You can see more at her photo blog: photopluto.blogspot.com
Showing posts with label unschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unschooling. Show all posts
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Thursday, February 26, 2009
March '09 Blog Carnival on Video Games
Since gaming has been a big part of our lives, especially Alec's, I felt like it was important to participate in March's blog carnival over at the Radical Unschoolers Network.
Also, for anyone who is reading here for the first time: Tim is my husband and we have 3 children-- Alec 15, Abbi 14, and Kyra 11.
How are video games a part of you and/or your kids lives?
They're just like any other interest in our house. At certain times they are being played more than others. Specifically right now, there isn't a whole lot being played, but there were other times where there was a lot. Currently, Alec is working on completing Persona 3, which is a RPG (role player game) and he'll usually play some drums on Rock Band each day. WoW (World of Warcraft) has gotten lots of play in our household the last couple years but right now it isn't so present. Kyra will be on quite a bit for roleplaying and Alec will be on 3-4 nights a week for raids with his guild but that's the extent of that right now. Abbi used to play WoW quite a bit with leveling her characters and roleplaying but right now she's doing other things.
How do you support video gaming in your household?
We get the games that people want and we've been able to get most of the game consoles that are out there. Like I said in the above answer, it's just like any other interest. We nurture each other's passions and sometimes video game playing is it. We've also made sure that there were places and TVs to play, if certain locations weren't working we'd figure out places where it would, for example, Tim just finished a media room in the basement so there's one more place to play. If Alec is up at night and others are sleeping he can play down there. We also keep our eyes open for new games and for resources to help with the games that we have. When the kids were younger we had to do that a lot more than now. Now they all know how to look up guides on their own and research different things about the games that they are playing. I still keep my eyes open but they are all really independent that way.
if you haven't always been supportive how did you "get there"?
We weren't always in this place, as far as gaming. I remember when I said I'd never buy a game system. I said if they (our kids) bought one, that would be fine, but I wasn't going to support that. (eek!) How did I change? I remember reading on unschooling lists about how to support our children in their learning and that it's great to support what your kids are interested in. Well... Alec was totally interested in gaming, so we got him a game system (and he bought one himself with money he earned :). Just looking at his face when he's into a game is so telling, he's involved, thinking, figuring things out. It wasn't him not thinking or just rotting his brain (as some people would think) it was him being challenged intellectually. (and if you know him you know how hard it is to challenge him!) I truly think, in these last years, that video games have been about the only thing that has been a challenge to him, really. He doesn't play just any game either, he's quite particular with what he delves into. If there's not enough in the game he usually doesn't play it very long. In school, they really couldn't bring anything to him that would keep him challenged, and he loves figuring things out. Gaming has been his work and it's been good.
Do you play video games as a family?
We have and do when there's a multi-player game. Rock Band and Guitar Hero have been great for that. Also we've played WoW that way too, we could adventure, quest and just have plain fun together. It's been an amazing bond, I'm so glad it's in our life. When I think about it, even 1 player games can bring about a bond if the other person who isn't playing is willing to watch and learn. A lot of times the kids will take turns with a single player game and then they can talk about the game, comparing strategies or experiences. That's very cool too. I think this is key for the parents too, you can hang out with your child and watch what they're doing. Ask questions, learn why it is interesting to your child, I can't stress how important it is to be part of your child's life that way. Don't look at it as isolating, it doesn't have to be... be part of it :)
How do you deal with your mainstream friends ideas about video games?
They know Alec is a big gamer and that we've all played video games. It's not usually an issue.
What do you say to your kids when their friends aren't allowed to play V's because of restriction?
We haven't had that issue a whole lot. I do remember there was one time a mom to one of Alec's friends didn't like him playing Halo at our house because he'd come back to his house too excited.... that was different. I guess when our kids are excited about something, we are too! And there was one other friend who couldn't play video games so Alec would do other things with him. They would play board games or they would go outside and play. They'd find other things to do. When my kids have heard about parents not allowing gaming they feel bad for the kids, especially if the kids want to be playing, but they've always honored the parent's wishes.
Thoughts on violence and VG, or learning through VGs.
