idyll

a natural learning/unschooling family…

It’s only ever been a matter of time before I started blogging about our escapades in this natural learning life of ours with an emphasis on the learning part I love the freedom and diversity that learning without schooling (commonly called home schooling - but such a misnomer as home educators use the whole world around them as a resource!) affords our family. So, I’m starting this new category - “Learning… naturally” both  to journal our adventures in learning through life and to share them Enjoy! This is what we did today…

The little one (not so little actually - fast heading towards 5 and a half!) and I were dropped off in the morning at the local shops where we had to kill some time before heading to the local MP’s office for a staged protest. Here we struck a pose along side other local families for a journo covering the story for the local rag. The media shoot was organised by the head of the local branch of the Maternity Coalition as a show of solidarity and support of the rallies being held at various cities around the country simultaneously. We were making out discontent known around regulations that threaten the existance of homebirth as a choice to women. It really is a compound issue but oh so clear and simple at the same time. The violation of basic women’s rights are at the heart of it. For more info you can go here http://www.homebirthsydney.org.au/

Before the shoot we ducked into the health food shop and picked up some essential oils to help clear all this lingering congenstion from the flu. We also picked up a gift for a little friend whose parent’s are doing it tough financially at the moment. On the street we happened to meet a local Aboriginal man - artist, musician, poet, activist and educator - and took the opportunity to re-connect with him, exchange numbers and chat ever so briefly about his availability to facilitate a workshop or two for The Blue Mountains Natural Learning Hub.

Some more shopping - including some art supplies at the local discount store, a gift for a friend and her newborn, some fabric dye from the sewing shop and some fresh bread from the local bakehouse where we sat for a cool water and a banana cup cake for the little one before heading back towards home via the library. At the library we read some books and borrowed some CDs and books including the oldie but goodie “Hattie and the Fox” by Mem Fox on story CD - must be the third or fourth time we’ve got that one out! The best find today however was “Sunday Chutney” - the little one skipped across the library floor to show it to me (she remember it from the “Storybook” show we caught at the SOH a couple of months back with Big G and the proms orchestra) and we had to make a pit stop on a park bench on the walk home especially to read it. Was a lovely pit stop though under the shade of a beautiful Jacaranda in full bloom.

Home for lunch and some impromptu crafting, painting with water colours, colouring in, more reading and listening to the music CD we’d borrowed from the library - “Smelly songs and repulsive rhymes”. Then we rummaged through our wardrobes looking for white clothes that needed a little re-vamping. I dyed the piece of fabric we had drawn on with melted wax yesterday and then we made some ties in some of the clothes, tossed them into the tub and the little one stirred them and poked them a little to agitate them and to ensure there were no air pockets or creases in the fabric where the dye wouldn’t transfer. She then played in the back yard cooking up all manner of yummy things - only coming back in to do some cooking of the conventional sort. She chose a madeira cake recipe from one of my cook books but we promptly discovered we had no butter. Problem solved when the little one ducked over to the next door neighbour’s to get some

More painting followed - stamping, hand and finger painting. Some music making on the piano - original imromptu compositions and the recently acquired “Jingle Bells” and just in time for Christmas I might add! Then the little one’s absolute favourite past time….. listening to stories on CD. She sat and listened to a whole bunch of kids stories flicking through her own story books,eating dinner and dessert (the madeira cake ;)) while I sat down to do some long overdue blogging! It’s 8pm now and pretty much time for bed for the little one after a full day. I’ll be back to add some pictures and hit “publish”.

Back now after a night time prayer and some songs, the ritual end of day knock knock jokes and a promise to paint our nails in the morning.

Looking back on our day and the learning experiences that it encompassed it was HUGE… from women’s rights and political protests to discussions around local Aboriginal culture… from caring for our own health to supporting and caring for friends and to enjoying morning tea and eachother’s company in a cafe… from  a spot of shopping and replenishing our art supplies to some time spent perusing the bays in the local library for that special find… from a leisurely walk home to some mixed media creativity and freedom to dream and play… from resourcefulness and recycling clothes to  sweet indulgence in the kitchen… from learning some new songs about worms, farts and slime to improvising piano solos complete with contrasting movements and recurring cell themes…. from listening to fairytales in Greek to making up our own knock knock jokes and making plans for the next morning just before bed… I had a lovely day… and so I am told did the little one

Here are some pics from today and one from yesterday.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 9:52 pm and is filed under Learning... naturally. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.