Paper-free Friday

DONNING THE TINFOIL HAT: Not sure what you were doing at 8 this morning, but Annabelle was doing the robot. Just before bedtime last night, Christian had helped her fashion a robot body out of a cardboard box. First thing this a.m., we covered it in aluminum foil. She rooted around in the closet and found the headpiece from an old astronaut uniform and voila!

The sun was streaming in our eastern-facing windows and Annabelle was absolutely glowing! She dubbed herself the Sunshine 3000, noting that she's a solar powered robot.

Later this morning, Sunshine 3000 spent some serious time accessorizing her chassis with stickers, including sea creatures and fuzzy critters. She said they're buttons and if you push them, Sunshine 3000 acts like that animal.

MUSICAL NOTES: Are moving right along in accompanying songs from Musikgarten CD. They're also getting their ears attuned to the different sounds of flat and sharp notes (though they're not calling them flat and sharp yet). Teacher Nancy explained the rationale behind not calling them sharp and flat yet, and it made sense when she said it, but I know I'd butcher it if I tried to paraphrase it.

One of the things Muskigarten is great for is teaching the kids all about orchestra instruments. Today they learned a catchy little ditty that goes, "Clarinet, oboe, bassoon and the flute, all woodwind instruments, toot-toot-toot-toot."

ALLEY OOP: While I made a valiant (and bloody) effort to keep the neighbor's blackberries and rose vines from taking over the alley, the kids played "Team Razor." It was some kind of action/adventure game that involved riding their Razor scooters up and down the alley They definitely had more fun out there than I did.

CASTLEVANIA, THE MUSICAL: This afternoon, the kids were upstairs and they magically turned the Thomas the Tank Engine train table into a Castlevania scene. For those wondering, Castlevania is a video game from 1986 that CJ is minorly obsessed with at the moment (for reasons we may never know). Anyway, their play evolved into a musical/light opera, and they were singing lines to one another. It is moments like this that I really wish I had a digital camcorder to capture the action.

WORKSHEETS? WHAT WORKSHEETS?: As I review today's actions, it occurs to me that today was all about the arts, imagination, and physical activity. We didn't so a single worksheet. OMG!!! My children will never go to college!!!!!! So are we hardcore "unschoolers" or what? (Interestingly enough, an "unschooling" conference is going to be held in good ol Vancouver USA this May.

THE SCENIC ROUTE: For today's run/jog/shuffle/pedal, we loaded the bikes up in the car and headed to our neighboring neighborhood, Queen Anne Hill. We made our way around the southwest and south sides, enjoying a beautiful sunset over Puget Sound and the vibrant nighttime colors of downtown twinkling to the nightlife.

We sure are lucky to live in Seattle.