The kids have recently found a new favorite show. Masterchef Jr., which seems pretty perfect for kids who love to cook.
We set put on a hike today above Boulder. We didnt quite get to our destination thanks to my bad knee, but we covered over six miles and had a lot of fun.
A didn’t want what the rest of us were eating so he was given permission to find his own dinner. He settled on reheating a bowl of peas and comsumed them with gusto.
T loves books. Luckily she has a lot of people to read to her.
We spent some time this afternoon learning a new board game, Kiwetin. Despite a few problems with the rules, we managed to have quite a lot of fun.
She spent a good long while coloring this page for Mrs. hatter as a “welcome home picture”.
A loves math and has a natiral flair for constructing interesting symmetrical patterns. He was dissapointed to run out of tiles.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 26

Week 26 of my 365 photo project exploring our Unschooling life.

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A said he wasn’t going to go easy on his Papa, and he didn’t. He also didn’t win, but it was a very good game. His chess skills are improving rapidly.
Our first attempt at a backpacking trip didn’t go to well, but N had fun and is excited for our next attempt.
They’ve begun playing their first Legend of Zelda game and love it.
My kids really like the Cars movies, so I took them to Cars 3 today. I actually liked it more than the previous two (though that isn’t saying much) and the kids absolutely loved it.
T and Mrs. Hatter spent the morning at the farm and had a whole lot of fun. T loved the birds and the ponies and the stairs and the trees. Basically everything about the place filled her with wonder and excitement.
The kids really enjoyed visiting the Art Museum today, especially this particularly colorful exhibit.
These two spent the better part of an hour plaing with old micro machines. They really love trains right now.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 25

Week 25 of my 365 project exploring our Unschooling life.

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Tonight we watched a favorite show with dinner.
He’s blasting through his Ricky Ricotta books and doesn’t need nearly as much help as he thinks he does. Soon, he’ll realize that.
Books, Nerf weaponry, and LEGOs. Just about everything he could have wished for.
He’s got more firepower than all his siblings combined.
He tested out our tent by pitching it in the front yard and experimenting with it for a while. We’ll be using it out on the trail soon.
It’s the kids version and they love it. It probablt won’t be long before they move up to the full version.
They like lounging in comfort while I read to them.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 24

Week 24 of my 365 project exploring our Unschooling life.

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All of our kids seem to want building toys for their birthdays. Usually LEGO. So that’s what they get!
You can’t quite see everything that’s going on in that nearly impregnable fortress, but there’s a flashlight and a stack of picture books for H to read to her siblings.
They’re feeding a tub full of worms and isopods, and they’re fascinated.
He’s been wanting a new chore, and this is what he picked. He was very dissappinted the next day when I accidentally washed them without offering him the opportunity.
Our hike was best summer up in the words of M, age 3, “Dis is such a wonderful day! My first time hiking in da mountains! Dis is such a wonderful day!” Now, it wasn’t actually his first hike in the mountains, or even close to is, but he doesn’t seem to remember all the way back to last summer. Regardless, he was right that it was a wonderful day.
She’s been watching her brothers build train tracks for days, and she finally got the chance to build for herself. And she had a blast!
An important facet of Unschooling is modeling for children how to pursue your passions. That’s why I started playing tournament chess last year and why I’m spending the weekend at the Denver Open tournament.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 23

Week 23 of my 365 project exploring our Unschooling life.

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M loves puzzles. A whole lot. The kitchen is often covered with them, and although it makes a big mess he has a great time.
I’ve read them the Hobbit and they’ve listened to the audio book twice, but that didn’t stop H from picking it for her next read. Luckily she’s finished it today, because she’s getting a lot of new books for her birthday (as requested).
They like nearly every attraction at this place, but the bumper boats are often a particular favorite.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that take some extra effort to perfect. Today G spent some time working on his goofy faces.
Every Unschooler takes their own path to becoming a reader, and the adventures of Ricky Riccotta are helping N on his path. They’re very silly, and a lot of fun.
What better use for a pair of awesome LEGO Technic vehicles?
It was hot, crowded, and wonderful. The kids absolutely loved it, and are already planning to return next year, as well as to practice their own chalk art this summer.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 22

Week 22 of my 365 project exploring our Unschooling life.

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A big family lunch to celebrate graduation day for the kids’ Aunt and Uncle! N particularly enjoyed sitting next to his Uncle, telling jokes, making silly videos and talking about our hiking plans for the next couple summers.
N was very proud of today’s build. It is, obviously, a power generator designed to power a large energy sheild. It can be dissasembled for repaid and includes a number of tools on a rack for maintainance. He told me exactly what each of them is for and how it all works. Clearly he put a LOT of thought into this.
The kids have been interested in playing chess more competitively, so we’ve been having small family tournaments so they can practice using clocks and other tournament rules. We did this twice this week, and they had a blast!
N actually took this picture at the Zoo. He’s been interested in using my camera instead of just their small tough camera, and today he was practicing with my telephoto lens. He really liked this picture, and so do I!
Not satisfied with regular buildings and log cabins, A has been using the Lincoln Logs in more creative ways recently. This is a work in progress – a quadruple catapult. It didn’t work quite as well as he hoped, but maybe next time he’ll solve his problems.
M has an infectious personality when he’s happy. And as you can see, he was very happy walking around with Mrs. Hatter, who took this picture.
Before eating he simply had to build something out of DUPLOs. Thus the Boat-O-Mech was born! G was very proud of this creation, as he is of everything he builds.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 21

Week 21 of my 365 photo project exploring out Unschooling life.

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We had the park almost to ourselves for a picnic lunch. The kids had an absolute blast!
We started revamping our home library spaces, ut he couldn’ wait for us to finish. He had to have books!
She recently learned to cook one of her favorite foods, and decided to make dinner for the whole family. It was delicious!
He seasoned and mixed the beef, formed the patties and started learning how to use the grill. Another delicious dinner.
May in Colorado usually has one good snowfall, and this year was no exception. These three simply watched the snow fall for the better part of an hour.
Our two blue-eyed kids are the youngest and the oldest. And they’re great friends.
It’s chaos to look at, but amazing creations emerge from it on a daily basis.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 20

Week 20 of my 365 photo project exploring our Unschooling life.

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We decided to go for a walk before bedtime. Some of the kids wore pajamas, and T found a great stick!
We had a special treat tonight after the little kids went to bed. We toasred mashmallows on the grill to make s’mores while we watched Rogue One!
Mrs. Hatter is currently doing the bedtime readings with one of her favorite books, A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park.
One of the best parts of programming your own apps is sharing them with others! That’s what’s happening here.
Every aspiring gemologist needs some good books to study. H loves this one.
Books are an important part of Unschooling, especially in our house, and it’s never to early to start. M has been particularly book-crazed of late.
We don’t eat out a lot, and when we do it’s usually just fast food to eat in the car or at home. So eating in an actual restaurant (even a fast food joint) is a special event and a lot of fun. They enjoyed themselves immensely.
365 Photo Project The Unschooled Lens Unschooling

The Unschooled Lens – Week 19

Week 19 of my 365 photo project exploring our Unschooling life.

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