A Month of Unschooling (mind-map)

This is the mind-map I drew up for Princess's exemption from school...I wrote things under "broad curriculum areas" as often as I remembered, and until I ran out of space. It will be sent off with a cover letter explaining a bit more about our lives, mostly that life is not neatly compartmentalised in to subjects.

***It is basically 2 A3 sheets of paper (made to look A2 size), with Princess's Home Education in the centre, aged 5 3/4), and split in to 6 "subject" areas.***

When it gets approved, I will post the cover letter.

Princess’s Home Education for July 2008 (aged 5 ¾)

Literacy

***Mummy read Akimbo and the Snakes***Princess “read” (from memory) to Tombliboo (little brother)***We watched Prince Caspian at the movies***Wrote the address of a friend on a postcard***Mummy read Rebecca the Rock’n’Roll Fairy***Wrote and “I love you” note for each of us***We played the funny post-it game (names of household items on post-its, but labelling the wrong thing)- Aimee put them all in the right places***Wrote a sign for the kitchen door (with invented spelling- “Aimee is making a salad for Mama”***Mummy read 20 Hungry Piggies, How Absurd and The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off***Watched Wordworld on Sky TV***Mummy read her Prince Caspian (we had read most of the series when she was 2, but Aimee had given up listening by book 3)***Wrote in her journal alone, and with me writing what she dictated in yellow- for her to write over the top***Read DK Phonics cards, then several little readers (Zip and Zeek)***Read half of Go, Dog, Go!, determined to do it all by herself!***Wrote very beautifully in a card for Nana***Read me Do You Like Ketchup on Your Cornflakes?***I read Berenstain Bears and the Missing Bone, and together we read Letterland Zoo*** Wrote a note for Grandma***We read Mr Magee together***Did a Treasure Hunt with sentence clues****Read together I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean***Mummy read Imogen the Ice Fairy***Walked to the library to choose books***Helped me with the grocery shopping (getting the things she read off my list)***Read together Rascal Goes to the Show***Marked off the items she still needs to get for her Ponyville set***Watched Enchanted (the movie) with family***Told stories on the trampoline with J-Man***Talked about ideas for her birthday party***Filled in the gaps for messages I wrote, eg: Can you write the word (picture of a cat). Can you draw a picture of a spotty cup?***Played with he Scrabble letters****Played and wrote words with magnetic letters***Talked about rhymes and alliteration***Princess spent the day making simple rhymes***Listened to Fox in Socks on tape***

Numeracy

***Asked me how much is 500+500, then told me "It's ten hundred"***Created maths sums for herself while eating dinner- wrote them out on paper***Counted to 100 (first time) while watching Dora***Went shopping several times with Grandma***Helped me make a chart of all the days until her birthday***Played a weighing game- making scales balance***Walked to the shops with Mum- talked about how many $1 bubblegum sticks she could buy with different amounts of money, and how much so many sticks would cost***Watched Numberjacks on Sky TV- talking about halves and wholes***Helped me make honey-bubble crunch***Played her first ever game of Yahtzee with Mummy and Daddy***Played games to earn neopoints, and fed her neopets***Went shopping with Mum- counted up the bill for me, and got 1kg of oranges using the scales***Counted the 42 buttons she placed along the length of the couch***Got paid for an ad she was filmed in and went to choose a new toy- negotiated with me what she could afford***Got up before me and played with lots of cards (pairs) and did puzzles***Played Pokemon on the gameboy***Built towers out of Nana's nesting containers.***Told me the time on several occasions (of her own accord, and when asked).***Played on www.funbrain.com (lots of maths games including addition, subtraction, ordering, patterns, memory)***Made houses out of cards***Built towers out of wooden blocks***Made pizza with Mummy***Made a pony scene on grid paper with Daddy***Answered some brain buster questions for 7-9 year olds***Spent money from the tooth fairy, unassisted***Guessed what would be in her fossil (logic)***Phoned Daddy at work (alone)***Helped make choc-chip cookies***Looked at Toyworld catalogue and worked out how many paydays she needs to wait to buy each of the toys she wants***Went shopping with Mum, adding up on the way round (to the nearest $, and up to $20)***Helped Mum make chocolate balls***Built with Lego with and without instructions***Played Princess (co-operative) game***Played games adding the totals of the dice she rolled***