As far as violence and video games, I truly don't believe that a violent game will make a person violent. Not allowing someone to do something will have a much worse effect on the person than a game with computer generated images. I've seen how feeling powerless and limited can make a person be more violent and angry. I know a lot of kids who play video games and usually they are the most gentle and non-violent individuals.
We've learned a lot through video games-- from reading to typing, to comparative math reasoning to history. It goes on and on because games can have so much in them. One point I do want to make though is that I'd never advise someone to get video games because of the learning opportunity. I'd advise someone to get them if there was interest being shown.
How does VG system or console sharing work in your house, how has it evolved?
We've all had to learn to have patience with this since so much of the time you can't just get off a game instantly. Who ever that is playing may be working toward something and very often you have to get to a save point or you lose your progress. Just understanding that has really helped with the sharing of consoles. They know that they like to be on so they'll allow the others to have a turn. Also, right away we got 2 different consoles and had a couple of TVs so if there was an issue we could offer another alternative.
how much is "too much"?
This is one thing I've learned from having video gaming around our house; "too much" for one person isn't always "too much" for another. Some of us like physical activity and that's what energizes us, others get totally jazzed from figuring out a solution in a puzzle. I'm not going to tell anyone to stop doing what they're doing. We'll do other things and some times they'll choose to stop playing and join us; other times they'll choose what they're doing. The big thing here is that they have the choice to do what they want so it in turn gives them the freedom to choose not to play. It's not in limited quanity and that's been only positive.
Bringing video games into our home has only been a good thing.
Also, for anyone who is reading here for the first time: Tim is my husband and we have 3 children-- Alec 15, Abbi 14, and Kyra 11.
How are video games a part of you and/or your kids lives?
They're just like any other interest in our house. At certain times they are being played more than others. Specifically right now, there isn't a whole lot being played, but there were other times where there was a lot. Currently, Alec is working on completing Persona 3, which is a RPG (role player game) and he'll usually play some drums on Rock Band each day. WoW (World of Warcraft) has gotten lots of play in our household the last couple years but right now it isn't so present. Kyra will be on quite a bit for roleplaying and Alec will be on 3-4 nights a week for raids with his guild but that's the extent of that right now. Abbi used to play WoW quite a bit with leveling her characters and roleplaying but right now she's doing other things.
How do you support video gaming in your household?
We get the games that people want and we've been able to get most of the game consoles that are out there. Like I said in the above answer, it's just like any other interest. We nurture each other's passions and sometimes video game playing is it. We've also made sure that there were places and TVs to play, if certain locations weren't working we'd figure out places where it would, for example, Tim just finished a media room in the basement so there's one more place to play. If Alec is up at night and others are sleeping he can play down there. We also keep our eyes open for new games and for resources to help with the games that we have. When the kids were younger we had to do that a lot more than now. Now they all know how to look up guides on their own and research different things about the games that they are playing. I still keep my eyes open but they are all really independent that way.
if you haven't always been supportive how did you "get there"?
We weren't always in this place, as far as gaming. I remember when I said I'd never buy a game system. I said if they (our kids) bought one, that would be fine, but I wasn't going to support that. (eek!) How did I change? I remember reading on unschooling lists about how to support our children in their learning and that it's great to support what your kids are interested in. Well... Alec was totally interested in gaming, so we got him a game system (and he bought one himself with money he earned :). Just looking at his face when he's into a game is so telling, he's involved, thinking, figuring things out. It wasn't him not thinking or just rotting his brain (as some people would think) it was him being challenged intellectually. (and if you know him you know how hard it is to challenge him!) I truly think, in these last years, that video games have been about the only thing that has been a challenge to him, really. He doesn't play just any game either, he's quite particular with what he delves into. If there's not enough in the game he usually doesn't play it very long. In school, they really couldn't bring anything to him that would keep him challenged, and he loves figuring things out. Gaming has been his work and it's been good.
Do you play video games as a family?
