Catholic relaxed/unschoolers who are a bit more like the gang around here than the folk below.

I thought I should give a general recap of the last two months, since we are on a two months ‘on’ (focused on learning new material) and one month ‘off’ (review, application of material learned and analysis of future study) cycle.

Geometry: T.J. decided that he would prefer to postpone a study of geometry in favor of a study of formal logic.
English: We have covered several short works in depth.

• ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Gilman and ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Chopin and an analysis of pre-feminist thought, the feminist movement, and our post-feminist world
• ‘The Kugelmass Episode’ by Allen and ‘Happy Endings’ by Atwood and discussion of the differences between meta-fiction and other unusual literary forms.

Also reading Travels with Charley by Steinbeck.
Humanities: The short stories in English sparked interest in the films of Woody Allen and Mike Nichols. T.J. watched ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Graduate’ and we have discussed both in depth. Of note also is an interest and exploration of the folk, gospel and blues influences in the music of Bob Dylan and other modern singer/songwriters.
Economics: Reading Eat the Rich by O’Rourke, discussion of each chapter as completed.
Logic: A Concise Introduction To Logic by Hurley. Working through methodically, chapters 1-3 completed. (This was begun mid-cycle)
General Science: This subject is almost entirely self-led as T.J. avidly seeks to broaden his scientific knowledge and understanding without any external influence. However, I do take credit for telling him what is coming up next on NOVA, if I think he might like it.

Future Plans: We will be focusing more and more on the ACT and preparing for it, and continuing most of the above study as well.

Central Texas unschooler, all growed up.

When Quinn Eaker dropped out of a Colleyville high school in the second month of his senior year, his mother was so happy she threw him a huge party. A hundred guests descended on their home to celebrate Quinn’s return to the freedom in which he’d been raised: days on end without classes, tests or grades, days free of any schedule, days for Quinn to learn what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted.

He returned to being unschooled.

This is his father, speaking about school educations being no guarantee of happiness or success:

[Steve] Eaker now looks back with some regrets. “I wouldn’t say I wasted 25 or 30 years of my life, but I do think a lot of my choices I thought I made weren’t really choices,” Eaker says. “They were fulfilling expectations I integrated into my personality.” If he’d had more freedom to explore other interests, he says, maybe he would have found not just a job but a passion.

Read the whole thing.

Today, I evilly sprung part of the ACT on T.J. He was not expecting it (and you know it’s usual to take college entrance exams as pop quizzes, ha ha) but he responded with aplomb, as usual. We have the only guide with three complete, actual ACT tests and he took (timed, no less) the English portion of one of those.

He did GREAT.

He got a 31.

That’s 97th percentile. He scored 16 on both subtests (95th percentile for Usage and Mechanics, 98th [wow!] percentile for Rhetorical Skills.)

Not too shabby for a tenth grader anyone at all! (Especially since most people at least know when they’re taking the darn test!) We’ll do Science next, after we finish going over the English.

Yay T.J., you rock.

We (me, Faith, Abby, Gilbert and T.J.; Bede was asleep so he stayed home with Sean) went to the Arts and Sciences meeting tonight and met many nice people. We examined several looms, some quilting, hand embroidery and some period-oid stuff found at thrift stores to be modified into more accurate versions. It was fun!

I think T.J. would rather have gone to the Siege Engine meeting though. They’re making a functional catapult, how totally cool is that? Next month.

Sheep-in-a-Box from Owens Farm looks really nifty!

Faith conceived, designed and made a Memory game tonight. We played a few rounds, it was fun!

Today we went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, more fondly known around these parts as the Cowboy Hall of Fame. We went with our friends R, S and Z and man did we have fun! I didn’t bring the camera because I knew I wouldn’t get any pictures (I was chasing Mr. Bede) so you’ll just have to imagine:

the girls and S building a near life-size ‘log’ cabin out of giant foam logs

Bede excitedly saying “Cow!” about 45789 times

Z being alternately scared and bold in the just-post-sundown frontier town of Prosperity Junction, hereafter known as “oooh! Mama! The darkness!”

the kids all decked out in cowboy clothes and boots cooking us old time cowboy food over the campfire by the chuck wagon

and various other good times.

Quite frankly, I’m exhausted. But man that was fun!

I measured Bede, then measured some linen/cotton fabric I had, marked it and cut it out from this pattern. I’m very excited about it! Now I have to go thread my new sewing machine and figure out how it works - I’m not handsewing this because (I think) it will be faster to machine sew it. We’ll see about that, though.

Whew!

Faith drew this dinosaur mother and her brand new hatchling. She says they’re apatosaurs.