Science and Techonology

***Princess made strawberry sorbet in the ice-cream maker***Princess peeled potatoes for dinner***We all looked at the broccoli growing in our garden***We discussed the compost bin, scraps bucket and how they work***Princess made meatloaf for dinner***Made a marble run***Watched her favourite cartoons on Sky- Ed, Edd and Eddy; Billy & Mandy; Ben 10; Powerpuff Girls; The Last Avatar: Legend of Ang; Dora the Explorer; Scooby-Doo***Helped me make pancakes***Jumped on the trampoline alone, and with J-Man and Tombliboo***Played with Grandma’s cats***Played with magnets***We all watched Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves***Watched The Minute Men (movie)***Played Jenga with Grandma***Practised for a while and taught herself to whistle and to click her fingers***Watched part of a documentary about mice with Mummy***Watched a Scooby-Doo movie***Helped me make profiteroles***Watched her cousin’s turtle in it’s tank***Watched part of a documentary about kimodo dragons***Watched her favourite movie (Scooby-Doo and the Haunted House) at least 4 times***Watched part of a documentary about hippos***Helped me make date scones- she did the flour and butter by herself***Aimee has a loose tooth- talked about mouth development***Helped me make ginger pear pudding***Watched birds outside our house***Did a Discover Science Paleontology Experiment-Fossil Find***Rolled pizza dough- watched yeast at work***Watched J-Man play Playstation***Lost her first tooth***Played on www.mylittlepony.com ***Watched part of a documentary on penguins***Uncovered another fossil (made by Mummy)***Made the hamburgers for dinner***Watched Diego- learned about jaguars***Watched Stanley- learned about bluebirds and cheetahs***Watched the mechanic sorting out which parts our car needs***Made a fort out of chairs and a ready-bed***Played with baking soda and vinegar, red food colouring and playdough***Talked about puberty (answering her questions)***Looked at Kiwi Conservation Club magazine and did the puzzles in it***Auditioned for a TV ad***Played with flour, water, milk, colours, detergent and milk*** Looked on the internet for the best way to make brown***

Art and Music

***Princess wrote and drew then presented a dance routine***Drew art for a postcard***Listened and danced to The Wiggles with Tombliboo***Entered and won a Dora Live drawing competition***Made tickets for us all to attend her dance show***Made a large cartoon frieze for J-Man’s room***Painted a picture of Mandy (from the Billy & Mandy tv show)***Made a “Night Garden” for Tombliboo’s Iggle-Piggle***Made a backpack out of paper and cellotape***Sung songs about her trip (to Grandma’s)***Made a birthday card for Uncle B***Made a boat for Tombliboo’s Iggle-Piggle***Made Upsy-Daisy’s bed (out of paper, tape and cardboard)***Made herself a pictorial list of things she will make for Tombliboo***Made 3D instruments (drums and piano) out of paper for Tombliboo’s Tombliboo toys***Made tickets for her pony carnival***Danced to a kid’s music CD***Made a card for Nana***Made a party with cousins, including invitations***Drew pictures with A (8)***Drew birds (in pencil) outside our house***Went to see the movie Mamma Mia with Mummy and brothers***Played and sculpted with Playdough***Made a picture of herself (cut out), complete with arms that bend so she can put her (also drawn) drink bottle in to her mouth***Made up a song to help her remember the order of the paints in the palette***Painted a picture, played for ages making new colours, especially brown***Wrote a teeny letter tooth Tooth Fairy***Sung a song about her day***Danced with Daddy***Drew a picture for Tombliboo***Listened to the radio as we played***Made shakers to have a parade***Sung nursery rhymes for Tombliboo***Drew a picture of a snail for Tombliboo***Played Singstar on the Playstation 2***Drew a picture of The Powerpuff Girls***Danced to The Wiggles with Mummy and Tombliboo***Wrote letters for Mummy, Daddy and J-Man***Went shopping with Daddy to choose new felts***Made a butterfly mobile from a craft kit***Watched Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana 3D concert***Made a family of butterflies (one for each of us)***Made a large picture of our family***Drew animals and cut them out to make a scene for a play***Drew a picture for Grandma and Poppy to take home***