We have and do when there's a multi-player game. Rock Band and Guitar Hero have been great for that. Also we've played WoW that way too, we could adventure, quest and just have plain fun together. It's been an amazing bond, I'm so glad it's in our life. When I think about it, even 1 player games can bring about a bond if the other person who isn't playing is willing to watch and learn. A lot of times the kids will take turns with a single player game and then they can talk about the game, comparing strategies or experiences. That's very cool too. I think this is key for the parents too, you can hang out with your child and watch what they're doing. Ask questions, learn why it is interesting to your child, I can't stress how important it is to be part of your child's life that way. Don't look at it as isolating, it doesn't have to be... be part of it :)
How do you deal with your mainstream friends ideas about video games?
They know Alec is a big gamer and that we've all played video games. It's not usually an issue.
What do you say to your kids when their friends aren't allowed to play V's because of restriction?
We haven't had that issue a whole lot. I do remember there was one time a mom to one of Alec's friends didn't like him playing Halo at our house because he'd come back to his house too excited.... that was different. I guess when our kids are excited about something, we are too! And there was one other friend who couldn't play video games so Alec would do other things with him. They would play board games or they would go outside and play. They'd find other things to do. When my kids have heard about parents not allowing gaming they feel bad for the kids, especially if the kids want to be playing, but they've always honored the parent's wishes.
Thoughts on violence and VG, or learning through VGs.
As far as violence and video games, I truly don't believe that a violent game will make a person violent. Not allowing someone to do something will have a much worse effect on the person than a game with computer generated images. I've seen how feeling powerless and limited can make a person be more violent and angry. I know a lot of kids who play video games and usually they are the most gentle and non-violent individuals.
We've learned a lot through video games-- from reading to typing, to comparative math reasoning to history. It goes on and on because games can have so much in them. One point I do want to make though is that I'd never advise someone to get video games because of the learning opportunity. I'd advise someone to get them if there was interest being shown.
How does VG system or console sharing work in your house, how has it evolved?
We've all had to learn to have patience with this since so much of the time you can't just get off a game instantly. Who ever that is playing may be working toward something and very often you have to get to a save point or you lose your progress. Just understanding that has really helped with the sharing of consoles. They know that they like to be on so they'll allow the others to have a turn. Also, right away we got 2 different consoles and had a couple of TVs so if there was an issue we could offer another alternative.
how much is "too much"?
This is one thing I've learned from having video gaming around our house; "too much" for one person isn't always "too much" for another. Some of us like physical activity and that's what energizes us, others get totally jazzed from figuring out a solution in a puzzle. I'm not going to tell anyone to stop doing what they're doing. We'll do other things and some times they'll choose to stop playing and join us; other times they'll choose what they're doing. The big thing here is that they have the choice to do what they want so it in turn gives them the freedom to choose not to play. It's not in limited quanity and that's been only positive.
Bringing video games into our home has only been a good thing.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Have you read any John Holt?
“So many people have said to me, ‘If we didn’t make children do things, they wouldn’t do anything.’ Even worse, they say, ‘If I weren’t made to do things, I wouldn’t do anything.’
It is the creed of a slave.
When people say that terrible thing about themselves, I say, ‘You may believe that, but I don’t believe it. You didn’t feel that way about yourself when you were little. Who taught you to feel that way?’ To a large degree, it was school.”
~John Holt, How Children
Ronnie brought this to her blog from Unschooling.info, where Rue posted it.
It got me to thinking about why we decided to take our kids out of school.
I could see the light going out in Alec's eyes. He didn't even want to get up in the morning. It was so obvious in him.
Pretty amazing.
It is the creed of a slave.
When people say that terrible thing about themselves, I say, ‘You may believe that, but I don’t believe it. You didn’t feel that way about yourself when you were little. Who taught you to feel that way?’ To a large degree, it was school.”
~John Holt, How Children
Ronnie brought this to her blog from Unschooling.info, where Rue posted it.
It got me to thinking about why we decided to take our kids out of school.
I could see the light going out in Alec's eyes. He didn't even want to get up in the morning. It was so obvious in him.
Pretty amazing.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
New Header
The current new header probably needs some explanation. (And if you're reading this after 1/4/08 it is no longer the header. The picture is below though :)
I see it as a painting of living life outside the box.
