plans............

We unschool....for the most part. I would class us as unschoolers. Not radical unschoolers by any means......but my kids are free to follow their interests and learn at their own pace what THEY want to learn......

That said, we have several trips planned in the near future and I'd like to make the most of them.....OMG what a naughty unschooler I am lol! Turning a zoo trip into a learning experience! Yes they will learn just by being there......but as they love an excuse to make lapbooks and projects I figured I'd tempt them with the idea of an animal project...so they each get to read the Calgary Zoo website and pick one of the animals there and then research the animal and they can make the project of their choice........either using art materials or lapbooks or making a newspaper about them or book or .....whatever they like :) Laurie likes this idea as he is interested in Marine Biology at the moment and Susie LOVED doing her project on frogs and also the porcupines project!

So thats one of our projects for the next few weeks.

I also want to have a look at the big stories in Banff right now....about the trails being closed because of the bumper berry crop this year tempting the bears......

The children have a big interest in family history right njow and tracing ancestors and family names.....so we will look into that a lot more....

And Laurie is glued to his new Write Now book.......at the table busy writing away...

We don't need any school supplies this year and I'm not planning on putting the children into any activities or classes until Spring...so our funding this year (we will get $1950) will go toward just a few things........a new globe, books of the childrens choice......spiral notebooks and clipboards (woohoo!!!!) and any field trips we go on.......and craft supplies from Michaels which the kids always love.......

I don't think I will bother with the Odyssium pass again when ours runs out.....they don't change the displays there often enough to keep the children interested enough and its not worth the money just for Sam to play in the water tables.......

I think we may well look for more voluntary work as a family......maybe H would have Sam one morning a week and we could do some voluntary work together.......

I also plan to take the kids to MP for a full day once a week...skating, swimming, gym, indoor playground......but as we won't be booked into classes we will get to go when we want to go........although maybe we will book Laurie into homeschool gym as he seemed keen.

We will probably continue to go to the Tuesday homeschool drop in group.....and may well try the new one in Millwoods when that starts.......

Once the workshop is heated Lloyd plans to spend the winter making bird boxes that the children can help with and then decorate......

The rest (as they say) is up to them..........as the kids will continue to follow their interests...work at their own pace.........and simply learn through life :)