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Volume 6 Issue 5 ISSN# 1708-3265

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 		An Unintentional week of Unschooling
by Tamiko Charllton

This is my first year of homeschooling, and I am still learning what many homeschoolers have figured out already.

I am a book dweller. I can conceptualize and visualize most things by reading about them. Zach and Nik like their books and textbooks, but I usually find the need to supplement with educational DVDs, plenty of interesting discussions, and field trips.

This week, I had it all planned. We were going to get down to serious business. There were PLOs to meet (Provincial Learning Outcomes set by the Ministry of Education) and subjects to learn about before the weather gets too distracting to concentrate. Mondays are usually a good day for this. We have nowhere to be and nothing to do but homeschool. I like Mondays.

As excited as I was to start on our studies of the nervous system of the human body from the grade 5 science textbook, I weakened and allowed the boys to come with me to the chiropractor instead of staying at home and reading their textbooks. On the trip home from Montreal, I messed up my back as I was adjusting a piece of luggage in the upper storage compartment of the plane. I was now on my third trip to the doctor.

The boys came along with their textbooks, but again, I weakened and invited them to watch. They were not necessarily impressed with the adjustment itself, but the 3D models of the spine complete with the nerves captured their attention and curiosity.

The chiropractor went on to give them a lesson on the care of their back. He talked to them about the spine, vertebra, nerves they protect, and nerves which extend out. They were shown from which vertebrae my pinched nerve originated, why it was pinched, and why it gave me so much pain. (They now understood why they have been cleaning all the horse stalls for the past week and a half!)

The doctor talked about the spongy disks which separate the vertebrae and the necessity of blood flow (circulation) to the area in order to keep the disks from degenerating. He answered a few questions and we were on our way… I felt that science for the day and part of our lesson for tomorrow was done.

Now I was on my way to Safeway. I had run out of muscle relaxants for my spasm riddled back muscles and needed a fix. The boys begged to come in. Once in, it was hard not to notice some of the good deals on the grocery items we needed. This observation coupled with the fact that I had two strong boys so willing to help in order to avoid studying; I decided to do a real shopping. This shopping trip which was desperately needed but neglected since I hurt my back as I had no desire to reach for groceries, load them at the checkout, or into the van.

We made our way through the rows. Safeway tags are great as they clearly show price per 100g. I showed the boys how to look for the deals and explained why I didn't buy certain items until they were on sale. We found several examples of buying two smaller sale priced items worked out cheaper than one double size package. We also saw, in most cases, how buying larger quantities saves us money. When our weekly shopping amounted to over $200, they determined how much it cost our family to eat per day, per week, per month, and in a year. They were in awe of how much it cost to feed a family of six. While the determined cost may not be a true reflection of the real cost of a week of groceries, it was a good lesson in division and multiplication. It seemed our math was also done for the day.

On the way home, we practised our mapping skills. I am trying to teach the boys to explain directions clearly using street names, cross roads, and using east/west directions along with the usual right/left instructions. While I say we "practised", we play it like a game and see if I actually make it home following their given instructions.

Tuesday is generally our day when we "write off" any textbook studies. The boys like Tuesdays. Nik has his weekly chess lesson at Starbucks while Zach helps teach a preschool karate class. While those outside the homeschool realm could possibly question the "educational benefits" of such choices, we have determined them to be valuable lessons in life and leadership.

Later in the morning, we all attended an adult kata class which focused on the traditional art of karate in the form of a pre-determined set of 20 ? 65 sequential self-defence techniques.

Then the boys headed out with their dad to attend to their vending machines. These machines were purchased on a loan from us, placed in business by the children, and serviced every month with our help. Profits are calculated after candy is replaced, loan payments are made, and a tithe is subtracted. Zach pocked $6 from his machine at Simpson & Simpson. Nik just placed a new machine at Seven Sushi. He has high hopes for the one he arranged to be in Dapper Dans.

Counting quarters was followed by guitar practice and reading about our digestive system. Later that night, the boys ate corn. Not so much that it will alter their normal digestive function, but just enough to be noticed upon exit. It was our experiment of the day.

Wednesday, we did intend to get working on our textbooks for the entire morning, but the 10:30 break derailed that plan as well. I had explained to them that I would be calling them in at 11:00. When I went out at 11:00 to call them in, I couldn't help but notice the intricate systems of locks, dams and dikes they were working on in the large sandbox.

The boys were a team, working together as if each knew their role in the partnership. They worked as one body with purpose and determination. The hose was on and water was being controlled with precision. It was the Nile River. We had watched the Mysteries of the Nile IMAX when we were in Ottawa.

Pyramids were carefully sculpted along the river and ziggurats were evident. It was about noon when the "rains came" and water flowed generously though Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and into the Mesopotamia. I finally called them in for lunch since the "breadbasket" of Egypt had not yet produced its first fruits. They needed the energy for their soccer game at 2:00.

A little later in the day, Nik announced that his science experiment was complete - 16 hours through the digestive system. Zach usually wins competitions of a physical nature requiring voluntary muscle control. Nik relishes his new position as the "involuntary muscle" champion.

Thursday's lesson was an all-day lesson in gravity, slope, speed, chaos, friction, muscle control, simple and compound machines. The truth is that the boys went skiing/snowboarding with their dad. The morning conditions were less than ideal with sticky snow and fog so thick that they found themselves lost several times. All they knew was to keep going down.

The weather cleared up by early afternoon and a great time of jumps, races, and wipe-outs were had by all. My husband said he did review their unit on the human body on the two hour drive there and back. We have found car-schooling proves to be a great option to the distractions of home. My husband said the discussions were comprehensive, interesting and he quite enjoyed hearing what they had learned about their bodies.

Zach noted around lunch time his science experiment was compete and he'd like to try again (after dramatically increasing his fibre intake for the day without telling Nik). Nik noted remnants of his experiment were evident once again which led him to conclude that "peaches" may be more fast moving than "cream" when it come to corn, so we should really try multiple experiments with different varieties and then document the results. Dad told them about the time he had a green wheatgrass booster juice with a bunch of other green additives. I can leave the rest of that conversation to your imagination.

So that was our week of un-schooling, home-schooling, road-schooling, medical office-schooling, shop-schooling, slope-schooling, sandbox-schooling, starbucks-schooling, dojo-schooling, turf-schooling, and stable-schooling. Was it unconventional? Yes. Was it educational? Most definitely.


I am a first year homeschooling mom with two children at home and two in school. Our family enjoys the outdoors, horsebackriding, and traditional martial arts.

After 13 years of service, I left my work with the local MP to spend more time with the kids and our family real estate business. While I miss writing politically, I am enjoying the opportunity to journal on a more personal basis.

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