See the box? :)
It was a painting that participants at last year's Live and Learn Conference created. It happened due to the generosity of Jon Kream (and I'm guessing the rest of his family too). Jon gave a talk at last year's conference which I thought was -- an amazing, cut to the chase, "get it now" radical unschooling is amazing, talk. You can download it and listen to it here.
Getting back to the painting... at the end of his talk he spoke of something Rowan, his then 10 year old daughter said, "People who go to school live a paint by number life. Unschoolers have a blank canvas." He then told us all to go outside and create. They brought wonderful paint, brushes and the huge canvas; and as you can see, the rest is history. :) I do have to say though that this isn't the finished product. Everyone kept painting and it took on a whole different look at the end, but this was the point where I wanted to take a photograph.
It does take some braveness, to live this blank canvas life, I believe. Some days, I think, "whoa, what am I going to do with it?" Some days I have to stop and look at my 3 amazing kids that are loving life and living it with such gusto; and then I know. I then know that we're right where we need to be.
Now I ask you to send me some extra energy and good vibes this day. We have our first showing of the house tonight...and I believe we are about to set out on our blank canvas again.
Go go go Jo! We're rootin' for ya St. Joseph!
I see it as a painting of living life outside the box.
See the box? :)
It was a painting that participants at last year's Live and Learn Conference created. It happened due to the generosity of Jon Kream (and I'm guessing the rest of his family too). Jon gave a talk at last year's conference which I thought was -- an amazing, cut to the chase, "get it now" radical unschooling is amazing, talk. You can download it and listen to it here.
Getting back to the painting... at the end of his talk he spoke of something Rowan, his then 10 year old daughter said, "People who go to school live a paint by number life. Unschoolers have a blank canvas." He then told us all to go outside and create. They brought wonderful paint, brushes and the huge canvas; and as you can see, the rest is history. :) I do have to say though that this isn't the finished product. Everyone kept painting and it took on a whole different look at the end, but this was the point where I wanted to take a photograph.
It does take some braveness, to live this blank canvas life, I believe. Some days, I think, "whoa, what am I going to do with it?" Some days I have to stop and look at my 3 amazing kids that are loving life and living it with such gusto; and then I know. I then know that we're right where we need to be.
Now I ask you to send me some extra energy and good vibes this day. We have our first showing of the house tonight...and I believe we are about to set out on our blank canvas again.
Go go go Jo! We're rootin' for ya St. Joseph!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
C'est Fini
After about 30 hours of labor..
And over 5,000 pieces...
The Millennium Falcon has arrived!
It is amazing. I don't know how he does it :)
These guys are pretty excited too, (can't ya tell?)
And over 5,000 pieces...
The Millennium Falcon has arrived!
It is amazing. I don't know how he does it :)
These guys are pretty excited too, (can't ya tell?)
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Our Interview
Last night MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) aired the interview we did . I thought it was pretty good. I have just a few things to say about it right now. Abbi is 12, (and she wants everyone to know ;) and we're disappointed that he didn't mention Kyra at all. :(
Kyra is our only child who has been unschooled her whole life. It would have been cool to hear more from her, but she may have been a bit shy with answers.
Here's the link to the website and whole report and below is our 6 minute section.
Kyra is our only child who has been unschooled her whole life. It would have been cool to hear more from her, but she may have been a bit shy with answers.
Here's the link to the website and whole report and below is our 6 minute section.
The latest trend in education: Unschooling
May 18, 2007
School is almost out, but with day camps, summer classes and part-time jobs, many kids are left wondering when they'll have time to just be kids: to play in the world, rather than study it. Some educational reformers have asked the same question. They worry that a formal education often drives out a child's innate love of learning as it tries to drive in knowledge and facts. That's led some parents to a trend called unschooling.
Bemidji, Minn. — It's one thing to home-school your child, where parents become the teachers. They can download lesson plans, buy workbooks, and register their kids for online classes.
It's another thing to "unschool" your child. Kelli Traaseth insists she is not the teacher for her three children.
"I used to describe myself as a tour guide," Traaseth laughs. "I thought that was kind of corny but kind of true, because I help them along."
