2. I called off school Friday, I really just didn't have it in me. Allie plowed through Catching Fire and half of Mockingjay. Piper spent the entire day figuring out how to make Stop Motion videos using a combination of cameras, itouch and ipad and imovie. I am SO, SO proud of her for figuring this out all completely 100% on her own--I tried to help, but was really no help at all--this was ALL Piper! She figured out how to use voice-overs and the ratio of frames per second, etc.
3. It was not all bad news this weekend. Our homeschool neighbors are going through a divorce. They settled last week and the homeschool neighbor dad gets to keep the house! This is fantastic, wonderful news as the homeschool neighbor girls "are like sisters to us" in Allie's words. Although we have become good friends with the dad this last year and I am sure if he had to sell the house in the divorce settlement, we would have kept in touch, but having the girls just a walk or bike ride or scooter ride away is very, very nice.
4. Having the homeschool neighbor girls so close by is the kind of childhood that I want for my girls...friends to run over to, ride bikes with, share interests and work on projects with....just right around the corner!
5. The homeschool neighbor girls were at our home from 10:30 am Saturday until 4:30pm Sunday. Together these four girls created all kinds of props and stop motion videos. They found a stop motion animation video contest on line and have begun to work on their "story"...the deadline is May 4, and they are getting a late start, but I have confidence in them that they can do some great work in the next two weeks! Fortunately, the homeschool neighbor girls are with their dad most weekday afternoons and we already have plans for all of next weekend together so they can work on their video!
6. Allie and Piper are both big fans of Heather Vogel Frederick. They've been emailing back and forth with her lately. I am going to have to sit down one day and write this woman an email thanking her for all of the time she has taken corresponding with my girls about everything from writing to her characters to her feelings about Anne of Green Gables!
7. Heather Vogel Frederick has encouraged Allie and Piper to learn about fractured fairy tales and to write their own fractured fairy tales and enter it in a contest on her website. They wrote several on Friday and are planning to work on this project today.
8. On Friday Jason asked us when the last time we turned the TV on to watch TV was (not to watch the Waltons or a movie or youtube video)...no one could answer. We can't remember the last time we turned on the TV to watch TV. I've been getting my news on CNN.com and the girls said "there are just other things we would rather do".
9. The above are all reasons why I think unschooling is very cool. I am extremely thankful for seeing how this approach is working/may work at this time as I process my father-in-law's illness and determine how to best be there for him and for Jason.
10. On Sunday, as the girls and their friends plotted out their stop animation storyline and created props, I laid in bed and read The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg (I adore Elizabeth Berg; I often find certain writers' voices very comforting, like visiting with a friend, which was something I needed this weekend) and the Hubinator made an absolutely scrumptious pork tenderloin with roasted fennel and carrots, he was drawn to the simplicity of the recipe--but it sure didn't taste simple. Here is a link to the recipe if you are interested. Sunday night we finally found time to play 10 Days in Europe...it was our first time playing and seemed a bit complicated, but definitely a great way to learn more about the geography of Europe!
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