I’ve mentioned before how my daughter ElvenTiger, who is 12, isn’t really academically inclined. By this I mean that she’s not the type to learn by sitting and doing worksheets or writing reports, although she has done those things. However, she does love to learn, and she’s always learning new things. Her preferred style of learning is hands-on, active, and relevant to her life.
So I thought I’d give a glimpse of the types of things she does by talking about what she’s been up to this week. Monday we had a birthday party for her Dad and Grampa. ElvenTiger helped me make the veggie pot pie, including the crust. We ran some errands while her brother was at soccer practice, and she chose and purchased a gift for her Dad from money she had earned doing some yard work for her Grammy. We went to the party and spent time with family. We also did our usual Monday ritual of watching “Dancing With the Stars” and critiquing the dances.
Tuesday was a quieter day. On her own time, ElvenTiger has been knitting, watching “The Addams Family” on Netflix, getting her Halloween costume ready, reading to me, and playing outdoors.
Wednesday was our weekly homeschool group. ElvenTiger not only hung out with her friends, but also went to an improv theater class with some of them. She got to participate in the class, and had a fun time. When they all came back, we played some dominoes and chatted. She also did artwork, making bookmarks with a friend. She stayed overnight with her friend and they did some more work on their costumes.
Thursday is the day for the new homeschool co-op gathering. ElvenTiger made a beautiful small basket in her basket-weaving class. She hung out with friends at lunch, and then in cooking class she learned to make four different kinds of cheese. She usually brings her knitting, and has helped a new friend with her knitting projects as well.
On Friday ElvenTiger and BlackLion went on a mushroom foraging expedition with a bunch of other homeschool families. A mycologist came and taught them about the different types of fungus they had gathered. ElvenTiger found a type of mushroom that glows in the dark! After that she had soccer practice. In the evening we had a fire, which she enjoyed with her Dad, and later we listened to jazz and played some Skip-Bo.
Today we went to a cemetery tour that my Mom was hosting. While Mom made a speech about the family who was buried there and their history (it was a small cemetery on a local farm), ElvenTiger, BlackLion and I provided the atmosphere. We dressed up in costume and walked around in the background, as if we were the ghosts of the family. We put our improv skills to use, and also provided some music, with drum, flute, and voice. It was fun, and we learned local history while helping out the local historical society.
Now we’re off to ElvenTiger’s soccer playoff game. Of course, woven in and around all this activity is a bunch of other stuff, including lots of conversations about a wide variety of topics. ElvenTiger plans to make some applesauce this weekend, from some local apples we were given. We have a family potluck tomorrow, as well as more soccer. Life is full and rich and educational…and fun! I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into the life of an unschooled 12-year-old. Now I’m off to chauffeur her to the game!
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