During the hours most kids are at school, Traaseth's house is full of activity. Her kids spend the day surfing the Internet, playing music, reading, painting or whatever else catches their fancy. Unschooling is about letting a child decide what to do and what to learn.
For Traaseth's 11-year-old daughter Abbi, that means studying piano, updating her blog, or reciting Shakespeare. Abbi read her first play by Shakespeare when she was only 9. It was "Macbeth." She found out about the play after reading a quote from it in Harry Potter.
Abbi says on any given day, she has dozens of interests. She'll wake up in the morning and start researching, writing or asking her mom about whatever is on her mind. Together, they'll look into one topic, but often end up studying something completely different.
Abbi's older brother Alec is much more focused. He delves into his studies for days at a time, sometimes staying up late in the night working out a single problem. He's only 14, but he has the determination of a graduate student.
Except Alec is not solving complicated math equations -- he's playing video games.
"This game, there's so much to it," Alec says about a game he's been recently mastering. "Now I've put in a total of at least 300 hours into it."
Three hundred hours? On video games? Most parents would cringe in pain at the thought. Spending months on Shakespeare is one thing, but playing World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy and Halo 2?
But that part of unschooling. Kelli Traaseth says if you tell your kids what they can and can't learn from, you'll shut down their curiosity.
That's what she saw happening to Alec when he was in school. She says he was bored and depressed, that he was losing his drive to learn. So she pulled him out of the third grade.
Since then he's spent his time building massive Lego ships, studying Japanese samurai, and playing his Xbox.
But Traaseth says video games inspire Alec to learn about other things, too.
"If you want to use school terms, geography, history, social studies. Alec has no time for mindless video games. It definitely has to be the problem-solving strategy to it," says Traaseth.
Unschooling isn't a new idea. Thinkers from Socrates to Jean Jacques Rousseau have touted the benefits of letting a child's interests lead their education.
But it was John Holt who penned the term "unschooling" in the late 1970s. He inspired some families to abandon the school system for a looser approach to education.
Recently, the idea has been catching on. Estimates are hard to come by, but within the roughly 1.1 million home-schoolers in the U.S., it's clear many are being unschooled.
Unschooling message boards and listservs are springing up around the country, some with several hundred members.
"Even someone who loves to read Shakespeare needs to know math, science and history."
- Gretchen Wheelwright, education professor
But critics are on the rise, too. They say it's wonderful to think kids will soak up knowledge on their own, but that's not always the case.
"That is the romantic notion," says Gretchen Wheelwright, a retired high school teacher, principal and professor at Troy University in Alabama. "It was resurrected in the '60s for the hippies. Go out and everybody make love and the world is going to be a beautiful place. Our experience is that isn't what happens."
Wheelwright says unschooling is a disservice to children.
She remembers public schools trying a similar approach in the 1960s and '70s, when students could choose their own classes they wanted and work on self-directed projects.
"You saw the results five, 10 years later. They didn't know anything," says Wheelwright. "They had vast gaps in areas that they should have known." Wheelwright says even someone who loves to read Shakespeare needs to know math, science and history.
In states like Minnesota, children taught at home are required to take annual exams, but the state Education Department never looks at the results. That makes it tricky for college admission counselors. Yet some universities like Stanford and MIT have welcomed some of these unconventional students.
For Roya Sooroshian, getting into college wasn't a problem. She's been unschooled since the fourth grade. She passed the high school equivalency exam at 15. Now, at 22, she just graduated from California State University at Long Beach.
Sooroshian says when she first started taking formal classes, she was amazed at the difference between her and her classmates.
"I'd get homework and I'd go do it, and yet all the other students wouldn't do it at all, or they'd try to do the least they could," says Sooroshian. "I think that's because they're tired of school. They're tired of people telling them what's important to learn right now. I never had that."
Sooroshian says her education gave her plenty of freedom. And that freedom is at the heart of unschooling.
But many parents and educators wonder -- left to their own devices, will kids find their internal compass and succeed in life? Or will they lose their way without the road map of a more structured education?
