Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Results of Living a Life

I might have said the results of unschooling but while avoiding school, schooling, and schoolishness is all good, it is not enough. Kids want to do what parents and by extension all adults around them do, want to know all that they know, so if the adults around the kids are not engaged in real and ernest enterprises, the kids can still end up indoctrinated to uselessness.

As you might imagine, not our kids. This year the girls, 13 and 12, took over milking the goat. They don't need any help -- they just do it (because they want to). And they are responsible for it, all of it: For putting the babies up for the night at chore time;
(don't you love the little pen made from pallets and spare fencing)

For putting her in her stanchion the next morning;
(as you can see, this stanchion is just a snap on a wall. It is perfectly serviceable. No need for fancy smancy or expensive -- and she goes there and waits for you anyway)

For milking her out;

Today we made goat milk ice cream as our treat. Life on the farm provides many opportunities for treats.

I think so many things about unschooling and living as a family but I can never adequately express them. You'll just have to read it in all the things I don't say, in all the things we don't have a need to do, in the grins and laughter and freedom that play here.

I picked these the other day
and sitting in my bay window they seem to have inspired

the wasabis.

3 comments:

Unschoolers Rock the Campground said...

I think you expressed it great. Maybe because I recognize the truth in what you say.
We are lucky to live this life :)

Anonymous said...

The wasabis! They're growing! Last time you posted pics of them they looked just pitiful.

CG said...

yeah, they survived! Woohoo! They get some little scale thing that I have a lot of trouble controlling.