Learning on Sunday?

One thing I think most homeschoolers begin to notice is that learning isn't confined to "school days" or school hours. In fact, many of us give up the notion of "school" altogether and instead think in terms of life learning. Yesterday was one of those days (that I just happened to capture on camera, really all days are learning days). All kinds of things go on at our house that contribute to learning, and not just for the kids but for all four of us. My job as an unschooling/homeschooling mom is to provide lots of resources, and to be open and aware of those moments that can lead to greater lessons.


The kids wanted to wash their pennies. Eli asked for lemon juice and I said, why not use vinegar? It's the same, I said. How is it the same? Eli asked. Well, both are an acid, I said. So we filled two small bowls with vinegar and stuck some pennies in. I couldn't remember if this was all we needed and we promptly learned no, obviously something else must be added because the pennies were doing nothing in vinegar.

So I went to "the great Oracle of our time", as I just saw it called somewhere, Google. I asked the Oracle, how does one clean pennies? And it lead me to a chemistry site that said one must add salt to the vinegar. So we did, a pinch or two, and right away the pennies started shining up. Oh, and from there we read and learned about acids and sodium chloride and copper ions and how if you put a nail made of steel into the coppery penny water it will get a copper coating. Instead of a nail, Rose put in quarters and nickels and dimes, however. And indeed, they did turn pinkish. Then we learned about verdigris because eventually the coins left in too long turned green. How strange, they thought! The kids now have a whole collection of interestingly colored coins. Perhaps today we'll start with clean vinegar and salt and "re-clean" them.

There was also a Twister game going on yesterday morning, and Twister with kitty, and then on top of Twister there was a Pokemon game. Both kids are really into Pokemon these days. Eli for the third or fourth time in as many years and Rose really for the first time. They can arrange decks, play games and read Pokemon card books for hours together. The whole Pokemon thing involves tons of math, ancient Chinese legends and extreme amounts of memorization. They're the Baseball cards of the kids' time, complete with stats and more. Since Eli and Rose have never been to a baseball game, it makes sense that Pokemon appeals to them more, hard as it is for older generations to "get".

And we can't forget Rose's puppet show...Pooh and Puff in the Outdoors. (This one got rather silly and began to revolve around potty humor "in the outdoors". She is nine!) Further below is Red Riding Hood "on TV"!