***************************
I will write more tomorrow (when I'm feeling a bit more rested ;) about the questions that were asked at the end and I'd also like to address Gretchen Wheelwright comments about unschooling.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Wool
We've been felting-- dry felting. I bought this felting tool quite a few months ago and have been meaning to get some wool to try it out. When I saw Julie Person's wall hanging I was tempted to try it but still didn't get out. Then we watched Lady in the Water and there were some amazing images at the beginning. I then got out and got some wool. :)
The girls have made these various pieces:
We've made these with scraps from Bemidji Woolen Mills. A store right here in Bemidji that we were able to buy the scraps from for $.90 !
I made this with the person Abbi made :-D (the person is me, so the wall hanging is "Story meeting Kelli")
We're planning on making lots more with wool. I've ordered some needles to work with and some colored wool roving. Can't wait!
The girls have made these various pieces:
We've made these with scraps from Bemidji Woolen Mills. A store right here in Bemidji that we were able to buy the scraps from for $.90 !
I made this with the person Abbi made :-D (the person is me, so the wall hanging is "Story meeting Kelli")
We're planning on making lots more with wool. I've ordered some needles to work with and some colored wool roving. Can't wait!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
WOW part 2
Destinycloud, Abbi's roleplaying character on WOW. She's close to level 55 now. ( I had to say that ;)
OK, so lots of learning takes place while playing World of Warcraft. I guess I knew that. What I didn't know was how people learn different things. Or how different people find different things to do and learn with the same game.
Alec totally gets into the strategic side of things. He contemplates the armor he wears from the stats (attributes) it has, would it benefit his hunter's performance. He reasons with a very strategic mind.
Abbi, on the other hand, enjoys the game in a totally different way. Her way is a more imaginative way. She did start out on a regular realm. Meaning you talk to people just like you are,, a person at a computer. :) Yet, she quickly found out she liked a role-playing realm better.
When she picked her race,, what type of character she wanted, she picked an elf. She (and I) thought the elves looked pretty cool. And you get to be a druid as an elf. A druid is a cool class for several reasons. First off you get to turn into animals! :) How cool is that if you do role-playing??? You can turn into a bear, cat, porpoise type of thing , moonkin (which kind of looks like a bear standing up with horns) and now with the expansion introduced a healing druid can turn into a mystical tree. :-D The druid is a cool spiritual natural type being,, anyway, she and I were both drawn to the druids.
So, Abbi plays mostly on a role-playing server and has met many friends there. Its pretty interesting, I didn't really understand how it would work but here's how it does:
On your character you can indicate that you are a either a serious or casual role-player, also you indicate if you are looking for contacts. People can then send you a message or just start interacting with you. Some people will just start talking with you (in character,, of course ;), others will read about you if you have rsp. RSP is an add-on in which you can write up some type of description about your character.
An add-on is something you download to your game to enhance your game playing. Abbi's add-ons will help her to remember details about other people's characters or help others to read about her character, oh and one cool add on is she can click on something and it will change her whole outfit *g*. Of course Alec has that add-on too but he does it for different reasons, his armor changes would be for possibly fire resistance or frost resistance changes. Abbi's outfit changes would be ones like --her pretty purple dress or her all black outfit or her silly outfit. Alec also has some add-ons that help him with group play. He's doing raids now with up to 40 people and they all have to have add-ons to help them manage all the people. Examples of the use of add-ons in this case would be you can see everyone's health and mana, or you can see who is doing the most damage or who has the most aggro (aggro being the monster is attacking that person).
Back to role-playing. So someone may read your RSP and use that info, or they may just say something to you independent from that. They might totally bring up something random and you can just go with that. I had one person comment on my staff and I went into what I had done with it or how I found it,, some adventurous story. Its very much like improv. Abbi really gets into some elaborate storylines with other people. Where they'll even end up continuing it for days. There is also a way to talk to these people OOC (out of character) They just send messages like this ((this means I'm talking OOC)), so they can tell if they are still role-playing or meaning real life things.
This type of play really fills her need to act and create, its very cool.
