Some Free Range Homeschool- Practical Life Skills- Learning Through Application

This morning we were off bright an early while the air was still crisp. We knew of a field nearby that a harvester had gone through and, because of the wet and soggy soil, the harvester was unable to dig part of the field. It is common folk talk around these parts that once the machines leave the field, scavengers are welcome. So there we were. My kids on their version of "potato break"; a custom not to far forgotten in these parts. I remember as a young child sitting in rows as my mother tugged on the full baskets. I was allowed to tag her barrels. Later on I had my own barrels, and finally a spot on the harvester. I feel today, my children took part in creating their own memories as they dug with hands (not tractors) to unearth the golden goodness. We scored about 150 pounds..and the car was at full capacity. 

Up a tree you ask? Well, Might I explain that there is a treasure trove awaiting me at the top? You see, the most abundant chunk of Chaga is what we found over 20 feet high. After spotting it, we stopped into our parents house (which was nearby) to retrieve the essentials to harvest it. A hammer. Rope. Nails. Wood. We constructed a makeshift ladder, and up I go! 

Below are the photos of our cash. Cash I say, because weighing in at 5.5lbs of fresh weight, this Chaga rings in at over $200.00 CAN. (that's what the local distributor will pay). I may get a slightly better price by selling direct. The boys were happy to hear that we will be gathering up the total 7-8lbs of Chaga and taking it to pawn off later this month on our way to the Moncton Hospital..A trip we will be making as a family. As reward for their dedication to our foraging and hunting expeditions they will get shares and can spend it when we are in the city. 

Nature Studies -Forest, Fire, Fun & Fungi

As part of our education experience (we are homeschoolers) we often take the time to venture out into the wilderness. One of our favorite places to visit is Skedaddle Ridge..it is a 45 minute drive away from our home. I had some suet waiting for me at the butcher shop and needed to pick it up yesterday. The Butcher shop is half way to our favorite forest haven and so we ventured on. After picking up the 30 lbs of suet, we bumbled along the back roads until we found our refuge. We didn't really have much planned for our walk in the woods. I came prepared to gather mushrooms, and my husband brought his flint. As we walked, it was a joy. We found moose tracks and scat, Carter hunted for beetles, Griffen followed along, making sure to not miss any part of the adventure. He kept exclaiming how big the marshmallows were! (he can't properly say mushroom). Cylas was impressed to learn that Chaga would bring us $40 per/lb at our whole foods distributor, and so after Carter spied over a pound of the charcoal gold, and after Dan & I hacked it off the tree, Cylas couldn't help but wonder if we would become rich! Perhaps not, but it did pay the gas for our trip. The boys made their fire. Carter with such ease. As we left the forest, we thought of the next time we could return? Soon. Once home, I organized our findings. Chanterelles, Chaga, Waxy Cap, Orange Milky, Honey Mushroom, Late Fall Oyster, and 3 others that I am working on Identifying. 

Today we are off to pick potatoes!

TV...from lazy to learning

TV you say? ...what's that about kids learning to be lazy? Huh. 

We have gone through many fads when in comes to TV. Once upon a time, we saw tv as a good educational tool..you know, for abc's and the like. After all, Baby Einsteins is pretty thought provoking..isn't it? From Pooh Bear, to Astro Boy...and Star wars to Spongebob...we've seen it all. And please don't forget the greed teaching commercials that brainwash children and adults alike to spend hard earned dollars on meaningless gadgets that end up in the next garage sale. 

 Without limits and direction, TV quickly became a nightmare. Everything from kids running to their father frantic to show him a toy that they just *had* to have, to peer disputes that are ironically similar to the last episode of Jimmy neutron. Sigh. The kids seem to know nothing other than how to grab the best seat in front of the tube..and what time iCarly comes on.

Thankfully, I grabbed a grip on myself and realized that fresh air, and some structure was desperately needed. When we decided to Homeschool, I made that radical move towards.. *gasp* ..TV TURNAROUND. My first step was to limit..yes limit screen time (this includes the computer). 1 hour..per child..per day. Period. Add stuck to it. 

Next up was to banish the world of commercials..which is amazingly easy with the use of Netflix..so we turned off the satellite and turned on Netflix. It took the boys awhile to get used to their limit of one hour. A lot was said about being bored, and having nothing to do and the so on...but they lived. 

What was the real shocker was when I expected them to pay for tv time..yes. I said that correctly. They earn "merits" for doing well in school, passing tests, household chores and the like. 1 hour of tv? 3 merits please :) 

I started my anti TV conspiracy back in the summer months....it is now Early December and my boys have well adapted to their new norm. Instead of watching random infomercials and wasting afternoons on cartoons, the boys (ages 9 & 10) have moved towards a fad in Youtube (we have since disconnected even the netflix) They often watch short clips of LEGO movies...sometimes amature, others are brilliant. They also find interesting games to play, or dust off the xbox for a good old hunting game. I don't mind these things. They at least are a product of what interests my boys have...rather than a tv listing of peer influences that I don't so much agree with. There is something about having to type in a search word of your own, from scratch, that gets ones brain into "individuality mode". Requiring them to actually think of something that they want to watch..rather than picking from a parade of choices.

Now that the boys are happy with their screen experience, I have gone into the next phase: Student led learning aka un-schooling...better known as: a life of learning..or better yet, "teach yourself" screen hour. Before this, the boys had 6 days of tv time where they could watch..well, anything..with some discretion. On Sundays, they had a free day where they had no time limit and did not have to pay. Now, Both Saturday and Sunday are free days (most the time we are not home), but as a toss up, the week day screen time can now be used *only* for learning. Additionally, rather than each boy having an hour, they now have one hour total...they are to learn together.

