Friday, August 2, 2013

Unschooling and Science.


One of our goals while traveling is to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible.  For us, this means that we aren't always touring stuff and spending money and going to all the places on the illustrated map from the local diner.  In each place, we endeavor to live where we are.  To act as though we are residents of the area.  To do the things we would do if we were there permanently.  And to live within our means.

We have been lucky in that Michael was able to work out job stuff so we could travel and maintain a comfortable lifestyle.  That doesn't mean we have unlimited income or that we can be frivolous.  We seek out things that are free.  And we still spend days at home.

Like today...  and of course learning happens.

You don't have to go to the Environmental Center or the Zoo or even the beach for humans to latch on to discovery.

Both kids were blowing bubbles in their water and wondering about forming bubbles.  They worked with several materials, but the most fun was adding detergent to their glasses and blowing into them with straws.  This fun lasted for hours.

We explored surface tensions and fluid dynamics and all sorts of fun physics and chemistry.  I didn't suggest it.  I just got them the stuff they needed when they wanted to take another step.

Maeryn, of course, added water color and made a few paintings.

I had ditched the camera by then and was mostly wielding towels and dishcloths.

We brought out the cups and suds a couple more times after that, and eventually, they tired of soap bubbles.  But not until their stuffed animals had attended a bubble workshop and the entire kitchen table was a volcanic explosion of soap.

It's times like these when I have to keep myself in check.  Yep, there is a lot of clean-up involved.  But the positives?  We had chemistry in our kitchen.  AND the table is the cleanest it's been in ages.

So...yay for science and unschooling and learning from life.

You can read more about our unschooling journey here.   

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