I read thing explainer. that was fun!! also magnitude, and math with bad drawings! (btw, the drawings aren’t that bad)
Photo of my “hole in the paper”
mysteryscience time!! yay!
(there are a lot of photos, arent there?)
I read this article:
and this is what I did for my mysteryscience:
violin and geography.
math:fractions!!
history time!! (Greece)
drawing another “hole in the paper”
reading math with bad drawings.
violin new music!! despacito!
explaining mysteryscience to dad! (fun)
trying despacito.
new books from the library.
more violin?!!! (man, I’ve done violin a trillion times today! (well, technically 3 including this time but it’s not that far from a trillion. (oh, fine, comparing those two you get a difference of 99,999,999,997.)))
more math.
drawing.
November 20
good morning! I started the day by drawing this:
the theme of the day: “do-violin-in-PJ” day.
mysteryscience. yay!!
going out to play!! weee!
math.
more chain reactions.
sQueezing a lime-oops. I mean squeezing.
makin’ the chain reaction machine video.
November 21
natureschool!
mysteryscience.
violin, skating, melting my ball of ice. (iceball?)
reading the math behind…(the amount of G-force on a rollercoaster. the chance of your toast landing butter-side down. measuring the speed of a tennis ball. picking a password.why there is a Starbucks on every corner, and much, much more…)
November 22
November 23
November 24
I had a Zoom conference with Ethan’s parent and Ethan. The connection was glitchy at times so please excuse any misquoting or paraphrasing on my part. Ethan spoke with me first:
“The past few days I have been working on math, doing a lot of geometry, drawing a lot. I also started making a christmas tree today.”
“I am also playing a lot violin, I started a new song called Despiticito, I am teaching myself. I learn how to read notes and then I practice”
I asked Ethan, “Do you see any connections between math and music?”
“Not really except for counting, quarter notes etc.”
I will send some resources for connections between math and music.
Next I asked Ethan, “How do you do your own learning everyday?”
“Well I start by going out by jogging, eat breakfast and then usually math, science news, Canadian Reader, sometimes some history, I look something up and start doing research. I really like unschooling, being able to have freedom, not having go to school, or a set schedule, that’s not that fun.”
Next I asked Ethan’s parents for their perspectice on Ethan’s learning this fall.
“Well we have been watching what he has been doing each day. More often he is makings connects between various subjects… between science, finding related topics, and he is deepening the learning that way. This fall he started making his own schedule. He wants to make specific times for things. He is everywhere, everyday, math and science are priorities for him especially.
He has really been enjoying Mystery Science site, it is a new subscriptions. I wasn’t available last year. He is using Discovery Education, every single day. He looks at the experiments and related research. It’s been great for him!
“I notice he has been making a lot of movies this fall.”
“He just uploaded a new one today. How to draw a black hole, the second one is about my chain reaction machine.
Ethan explained, “ Its machine where one thing basically triggers another, when you do something, one more thing happens. You get two reactions when light bulb turns on, book might another marble. I am trying a bunch of ideas, then building it. Video about on my own get inspired. Usually just try and make them.”
When I asked what has been more of a struggle or concern? Ethan’s parents responded:
“I think the main thing for us is the writing, he is doing less writing doing and more experiments. I would like to see him naturally build writing skills. How can we help him? I think he doesn’t like writing….likes to do creatively, rather just make, do, apply.
I suggested, how about if you request that Ethan put ideas down on paper, resources, notes, brainstorming, materials…Ethan’s parents explained that he just wants to skip that and just make the project. He is super enthusiastic hard to get him to document it after as well. He can be bit impulsive and it takes time to organize thoughts, reflect and write things down. Takes time and he is a bit impatient. Biggest concern right now, things that he enjoys he is fine with it. Don’t have to help him, what sort of guidance. We are not sure about writing though? How can he communicate it, organize his thoughts, he doesn’t want to explain it. Write is down, learn the structure, express his ideas in a better way? Making videos he is very organized, tools, materials. Knows the steps he just doesn’t want to write.”
Ethan chimed in that he is fine with making comics, still involves a bit a writing. If I have to write a journal or an essay I don’t really want to and writing emails is hard too.
I asked Ethan, “What is hard about writing for you?”
“ I think it’s that I have to think about it, to try and problem solve, it doesn’t come easily.”
His parents explained that he has improved writing complete sentences from Canadian Reader.
I reflected that maybe very specific writing assignments as opposed to more open ended topics are what he needs right now..small manageable writing assignments with some specific guidance. Maybe Ethan should practice writing an email or two a week to frinds and family or better yet begin to do some of the weekly reflection and begin to review and observe his own learning for the week from time to time.
NAtasha
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