If you ask Vincent what he wants to learn this year, his first answer is "wilderness survival!!" and finally we will be able to help him with that.
Because of my passion of herbal medicine , I sign up a few months ago to assist to the "Traditions in Western Herbalism" conference. This will be in New Mexico, rural Abiquiu
in the Ghost Ranch..So finally we decided that this will be the perfect (and only) opportunity to have a family vacation and give the boys the opportunity to go camping and learn about wilderness survival..We are taking my in laws too. so grandparents included we will have a full car and way too much fun.
I can't wait to meet all this great herbalists that have been such a big inspiration in my life..
And I can't wait to see my kids surrounded by hills, and wilderness...
********************************************************************************
Si le preguntan a Vincent que quiere aprender este ano, lo primero que responde es "como sobrevivir en la naturaleza"/// Y por la gran pasion que siento por la medicina herbalica, hace unos meses me inscribi para asistir a una Conferencia de medicina herbalica en Nuevo Mexico, asi es que esta sera la perfeca y unica oportunidad para ofrecerles a los ninos esta experiencia..Llevaremos tambien a mis suegros , asi es que vamos con un auto lleno en un viaje que durara dos dias..
Casi no puedo esperar para conocer a todos esos grandes herbalistas de los cuales he estado aprendiendo por todos estos anos...
Y tambien casi no puedo esperar para ver a mis hijos rodeados de ese maravilloso paisaje....
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The "back to school time"
And here we are again, another Sept, and my kids again are not going back to school. This is our second year "homeschooling", and definitely I feel more comfortable. I see a lot of friends panic a bit for the beginning of the new scholar year and their kids being at home, but for some reason, I feel so calm. I really don't want to send them to school and I love to see how much passion Vincent shows about being at home.
Last year we totally unschooled, we just let them play and play and play and play, and it was definitely worth it, little by little I saw Vincent's desire of learning coming back to life, slowly he started asking questions again... and I love to see how he is becoming a critical thinker. He is so small yet! but with such a mind!. just the other day he came to me and asked me how the languages started .. And I had to stop to think for an answer.. (I just love that!). I tried to explain a bit about language and communication, but his question was a bit deeper than that, we wanted to know also how people started talking different languages, where was the origin of English language and Spanish, why there is such a difference between both of them... Why North America and South America speak different languages, and it was so nice to after our conversation get to the point where he really understood and connected the dots and started talking about his classes of History of North America and how here in North America people talked English because they once belonged to England. I really think those are great questions for a little boy 7 yrs old!
I offered to them to take some classes in some homeschooler's coop, and Vincent decided he wanted to take "History of North America" and "Beyond our Solar System", these are classes he takes every Friday and he is LOVING IT!; And on Tuesdays Luciano and Vincent, will take a class together in another homeschooler's coop .. they are so excited of being in the same class together! they will take "Encouraging Literacy through active play" and after that class, Vincent will start with Guitar lessons too. They are beyond excitement right now for being in charge of their learning and being able to choose what they want to learn, and I am so happy for having the possibility of doing this.. They will also keep working in Tennis classes and Vincent keeps practicing his Skateboard...
So yes, I am happy, and they are happy and excited about learning .. I love homeschooling and I can't think about them being inside of a classroom for 6 hours straight...
************************************************************************************
El ano escolar esta comenzando ahora y muchas de mis amigas estan empezando a ponerse nerviosas por eso, pero yo, empezando nuestro segundo ano de "homeschooling", me siento super tranquila esta vez, mucho mas confiada de lo que se nos viene. Ademas me ecanta ver la pasion con la que Vincent quiere seguir estando fuera del sistema. El ano pasado realmente les dimos la libertad total de jugar y jugar y solamente los expusimos a aprendizaje, de una manera en que ellos comenzaran a entender mejor el mundo en que vivimos y a interesarse sobre distitas cosas.. Me encanta ver como Vincent esta dearrollando una mente super critica, es tan pequeno, pero tiene una cabeza que me asombra!. Como el otro dia, vino a preguntarme como se crearon los idiomas, y tuve que parar a pensar por una respuesta...( Me encanta eso!!) Y conversamos sobre el lenguaje desarrollandose por una necesidad de comunicacion , pero su pregunta era mas profunda que eso, el queria saber como la gente empezo a hablar disntintas lenguas y donde fue el origen de el idioma Ingles y como , donde y porque otros comenzaron a hablar Espanol. Porque en Norte America se habla Ingles y en America del Sur hablan Espanol.. Yo creo que son preguntas maravillosas para un pequenito de 7 anos...Fue super bello ver como el conecto todas sus ideas hasta llegar a hablar de que el sabia la respuesta, porque en su clase de "Historia de Norte America " habia escuchado que antes Norte America pertenecia a Inglaterra y el dedujo que era por eso que la gente aca habla Ingles..