Another way her creativity has flourished from WOW is writing on the role-playing forums. Right within WOW's website there are role-playing forums. Its where someone will start a story and then others can make contributions. Its also very cool. She loves to write very descriptively and loves reading other's writings. I've been amazed at her writing abilities. I never wrote anything like that until I was maybe in high school. She now types faster than me and can probably spell better than me. Which is also amazing to me because when she was 9, only 3 years ago she was asking me how to spell everything. Now I ask her *g*.
Some people have asked if its good for such a young girl to be interacting with others in a place like this. We can't say that she hasn't ran into some jerks. But there have been more nice, generous, fun people than the other. I have seen her handle people who make her feel uncomfortable and I've seen her modify what she does so she meets people who she'd like to play with. She now has a very good friend who she met through role-playing. This girl is the same age and is also a homeschooler. :) They've also gotten to know each other through IMing and their myspace spaces. She is very excited to hear about our unschooling. They have slowly been getting to know each other more and more. They don't divulge personal info very quickly, I've seen how this works. ( She's very choosy about what she shares with others.)
We've had nothing but good experiences with our WOW playing. Fun and learning abound!
OK, so lots of learning takes place while playing World of Warcraft. I guess I knew that. What I didn't know was how people learn different things. Or how different people find different things to do and learn with the same game.
Alec totally gets into the strategic side of things. He contemplates the armor he wears from the stats (attributes) it has, would it benefit his hunter's performance. He reasons with a very strategic mind.
Abbi, on the other hand, enjoys the game in a totally different way. Her way is a more imaginative way. She did start out on a regular realm. Meaning you talk to people just like you are,, a person at a computer. :) Yet, she quickly found out she liked a role-playing realm better.
When she picked her race,, what type of character she wanted, she picked an elf. She (and I) thought the elves looked pretty cool. And you get to be a druid as an elf. A druid is a cool class for several reasons. First off you get to turn into animals! :) How cool is that if you do role-playing??? You can turn into a bear, cat, porpoise type of thing , moonkin (which kind of looks like a bear standing up with horns) and now with the expansion introduced a healing druid can turn into a mystical tree. :-D The druid is a cool spiritual natural type being,, anyway, she and I were both drawn to the druids.
So, Abbi plays mostly on a role-playing server and has met many friends there. Its pretty interesting, I didn't really understand how it would work but here's how it does:
On your character you can indicate that you are a either a serious or casual role-player, also you indicate if you are looking for contacts. People can then send you a message or just start interacting with you. Some people will just start talking with you (in character,, of course ;), others will read about you if you have rsp. RSP is an add-on in which you can write up some type of description about your character.
An add-on is something you download to your game to enhance your game playing. Abbi's add-ons will help her to remember details about other people's characters or help others to read about her character, oh and one cool add on is she can click on something and it will change her whole outfit *g*. Of course Alec has that add-on too but he does it for different reasons, his armor changes would be for possibly fire resistance or frost resistance changes. Abbi's outfit changes would be ones like --her pretty purple dress or her all black outfit or her silly outfit. Alec also has some add-ons that help him with group play. He's doing raids now with up to 40 people and they all have to have add-ons to help them manage all the people. Examples of the use of add-ons in this case would be you can see everyone's health and mana, or you can see who is doing the most damage or who has the most aggro (aggro being the monster is attacking that person).
Back to role-playing. So someone may read your RSP and use that info, or they may just say something to you independent from that. They might totally bring up something random and you can just go with that. I had one person comment on my staff and I went into what I had done with it or how I found it,, some adventurous story. Its very much like improv. Abbi really gets into some elaborate storylines with other people. Where they'll even end up continuing it for days. There is also a way to talk to these people OOC (out of character) They just send messages like this ((this means I'm talking OOC)), so they can tell if they are still role-playing or meaning real life things.
This type of play really fills her need to act and create, its very cool.
Another way her creativity has flourished from WOW is writing on the role-playing forums. Right within WOW's website there are role-playing forums. Its where someone will start a story and then others can make contributions. Its also very cool. She loves to write very descriptively and loves reading other's writings. I've been amazed at her writing abilities. I never wrote anything like that until I was maybe in high school. She now types faster than me and can probably spell better than me. Which is also amazing to me because when she was 9, only 3 years ago she was asking me how to spell everything. Now I ask her *g*.
