The Unschooled Lens – The Dad Hatter

We really enjoy the Ninjago tv show as a family, so today I took five of the kids to the new movie. It was quite a disappointing movie, but we still had fun together!

We’ve been trying out some new games lately, and Gigamons is turning out to be a big hit!

N set up shop at the park to sell sand cakes and sand cookies to his siblings. They paid him in sand. In short, it was a typical day at the park!

For her half-birthday, she picked out some pony stuffed animals from the toy store. As you can see, she really loves them!

It was a cold and rainy day, so we headed down to the library and spent a while reading. Just the sort of morning I really enjoy.

M loves water. Swimming, taking baths, playing in the sink, you name it. So sometimes, like this morning, I fill a sink with water and leave him to his own devices.

Mrs. Hatter had a cart that needed assembling. N, our family builder, set to work and put it together quite deftly and with no help to speak of. H did come along eventually and helped screw on a couple of wheels, but otherwise it was all his work.

September 30, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 39

It was another fun week around our house. Although we didn’t venture into the mountains or to any museums in Denver, we found plenty to do. A trip to the movie theater, new games to play, parks, libraries, and things to build kept the kids busy and happy.

He loves sharks and he loves shark books. This morning he’s particularly excited about Whale Sharks!

They found a caterpillar in the yard. They next day they had a cocoon!

They both love climbing, and T is constantly trying to climb everything that her big sister can handle.

There’s no shortage of good books around THIS house!

An empty cardboard box is a World of possibilities to a creative young mind.

Chess club starts soon, so he’s working to prepare for it, and doing very well!

The kids play chess, and so do I. My board is set up for my next game in the Colorado Open chess tournament.

September 2, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 35

It’s been a good week for playing outside, finding insects, reading books and playing chess. And that’s mostly what we’ve been doing, as you’ll see in this week’s Unschooled Lens!

They found sizeable Mantis after chirch this morning and had a great time watching it and coaxing it onto their hands.

We spent the morning at DMNS, enjoying the eclipse and accompanying activities.

They always seem to find something with which to pursue a new experiment.

She absolutely loves this series!

We’re nearing the end of our current book and the growing tension is keeping them remarkably engaged.

He loves building his own circuits!

Another month, another Bitsbox! This week it’s about monsters and aliens. They don’t waste any time diving in once a new kit arrived!

August 26, 2017August 26, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 34

It was a busy week! Insects, an eclipse, playgrounds, books, programming, physics and more!

An aquarium is an endless source of interest. He often spends time sitting amd watching them swim.

We’re thinking of starting our own competitive league. Now that I think of it, we probably already have enough players in the house.

Bridges have been a topic since of serious interest in our home lately. Luckily they have the materials to build their own!

He caught two grasshoppers and immediately borrowed my phone to look up what they eat so he can make them comfy in their new home. They may not last long, but he’ll learn from the experience.

Sometimes you just need to play a game.

She’s having trouble adjusting to her new diet, but it’ll be worth it eventually.

He loves his Ricky Ricotta books.

August 12, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 32

It’s been kind of a strange week. Mrs. Hatter is back at work now that summer break has ended, and it’s been raining almost every day. As a result we’ve been homebound most of the week, though naturally that hasn’t stopped the kids from learning. Here’s a glimpse at some of what we did.

He loves his setup, and his gradually discovering how to use it.

We hiked up to Nymph Lake in RMNP today. Little T loved it, though I ended up carrying her most of the way. She especially liked the chipmunks that we saw.

He liked building spaceships out of DUPLO blocks, and he’s always very proud of his creations. As he should be!

I’ve been trying to bake macarons lately, but I can’t seem to get the shells quite right. They’re hollow and the feet protrude. Maybe I’ll try again today.

At the zoo today, we happened to see the lions chewing on some bones first thing in the morning. The kds were fascinated!

Apparently T thinks she’s ready to study for a doctorate along with Mrs. Hatter.

August 5, 2017August 5, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 31

Week 31 of my 365 photo project exploring our Unschooling life.

It doesn’t matter how grown up they seem to be getting, a good picture book always captures the attention of the whole family.

This morning we headed up to NCAR to study weather. The Cloud and Tornado exhibits are always a big hit.

July 4th always seems to be one of the best days to go to the museum. Most people seem to want to be doing things out of doors, which means we get to enjoy a favorite museum and a new exhibit without the normal crowds!

He really loves trains. Good Guy Trains, Villain Trains, Robot Mech Fighting Trains, you name it. Today he was building Police Trains.

I love this picture. He looks akward and there are some wonky reflections on his glasses, but he’s been practicing some trademark grins lately, and this seems to be one of his favorites.

This is a pretty good way to spend an evening before heading to bed. Building puzzles and coloring in some new Star Wars coloring books.

July 8, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 27

Week 27 of my 365 photo project exploring our Unschooling life.

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.

June 10, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 23

Week 23 of my 365 project exploring our Unschooling life.

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.

May 27, 2017May 27, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 21

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

This is one of N’s favorite board games right now. He’s trying to figure out some basic strategies, and is improving rapidly.

The picture title explains it all.

They love books. All books.

They had a blast at their first book signing, and really enjoyed meeting a real life author!

H drew this for her A for Star Wars Day. The Phantom Menace is his favorite Star Wars movie right now, thanks to Darth Maul and his doubl-bladed lightsaber.

A graham cracker and a seat next to her biggest brother makes this toddler one happy girl.

This morning I’m taking a little bit of time off to sit in one of my favorite local coffee shop to drink a mocha and write.

May 6, 2017May 14, 2017

The Unschooled Lens – Week 18

Week 18 of my 365 photo project exploring our Unschooling life.

They enjoy video games. Particularly LEGO Video games and all the problem solving and action they involve.

They love the Star Wars exhibit at the art museum. Sadly, it’s about to end, so this was our last trip to see it.

He’s getting pretty good, and really enjoys his Ricky Ricotta books.

This is how I spent my morning at the coffee shop.

The Viking exhibit at DMNS is pretty cool. H particularly liked learning about Viking fashions – dyed clothing, jewelry and the like. The boys were more important interested in boats, armor and weaponry.