Yo les ofreci tomar classes en una cooperativa de homeschoolers, asi que Vincent decidio que el tomara dos clases , "Historia de Norte America" y "Mas alla de nuestro Sistema solar", estas clases seran cada Viernes y esta feliz!, le encantan, y cada Martes el y Luciano tomar unas clases en otra cooperativa de homeschoolers, tomaran una clase de escritura y lectura , pero basada en juegos, donde hacen que la escritura tome un sentido practico para ellos, y Vincent tomara tambien clases de guitarra...Ademas de eso seguiran con sus clases de tennis por ahora , Vincent seguira practicando con su Skateboard y mas adelante natacion.
En fin, ellos estan felices de tomar clases de temas que les interesan, de tener una opinion importantisima sobre lo que ellos quieren aprender, asi es que SI .. me encanta hacer Homeschooling!! me encanta verlos felices, libres, amando aprender y totalmente entusiasmados por sus clases ..No puedo ni pensar en ellos estando por mas de 6 horas encerrados en una sala de clases.
Estamos felices de tener esta posibilidad de aprender activamente... WE LOVE IT!~
Last year we totally unschooled, we just let them play and play and play and play, and it was definitely worth it, little by little I saw Vincent's desire of learning coming back to life, slowly he started asking questions again... and I love to see how he is becoming a critical thinker. He is so small yet! but with such a mind!. just the other day he came to me and asked me how the languages started .. And I had to stop to think for an answer.. (I just love that!). I tried to explain a bit about language and communication, but his question was a bit deeper than that, we wanted to know also how people started talking different languages, where was the origin of English language and Spanish, why there is such a difference between both of them... Why North America and South America speak different languages, and it was so nice to after our conversation get to the point where he really understood and connected the dots and started talking about his classes of History of North America and how here in North America people talked English because they once belonged to England. I really think those are great questions for a little boy 7 yrs old!
I offered to them to take some classes in some homeschooler's coop, and Vincent decided he wanted to take "History of North America" and "Beyond our Solar System", these are classes he takes every Friday and he is LOVING IT!; And on Tuesdays Luciano and Vincent, will take a class together in another homeschooler's coop .. they are so excited of being in the same class together! they will take "Encouraging Literacy through active play" and after that class, Vincent will start with Guitar lessons too. They are beyond excitement right now for being in charge of their learning and being able to choose what they want to learn, and I am so happy for having the possibility of doing this.. They will also keep working in Tennis classes and Vincent keeps practicing his Skateboard...
So yes, I am happy, and they are happy and excited about learning .. I love homeschooling and I can't think about them being inside of a classroom for 6 hours straight...
************************************************************************************
El ano escolar esta comenzando ahora y muchas de mis amigas estan empezando a ponerse nerviosas por eso, pero yo, empezando nuestro segundo ano de "homeschooling", me siento super tranquila esta vez, mucho mas confiada de lo que se nos viene. Ademas me ecanta ver la pasion con la que Vincent quiere seguir estando fuera del sistema. El ano pasado realmente les dimos la libertad total de jugar y jugar y solamente los expusimos a aprendizaje, de una manera en que ellos comenzaran a entender mejor el mundo en que vivimos y a interesarse sobre distitas cosas.. Me encanta ver como Vincent esta dearrollando una mente super critica, es tan pequeno, pero tiene una cabeza que me asombra!. Como el otro dia, vino a preguntarme como se crearon los idiomas, y tuve que parar a pensar por una respuesta...( Me encanta eso!!) Y conversamos sobre el lenguaje desarrollandose por una necesidad de comunicacion , pero su pregunta era mas profunda que eso, el queria saber como la gente empezo a hablar disntintas lenguas y donde fue el origen de el idioma Ingles y como , donde y porque otros comenzaron a hablar Espanol. Porque en Norte America se habla Ingles y en America del Sur hablan Espanol.. Yo creo que son preguntas maravillosas para un pequenito de 7 anos...Fue super bello ver como el conecto todas sus ideas hasta llegar a hablar de que el sabia la respuesta, porque en su clase de "Historia de Norte America " habia escuchado que antes Norte America pertenecia a Inglaterra y el dedujo que era por eso que la gente aca habla Ingles..
