Connections instead of Subjects

The following was written by Joyce Fetteroll on a post in UnschoolingNH yahoo group on 3/26/13- "The beauty of unschooling is since you can go to the world unlike kids trapped in school, you don't need to pull pieces of the world out of context to study -- in fact learning works better if you don't :-) Humans are patterns seekers. Our brains *love* pulling patterns out of chaos. If the patterns are pulled out for us, they become less interesting. (Which can then make it seem like these are hard things to learn!) Shapes when they're connected to other things, though, are interesting."

Cara Barlow posted the picture above on the UnschoolingNH facebook group on March 21st https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnschoolingNH/permalink/306425959484041/. That was in my mind when I noticed Joyce's words that went along so nicely with the photo.

Today, my friend Tom sent an email in which his words were poetic and also reminded me the picture and its meaning to me. Here is the part that seems especially applicable:

the artists within all
know how to be
co-creators

our circle ripples go out
and overlap with other
circle ripples sometimes
like colors that merge and
create a new color

like when sun
and rain dance

like when nature
sings in harmony

For further thoughts on learning through connections: http://sandradodd.com/connections/

4/5/2013 - Katie is in Virginia Beach on a school trip.  On my way to drop off Wolf at work, he and Makana went to the post office and to French and Brawn for some groceries.  I also did a quick errand and then to his office we went. Kanoa stayed awake for the whole trip this time.  Usually he falls asleep.  On our way to Jim's office, I told Jim that I texted Katie while he was in the store and she is not going to Busch Gardens until tomorrow.  (The schedule was at home, and I knew she was going, but couldn't remember exactly which day.)  That led to Jim reminiscing about his family trip to Busch Gardens when he was a kid.  He said they spent a lot of time in Bavaria.  That led to talking about where Bavaria is located and what other countries were in Busch Gardens and then there was discussion about other places in Germany such as the Black Forest.  Then Makana realized we just bought Black Forest ham!  Fancy that!

Fundraising Ideas

Hila Shooter is a homeschooler who lives in Maine and wrote a book called "Ticket to Ride" about her fundraising experiences as she raised $12,000 for a trip to Ecuador with Kroka Expeditions http://www.kroka.org/index.shtml.  She explains the different things she did to earn money and her ideas might be of assistance in brainstorming fundraising for your own adventure!  http://www.tickettoridebook.com/Ticket_to_Ride_Book/Home.html
Connect with her on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tickettoridebook

Blake Boles wrote a book on fundraising called "The Unschool Adventures Guide to Online Travel Fundraising."

http://www.amazon.com/Unschool-Adventures-Online-Fundraising-ebook/dp/B00AS0NCJI

Blake founded Unschool Adventures http://www.unschooladventures.com/ which organizes and leads national and international trips for self-directed young adults.   

https://www.facebook.com/unschool.adventures

Misc pictures from the past few months

Many misc pictures from over the past few months...

Jim's beloved 1990 Jeep (being restored as of end of March 2013)

tree that came down in our yard during a storm in late 2012

drift by the front door

Snow piled up in drifts along the window.

homemade valentine's day pizza made by Katie

Katie and her friend Kaylin were making things to sell to raise money for a school trip to VA Beach.  Kanoa  had a little taste of some icing.  And yes, they gave him a couple of muffins and other goodies.  He loved them - yum!

me

makana skyping with ruby and playing with lps figures

Kanoa and Makana doing artwork late one evening

Makana made her own plate of snacks one night.

close up of her platter

One night we made perogies

and then looked at the onion skin under the microscope

Makana made her perogies look especially presentable.  She was proud of how it looked.  And it tasted good too!

Makana, Kanoa and I dyed Easter eggs one afternoon.  I so fondly remember doing that with  my grandma.  It was so much fun!  

More late night art.

ditto

Makana sometimes cleans the shower.  She likes to do it and enjoys surprising us.  I didn't realize she did it until the next morning!  Her time and effort is appreciated as it is so nice to take a shower in such a clean bathroom, especially when I know she did it because she wanted to.  It wasn't a "chore" and she was so happy to do it and pleased with her work and excited to have surprised us. :)  

Kanoa likes Plants vs Zombies very much!  We were reading a book and this picture was in it that reminded him of the plants in the game.  I would buy him a carnivorous plant, but that wouldn't be okay with Li.  Li likes to see all creatures live and for us to have a carnivorous plant in house that we purposely bring in that eats insects would upset him.  So we will carnivorous plants elsewhere - like in the garden at that outdoor museum we went to on Cape Cod last fall.  

Kanoa's artwork

Kanoa's artwork under a Thich Nhat Hanh quote that I like.  

close up of Kanoa's art

painting with marbles by Kanoa and I

Makana made up different shirts

If you put white glue over magic marker, the glue turns color when it dries.  I did this as a kid one day and wanted to try it again, so Makana and I did.  

As we were making rainbows, Makana especially liked mine and I wrote out how I chose my colors for her.   

