September 2008

lessons learned on a homeschool camping trip

September 29, 2008

even cheese-grating can be fun, when you do it with friends. a six-year-old can subsist on little more than quesadillas and marshmallows for three days. when a camping coordinator reads the “camping guidelines” aloud during dinner, including the guideline about adults modeling responsible alcohol use, she is bound to have a bottle of beer in [...]

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“can I do that thing again today?”

September 24, 2008

That thing is mixing watercolor paints, Mr. T’s newest fascination. In the lid of the watercolor palette he blends paints, first one color and some water, then a bit of another color, then another. New shades develop with each step, and he studies them all. He quizzes us: “Do you think I made this color [...]

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atwitter: september

September 18, 2008

A few things that have me all worked up right now: Finished books. I finally got to this one. It’s the tale of Kingsolver’s family’s year-long experiment to grow as much of their own food as possible–and to eat locally-grown food when they couldn’t raise it themselves. Parts of the book preach to the choir if [...]

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queremos a frida

September 12, 2008

  When I told Lulu to smile, she said, “No, I’m Frida” (who never smiled in her self-portraits.) The other day, Lulu, Mr. T and I went to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the MOMA in San Francisco. If you’re local and you haven’t seen it, it closes on September 28, so vaya!  It’s a [...]

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digging (to) china

September 9, 2008

So Lulu and Mr. T want to learn about China. Here’s their brainstorming list: learn to write in Chinese with ink read about Chinese goddesses and myths write a Chinese version of an American Fairy tale (Lon Po Po comes to my mind) learn the history of chopsticks research and prepare Chinese food (“Potstickers!” says [...]

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not school

September 3, 2008

I’m a traditionalist. I don’t believe in not going to school until after Labor Day. So yesterday that’s just what we did. You following me? Most mornings my kids and I work together for a few hours. I refuse to call it “school” or “schoolwork”; on the other hand, the routine of it means we [...]

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