Yo les ofreci tomar classes en una cooperativa de homeschoolers, asi que Vincent decidio que el tomara dos clases , "Historia de Norte America" y "Mas alla de nuestro Sistema solar", estas clases seran cada Viernes y esta feliz!, le encantan, y cada Martes el y Luciano tomar unas clases en otra cooperativa de homeschoolers, tomaran una clase de escritura y lectura , pero basada en juegos, donde hacen que la escritura tome un sentido practico para ellos, y Vincent tomara tambien clases de guitarra...Ademas de eso seguiran con sus clases de tennis por ahora , Vincent seguira practicando con su Skateboard y mas adelante natacion.
En fin, ellos estan felices de tomar clases de temas que les interesan, de tener una opinion importantisima sobre lo que ellos quieren aprender, asi es que SI .. me encanta hacer Homeschooling!! me encanta verlos felices, libres, amando aprender y totalmente entusiasmados por sus clases ..No puedo ni pensar en ellos estando por mas de 6 horas encerrados en una sala de clases.
Estamos felices de tener esta posibilidad de aprender activamente... WE LOVE IT!~
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A full house
So here I am, writing at midnight, because my day has been so full with fun and family that my "private time" literally doesn't exist....but guess what.... I just love it...
And also I decided that I'll start saving money and I want go back to Chile.. for at least 6 months... maybe just me and the kids, but I need to bring them there, experience our family, our roots...to finally just talk and play in Spanish! I want to stay in my house by the mountain there... enjoy the simple life that made me who I am now... Our little house that we both built with my husband with our own hands... just mud and rocks... no electricity for 7 months...We lived in that house for 4 years, and while building it, we were also building our relationship...our first son was born there... so YES I MISS IT... and yes I need to go back... With all the family here I realized that I am getting to comfortable here... I am losing a bit of my traditions ad most important my language!.. I need to go back...(cross fingers for next year!)
The last time I was in Chile was almost 3 years ago, this is my first time in the US for so long.. I was traveling there every year. (Like I said before, we have been living in USA for 6 years now)
I love and miss my family so much and I also admire and love my in laws in a really profound way... I have learned so much from them.. about parenting, freedom, ecology ...relationships ....well, kindness in general. and now I'm lucky enough to have them here with us....My MIL got here 2 weeks ago, bringing with her a breeze of pure mountain air. When I look at her I can see Los Andes mountain....I love to feel the wisdom she brings into my life...
And now my husband's grandparents and aunt (yes, he has grandma and grandpa alive..), are also visiting from SC... They also are Chileans, and really traditional ones, so the house has been full with great food and lots of people, (4 generations) talking and laughing in Spanish.... A great total of 10 people in the house!!
I like to see my kids dealing with this change.. Vincent is practicing talking more in Spanish , ( he is fluent but with a "gringo accent".. so cute! ) and the 2 little ones are just listening all day long to "mama's language"... I accept I don't talk 100% in Spanish to them... well... because it is a bit hard for me... everybody speaks English and I am the only one "hablando espanol"... with my husband we speak in spanish, but he speaks English to the kids... so yes.. we have a mess... but I know they understand EVERYTHING... but the 2 little ones don't speak it... and I feel bad for that...but here are some of my reasons for this to happen...
* we started having my husband talk to them in English, because I didn't speak it and we wanted our kids to be fluent in English ...(for obvious reasons... we live in US and they are creating relationships here)... and now he can't stop talking to them in English.!!
* then, most of the books we own are in English.. (I have a small collection of spanish ones)
* 80 % of the TV they watch is also in English...
* when we are with other people and friends I switch to English so my kids or the other people don't feel "weird"..
* sometimes when we are alone at home I just forget , and I find myself talking in English to them!!... and all the people that know me out there, know I have a "nice accent" .. so what the hell I do talking to them in English??!! I seriously have no idea...habits are just hard to break...and now I am realizing that I need to change this.. I need to help the little ones to SPEAK SPANISH... how?? I don;t have a plan yet... but I will just be more conscious about it..
And also I decided that I'll start saving money and I want go back to Chile.. for at least 6 months... maybe just me and the kids, but I need to bring them there, experience our family, our roots...to finally just talk and play in Spanish! I want to stay in my house by the mountain there... enjoy the simple life that made me who I am now... Our little house that we both built with my husband with our own hands... just mud and rocks... no electricity for 7 months...We lived in that house for 4 years, and while building it, we were also building our relationship...our first son was born there... so YES I MISS IT... and yes I need to go back... With all the family here I realized that I am getting to comfortable here... I am losing a bit of my traditions ad most important my language!.. I need to go back...(cross fingers for next year!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