Talking about and enjoying in common interests has shown to be a dynamic learning tool. Children will retain information more readily as a group than if they are alone. I have shown them how to use Google to search for items of interest. Carters first choice was to find out more about Dinosaurs. So they chose a short film about the history of the beastly animals. You see, there is compelling research that if children are given access to information, and have the drive to learn, that they can and will succeed at teaching themselves whatever it is that they want to learn about. TV is not all bad..it's just the garbage that is offered as eye candy that turns such a great tool into rubbish. 

As we turn this new leaf, I see two enthusiastic kids...ready to learn, who love the technology of screens. I can not deny that screen time is becoming increasingly popular among teens and adults alike. Nor the fact that my kids are drawn to it like magnets. From social media, to texting. Video games and ipods, e-readers ect ect..My children are growing up in a world where they will need the skills to use these tools in a productive and responsible way. To cross off the use of technology entirely is to introduce a disadvantage to my kids. We embrace. We learn, from lazy to learning.

Homeschooled Shrooms

 Homeschooled Shrooms

We learn, where ever, when ever, always.

A few weeks ago, our class of 5 were out hunting, and doing some foraging. We found some Oyster Mushrooms. I wrote about that and our discoveries here. Today was day 10 of our mycelium growth and it seemed to be ready for planting. So, we did just that. Here is our progress.

Carter is stirring the soil/compost mixture that we heated in the microwave...it was frozen from storage in our garage, so it both needed to be thawed and heated thoroughly to 140deg F. This ensures any seeds, micro's or fungi is not already living in the soil.

Cylas has noted that worm poop smells distinctly gross..and exclaimed that he will puke. In math, they have been learning about temperature, and so reading the thermometer was a breeze :) 

 Here, we are sterilizing the bin that will host our growing mushrooms...Carter noted the sauna effect...and so both stressed boys relaxed in the steam. No, mama did not give them facials.

 After my class mates took off out of pure boredom from waiting on the kettle to heat, I was left solo to sterilize our growing medium...aka..food for our shrooms. We chose a mix of shredded paper and wood shavings.

 After soaking in boiling water, we squeezed out the excess, and allowed them to cool outside on the cold porch.

This is the point in our project where Cylas started to take an interest...I don't blame him. Who can resist white fuzz that smells awkwardly musty?

The boys take the mycelium covered strips of corregated cardboard and "plant" them on top of our soil/compst...

Here is a closeup of our fuzz.

My shroom boys posing with their batches :) I had taken a video of the boys covering their mycelium with the paper/wood mix..but it has failed to upload.
 I will try that again a little later

Here is our shroom garden...we named and dated the boxes, and added a humidity tent. Our storage room stays quite cool and dark, which these shrooms should appreciate. Stay tuned (follow my blog) for updates on our Oyster Mushroom Project

Learning Just A Little & An Update On My Cream

We are in full swing now for our Home School as our 4th week nears it's end (we are taking tomorrow off to make Lady Ash Pickles). Cylas is studying a unit on shapes, and Carter is learning time. 

For Social Studies we are reading a book from the Discovering Canada Series called "Native Peoples". I called the local 1st Nations Reserve in our area and enquired about activities that the boys could partake in as part of their studies. I was happy to hear that they are currently working on a birch bark canoe (which we have read about) and will be having a ceremonial boat launch upon completion. We are invited!! The lady I spoke to also offered the contact to a man in the community who is actively involved in some major culture practices. He has a sweat hut in his yard (maybe we can learn about this practice?). We also learned that the Lord Beaver Brook Museum has a exhibit which displays the Maliseet culture. We are excited! Carter suggested we built our own canoe!

This morning I confirmed registration to a Composting & Kitchen Gardening workshop for us all to attend in the coming weeks. This will serve as an agriculture study for us. The centre that is hosting the workshops will be sending me a full list of workshops available to groups, so we can look over and if we see some things we like, we can gather some people and request a workshop for our group!

The photo below is an update on my cream I wrote about here.

I let is sit at room temperature over night then put it in my churn in the morning. 5 minutes of labour gave me fresh made butter! I poured off the buttermilk and then cleaned the butter. Once the butter has been washed and lightly salted, I put it in mini loaf pans to mold, then place the pan in the fridge to harden. In 20 min, I take it out and I have 1/2 lb blocks of butter. I keep one out for fresh use, and freeze the rest.

Morning Worship

We are home schooling our two oldest boys, ages 8 & 10. This is our first year. I have been contemplating teaching their bible studies with curriculum, verses devotionals, & daily readings. So far we have been reading passages starting in Matthew, followed by a discussion and prayer. I want our days to start with God. I have decided that I want to teach the boys worship songs and reinforce that rejoicing is not just for Sunday morning service! We can praise him all day long! 

I found my favourite song here. It is a song that brings my spirit to a place of utter joy, and I want to share this with my children. I plan to play it through my netbook, onto the large flat screen in our living room. Perhaps we can sing, dance and even learn to play some of the chords along with the music!

As far as following a particular study, I feel that is too rigid. I want to instill in these children a love for fellowship with God. Someday, when the workbooks are gone, will they still wake up and ask him for guidance each day? 

By leading them in a simple, yet honest and humble journey as him as their leader, and learning good habits such as repentance, reading of scripture, prayer and worship, I hope to teach them life long habits....later we can focus on dissecting his word for meaning and application.

Do you have worship songs that you sing with your kids? What are they?