Social and Health

***We visited with J (11), and M (9)***Princess talked to the mechanic before and after fixing our car***She talked to a courier who came to the door***Played Gameboy with J-Man (big brother)***Played chasing games with J-Man and Tombliboo***Watched Dora and Diego with Tombliboo***Watched Cartoon Network with Josh***Watched Alvin and the Chipmunks as a family***Picked J-Man up from the airport***Talked to the lady at McDonald’s***Had lunch at the mall, and played Chess with giant pieces (with Mum and brothers)***Got groceries with Mummy***Went to Rainbow’s End with a homeschool group***Went out for dinner with E and M9, and whole family***Went to see the Dora Live Show (at Trust Stadium, Henderson) with Mummy, Tombliboo and Z (5)***Put on a dance show for all of us to watch***Got up early and made me a salad, and cut up an apple, all by herself***Played ponies with J-Man***Danced to The Wiggles with Tombliboo***Helped Daddy with the dishes and Mummy with washing the floors***Carried a shopping bag all the way home because she thought I had enough to carry***Played on our geometric monkey bars***Played with her Ponyville ponies***Played Go Fish with Grandma***Helped me wash the windows***Our cousins P (9) and A (8) came to play…Princess mostly talked to P, but they also all played a chasing/hiding game, and with balls all together***Chased each other and blew bubbles***Had a birthday lunch for Great Nana, with all the Auckland family, including cousins J13, M11, P9 and A8***Chose DVD’s for her brothers***Talked to the neighbours***Walked alone from New World to Video Ezy to return DVD’s***Played outside on monkey bars and chasing with J-Man and Tombliboo***Walked to the library to return books***N and B18 months came to visit***Made a fort around the whole lounge***Made a train out of chairs for her and Tommy***A and J11 came to visit- Princess showed them her ponies and fossil, and played outside with the boys***Went to a Loony Tunes show at the mall***Talked about different diets***Had icecreams/sorbets at the mall***Played ponies with Mummy***

History and Geography

***Read the Rainbow’s End map to find the Log Flume***Drove to Kerikeri with Grandma and Poppy (and stayed for 5 days, first time)***Walked to the shop, pointing out landmarks along the way***Talked about when she was Tombliboo’s age***Went to Whangarei with Grandma, and Pihia with Grandma and Poppy***Drove home from Te Anau with Daddy***Visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum with Mummy, Tombliboo, Auntie Andrea, and cousins H8 and P9***Came with Mummy to wash the car and visit a new shopping place***Watched The Last Avatar: Legend of Ang***Walked around the neighbourhood with Mum and Tombliboo***Answered her questions about the houses we have lived in, how long we were in each, and how old she was when we moved***Watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3***Went shopping with Mum- talked to a Chinese man about the new dumplings he was selling***Watched part of a documentary about dwarfs in Auschwitz***Looked through her 6 month baby clothes, and talked about how she had changed/grown, and what she remembers about being a baby***Tried to learn nothing all day on the International Learn Nothing Day***Played Around the World as a family***Wrote to our sponsored children and looked up on a map where they live (Uganda and Kenya)***Talked about umbrellas and how they are used in summer in Asia to keep the sun off (and pale faces, etc)***Watched part of a program about Antarctica***Watched part of a documentary about Japanese Samurai***Drew a picture of “the whole world”***Talked about Australian animals***Looked around the neighbourhood with binoculars***Looked at J-Man’s WoW atlas***Watched part of Waking Ned Devine (movie)***Noticed landmarks from home to Papakura, and from there to Ponsonby***Talked about the history of Rugby while watching the Bledisloe Cup with Daddy***Watched some of The Da Vinci Code with Mummy***Watched Class of 3000 and saw lots of American history***Looked at An Illustrated World History***Read bit of An Encyclopedia of People with Mummy***Took a bus for the first time in months, and remembered parts of the route***Looked at a book about Africa***Drew a picture of an African hut***