One night, Li wanted to make origami and I remembered some origami paper and a beginner's book I picked up from a library book sale.  He, Makana and I made one each that night, then Makana and I kept making them for several days.  Pretty cool!

Katie and Zach's 2 year anniversary of dating.

Kanoa and I began making a birdhouse out of boxboard and corrugated cardboard.  Makana wanted to get involved too and added a comfy nest for the birds.

The birds wont believe how much care went into their house

Daddy has been to all of these states except the missing pieces.

One night, Makana wanted to see if we could make her hair curly.  She cut up an old linen napkin and we made our own rag curlers with it.  

Turned out like this.  Most of curl lessened over time - it was a bit more curly earlier than when this picture was taken.

Here is a better look at the curls.

Li concentrates on his game....notice the long hair.

Lighthouse Guy doin' his online lighthouse thang.

Li enjoys watching Smosh youtube videos.  He wanted to get his hair cut like Anthony (one of the Smosh guys).  So we stuck two 8 1/2 x 11 inch headshots in our hairdresser's mailbox asking her if she thinks she could do a cut like that.  She called and said yes.  Chris was the first person to ever cut Li's hair.  He was three years old at the time and I LOVED his baby curls and hair.  He really wanted to get his hair cut like Daddy (though Daddy went to a barber) and so we made an appointment with Chris while we were on vacation in Maine because the salon was two houses away from our rental and it seemed like a nice local place to go.  Who would have thought we'd ever have moved here?!!  And that Chris would become my hairdresser?!!  And that 8 years later, Li would once again be sitting in her chair?!

I'll find that picture of Li when he was three and post it here.  But for now, here are some pictures of Li at Chris' salon. He went on 3/30/2013 and is 11 years old.

Li's hair before his haircut.

Chris cutting Li's hair.

Blow drying.....("duh" as Li would say...one of his big words for a while now...ha!)

Silly face

Wallah!

Hula lessons in Frankfort, Maine and some favorite Hawaiian tunes

When we moved to Maine in 2005, I found out about a woman named Mary Beth who taught Hula lessons. I found my saved paper where I jotted down the information.

Mary Beth - Hula Lessons - 14 Old Stage Road, Frankfort, Maine. Mary Beth's number: 207-223-5319 Not sure if she is still teaching as I haven't tried to contact her in several years now, but am saving her information because one day I might!

Want to check out some Hawaiian music?

Here are a few of our favorites:

Brother Iz (Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole) - He has TONS of great songs! "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is my husband's favorite.

Ka'au Crater Boys - On Fire! is my favorite album of theirs.

Sistah Robi (Robi Kahakalau) - Love her song "All I Want" and she has other good ones as well.

Keali'i Reichel - Kawaipunahele is the song I love by him most. We have the album by the same name.

Ehukai had a big hit called "Moloka'i Slide" (we were there I think when it came out...still like it).

Hapa was the band that came to the Camden Opera House in March 2012. Sadly we weren't able to attend. One of my friends loved their music. I was never into them, but maybe I just didn't know all of their songs. I still would have gone to see them just to get that taste of Hawaii again!

Makana found a male singer of the same name when she googled her name online. Loved the video clip about him where he talked about himself and his music and played a little in a relaxed setting.

Jason Mraz (from the Big Island I think) has a great song that I loved called "I'm yours!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHTsc9PU2A

Bits of Pics from Beginning of April to mid April 2013

Silly Katie!  4/1/2013

4/5/2013 - Made delicious muffins - some blueberry, some strawberry and some plain.  What a good recipe I have!  They look like those big ones you find in bakeries!  And they taste so good too!  They are made with maple syrup - yum!

4/6/2013 - Makana was excited that she found ice in the shape of a large circle!

4/7/2013 - Those muffins were SO good that I made a bunch of them!

4/9/2013 - Katie practiced making fake bruises at school - ouch it does look real!

Jim, I and the three younger kids visited the Discovery Museum in Bangor, ME on 4/14/2013

4/15 - Makana checks out the crocuses

This site is surely welcomed!!!  Especially this year!

No peepers here yet...but we are hoping and waiting.

We can hear them down the street though.  One night, the kids and I captured their loud peeps as well as other frogs sounds (scroll to last video).

Wood frogs are the first frog sounds we usually hear in our pond.

Note: It took the peepers a long time to actually peep in our backyard, but thankfully, they did come! :)  Just much later than we expected...like a couple of weeks later!  I think they started peeping sometime between early to mid May.

View of our backyard sans snow!

Found these cookies at the Belfast Coop and was so excited to find a cookie that doesn't have nuts.   How cool that we could learn something from them too!  What a cool idea!  

Makana and I had fun making a bunch of these "Henry Utter" videos....the left us laughing so hard!  Here is one of the many takes.  (I had suggested she call this character Henrietta, but Makana called it Henry Utter!)

The sound of the peepers on 4/19/2013 down the street by the usual marshy area that is extra full of frogs this time of year!  When we go by in the car, it is a joy to hear them so loud!  I even open my windows for the full experience sometimes!!