Unschooling

"Unschooling would be helpful to all children:
It's not one particular way of learning; it's learning at your own level, in your own interest, and at your own pace. What child wouldn't benefit from a learning experience like that?"

from 'the unschooling handbook' by Mary Griffith

Isla's Daybook

For today...a beautiful warm autumn day

Outside my Window...it is raining now. It is also dark as it is late in the evening.

I am thinking...it is time for a new Daybook-post. :-P Once a month, I promised. But I almost forgot.
I am also thinking about how life always seems to bring the things I need in order to grow as a person, to gain valuable experience and to broaden my horizon. Yes, sometimes situations seem hard and difficult at first. I struggle, I pity myself, I want to give up. But somehow when I change my perspective and try to learn something even from the bad situations I can move forwards. Sometimes in a great leap. Sometimes slowly but surely. That gives me faith. I feel that life is challenging me. And if we accept the challenges instead of fighting against them we can truly grow and succeed.

I am thankful for...the strength of my oldest daughter, the thoughtfulness of my son and the humour and wit of my little one!

From the kitchen...what shall I say...? There's a washing-up pile waiting for me, pears that want to be turned into compote, and apple's that will soon be puree. :-) My dehydrater is humming away and I am looking forward to those dried pear and apple pieces!

I am wearing...cordoroy trousers and an orange long-sleeve shirt.

I am reading...The Three Investigators and The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. Very nice book! I recommend everyone to read it.

I am hearing...the rain, and Lisa watching 'All creatures great and small'. It has become our nightly ritual to watch at least on episode whilst drinking a mug of tea (and me knitting).

One of my favorite things...Walnut-Marzipan-loaf. Soooo yummy!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Month...
well, maybe I shouldn't be too ambitious. Most of last month's plans didn't work out.
I still don't have a bike and my car got sold...I hardly wrote and I didn't finish my BabyBorn-knitting. At least I practiced some new songs and got new strings for my fiddle. :-)
This month I'll keep it simple. My plan is to go day by day, enjoy my children, be creative and get done what I can get done.

A picture I'd like to share with you...

* We built a little house for the gnomes. That was fun! *

Äpfel

Heute waren wir das letzte Mal - in diesem Jahr - Äpfel pflücken.
'Unsere' Apfelwiese liegt oben auf dem Berg am Wald und ist einer der schönsten Plätze hier in der Gegend...naja, für mich jedenfalls. :-)
Es war richtig warm heute, fast schon schwül. Hat mich ja gewundert, und ich hätte glatt noch mit einem Gewitter gerechnet. Aber die schwarze Wolkenfront hat sich dann doch noch verzogen.
Wir saßen dort oben im Gras, blickten über unseren Ort und stellten fest, dass es hier irgendwie immer ein bisschen wie 'im Urlaub' ist.

Da wir...nagut, hauptsächlich ich mich zur Zeit für das althergebrachte Konservieren von Obst und Gemüse interessiere, habe ich uns einen Dörrapparat bestellt.
Tolles Teil! Es steht jetzt in der Küche, ist gefüllt mit leckeren Apfelscheiben und summt so vor sich hin.
(Zucchini-Chips haben wir auch schon hergestellt - ganz lecker!)
Der Rest der Äpfel wird...
richtig: Apfelmus. :-D (Jamie isst das einfach zu gern.)


* Kein Kommentar :-P *


* ...auf der Apfelwiese *


* Jamie hat fotographiert *

Autumn Joy

Autumn used to be my favourite season of the year.
It still is...somehow...though I love all four of them for one reason or another, autumn has something very special. The transition of lots of outdoor time in summer to more indoor-time in autumn, hot days to chilly ones, drinking ice-tea to sipping hot chocolate, eating ice-cream to enjoying a hot bowl of soup, and not to mention the change of the green summer foliage to the multicolor autumn scenery is enchanting and magical.

When I was a teen I used to love this season. I remember taking our dog for a walk, in the evening darkness and quietness. Walking out of the village to the open fields. Wrapped up warm and cozy. Clear starry sky above me. The fallen leaves rustling under my shoes.
The atumn air smells damp and aromatic and even if the rain is falling, the sky is grey, the wind is blowing and it is nippy outside - autumn for me has something very romantic and special.

I wonder how my kids feel about this season. I haven't asked them but I can see their excitement when they are gathering conkers and collecting hazlenuts, running and playing in those leaves and sending maple seeds flying, when they are looking with amazement at all the different colours in nature and are discovering mushrooms they have never seen before.
It's magical! :-)


* by the pond today *




* Lisa on a tree. Jamie climbed on one, too. And yes - he did fall into the water. But only one side of him got wet and he didn't drown, thank goodness.;-) *

Learning about the past

...this is a great book we found in the library. All three kids like it because of the wonderful illustrations. Also it gives more insight about the seamen and discoverers we learnt about in a kidsfilm we recently watched. (Es war einmal...Abenteurer und Entdecker)
For Example we found out that really the first Europeans (recorded) that travelled to North America were Vicings. The sons of Eric the Red who had settled on Greenland travelled to the west and discovered Canada.

Also, I found this man very interesting:



He cycled around the world on this bike! Wow - how could he even ride it? Here's a Wikipedia-link to find out more: Thomas Stevens

We got ourselves busy, haven't we?
I decided to venture more into food-preservation lately. We got so much fruit and veg given I was anxious it would get spoiled. As it is organic garden produce I would find it even more sad to let it go to waste.
Therefore I made Chutneys, Applepuree, Applejam, Curried Courgette and I will also preserve beens, cauliflower and cabbage turnip.
I do have to admit that it is a lot of work! Our ancestors really had lots to do :-) ...but as it tastes much better than bought stuff and also there are no additives or preservatives present I think it is worth taking the time.


This is also a great book I can recommend: "Natürlich einmachen" by Anna Spreng and Margrit Bühler


* some of my jars. *

A walk in the woods

We had a lovely autumn walk in the woods today. There is no better place for kids to form a relationship with nature and our world. Moving, exploring, playing, discovering, dreaming, feeling, smelling, hearing, jumping, running, laughing in the outdoors!

Unschooling Mama

Wenn Mama mit Unschooling anfängt...also bei sich selbst...dann passieren die tollsten Dinge. Plötzlich ist man überrascht, was so alles in einem steckt.
Es ist, als schaufele man sich selbst unter all dem Geröll der Beschulung und Erziehung und der Erwartungen hervor.
Es ist ein schönes Gefühl! :-) (Ich weiß, das schrieb ich in der Vergangenheit schonmal, aber es ist es wert, es 1000x zu wiederholen! *g*)

Letzte Nacht hatte ich Zeit, mich diesem freundlichen kleinen Kerl zu widmen:

Ich bin gespannt, wie er aussieht, wenn er fertig ist. Er wird ein verspätetes Geburtstagsgeschenk für meine Tante.


Und auch mit BabyBorns Hose geht es vorwärts.

Ich weiss nicht, wie spät es war, als ich ins Bett kam...aber wenn mir etwas Spaß macht, bemerke ich die Zeit garnicht und fühle mich auch nicht müde.
Heute morgen allerdings war es schweeeeeer aufzustehen, und ich brauchte eine starke Tasse hier von...

...um richtig wach zu werden. *gähn*