Some people have asked if its good for such a young girl to be interacting with others in a place like this. We can't say that she hasn't ran into some jerks. But there have been more nice, generous, fun people than the other. I have seen her handle people who make her feel uncomfortable and I've seen her modify what she does so she meets people who she'd like to play with. She now has a very good friend who she met through role-playing. This girl is the same age and is also a homeschooler. :) They've also gotten to know each other through IMing and their myspace spaces. She is very excited to hear about our unschooling. They have slowly been getting to know each other more and more. They don't divulge personal info very quickly, I've seen how this works. ( She's very choosy about what she shares with others.)
We've had nothing but good experiences with our WOW playing. Fun and learning abound!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Living the life of joy
And today's daily groove by Scott Noelle was right in sync. Maybe he explains why it does work. Makes sense to me. Although he refers to it as the pleasure principle or creative pleasure--that sounds good too.
There are 2 parts, they're short. :)
Here's Part 1 of The Creative Pleasure Principle:
Imagine you're in a choir, singing a difficult piece, and it's not coming together. But you persist, and eventually the ensemble achieves perfect harmony, emanating a sound that gives you chills from head to toe!
That's a dramatic example of creative pleasure: the feeling of coming into alignment with your heart's desire.
Creative pleasure is a universal principle. It's related to the Law of Attraction, by which similar thoughts and experiences are drawn to each other. As thought and desire come into alignment, pleasure is felt and creation unfolds.
You could say that atoms and molecules "feel pleasure" when they come together to create higher orders of complexity and intelligence. Thus, the Creative Pleasure Principle informs all of nature, from the smallest flea, to the tallest tree, to the human parent and child.
Today, notice that you feel better when your thoughts are aligned with your desires — when you believe you can have what you want.*************
And part 2:
Since the Creative Pleasure Principle informs every level of creation — matter, body, mind, and spirit — the most natural way to create a wonderful life is by simply "following your pleasure."
Being pleasure-oriented empowers you and your child to co-create a mutually satisfying relationship. Children are innately pleasure-oriented, but they can become "dis-oriented" by the anti-pleasure aspects of our culture.
Some parents think that if they were totally pleasure-oriented, they'd abandon their children! This arises from confusion between authentic pleasure and pseudo-pleasure — the shallow pleasure of aligning with the distortions of the dominator culture.
One such distortion is the idea that suffering earns you the "right" to feel good. A parent who believes that may feel "good" about attending to personal desires at the child's expense: "I suffered as a child; now it's MY turn to get what I want!"
Thus pseudo-pleasure perpetuates the win/lose, dominator culture. Only the authentic pleasure of aligning your thoughts and actions with your heart's desires can create a win/win, partnership culture: "My child and I can BOTH find satisfaction... I don't know how, but there must be a way."
Today, as you make parenting choices, wait for the feeling of authentic, creative pleasure before you take action.
********************
I think if we breathe and take the time to get to know our kids, it can happen.
Pause, find that mindfulness and (maybe) groove, you can find a joy and so can your child.
We can forge a partnership with our children and I really think joy is the way.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Just making sure
I just wanted to make sure people know that I don't justify Alec's video game playing on the sole reason of how much he's learning. (I actually wrote that out for some people who might like to see the "schooly" or "academic" type of learning that can go on while playing.) I know deep down that what he chooses and what keeps his attention and gives him so much joy is the right thing for Alec. :)
Really, it is the joy. Like Pam Sorooshian said one time "if its not fun, we probably don't do it" . It might sound somewhat flip, but its so true and anything but flip. This choice of ours to live this way was a well thought through decision. What a wonderful gift to give our children right now. This opportunity to find what speaks to their soul.
Really, it is the joy. Like Pam Sorooshian said one time "if its not fun, we probably don't do it" . It might sound somewhat flip, but its so true and anything but flip. This choice of ours to live this way was a well thought through decision. What a wonderful gift to give our children right now. This opportunity to find what speaks to their soul.
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