Pix from International Dinner – and thoughts on what we did

A packed homeschool co-op day yesterday that didn’t go exactly according to lesson plans but was probably filled with MORE real education because of that!  The moms try to be faithful in laying out a good plan, in lining up resources ahead of time, in creating a syllabus to keep everyone clear on the work assigned.  BUT…

Let me say it again:

BUT…

…some of our best learning happens when we let the students run with an idea that has captured them.

That’s what happened yesterday.  For all the type-A homeschool moms out there, this is not a slam to you.  We moms here (Kym, Karen and Sabrina) are comfortable with a lot of flexibility and spontaneity in our co-op, and we would never suggest that every co-op should look as loud and chaotic as ours sometimes does.

BUT sometimes it is important (type-A, type-B, or type-LMNOP) to recognize that students are really learning something that we did not anticipate fully when we made our lesson plans.  Especially once they are teenagers, it is important to allow them to own their education, to encourage them to press in when they are feeling intellectually, morally or spiritually challenged by an idea or piece of information, and to stop worrying about whether that means Chapter 3 didn’t get completely covered this week.

Student discussion time that quite honestly arose from what I (Sabrina) thought was an insensitive joke made by my son ended up exploring ideas of effective communication, differences among people groups, prejudices and biases, assumptions and expectations, and how all of these things combine to cause difficulties in personal relationships, communities, nations, and the world.

Is that the Cultural Geography lesson plan *I* had put together ahead of time from Chapter 3 in our book?  Nope.  But man, it was good stuff.

And then over lunch they started cracking jokes about the government shut-down, which turned into people admitting what they did and didn’t understand about the recent events in Washington, DC, and another hour of questions, answers, creative problem solving, critical thinking and (yes!) macroeconomics as we discussed what the health care situation in the U.S. means in terms of our economic system at this time.  Then we compared it to the socialized medicine systems in other countries around the world, and…DING!DING!DING! We had a blended macroeconomics and world/economic geography lesson.

One that the moms never expected.  But one that the moms could have shut down because it was distracting us from the syllabus assignment.

And wouldn’t that have been a shame?

Okay, so the title of this post says pix, so here you go:

Our Fitness Physiology DVD lecture was on relaxation.

They were VERY involved in the subject.

As you can see.

🙂

Time to cook dinner.  Greek food to go with the movie choice, “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding.”  Kendall and Jillian set to work layering the phyllo dough in the baking dish, and painting it with loads of olive oil between layers.  We’re makin’ spanikopita!  Opa!!

Connor and Carlie were our sautee chefs.  Connor’s got the spinach cooking down in a bit of olive oil, and Carlie’s in charge of the onions, scallions and garlic.  It’s beginning to smell delightful in the kitchen!

(Well, Carlie thinks it’s delightful…Connor?  Maybe not so much!)

Jonah was put to work beating eggs, ricotta, feta and parsley.  That, combined with Connor’s spinach and Carlie’s onions will make the filling for Kendall and Jillian’s phyllo crust — and our spinach pie will be ready to go into the oven for 45 minutes.

While the spanikopita was baking, the sushi bar was put together.  We slivered baby carrots, cut up avocado, cubed imitation crab, and scooped tiny blobs of cream cheese.  Sticky white rice and kelp wrappers, bamboo rolling mats and a bowl of water to keep the rice from sticking to our fingers — playing with food, baby!

 

 

 

Eating the sushi was not as much fun as making it for some of our co-op members.

Sabrina loves the stuff.  With soy sauce, wasabi (horseradish paste — clear those sinuses!), and a little piece of pickled ginger.

Jonah was game to try it, and declared it “Not bad.  I really WANT to like this.”

Whatever that means!!  🙂

Next to try it:  Connor.  Who was not a fan.  But he gets huge points for his bravery in the attempt!

Kendall took a full minute to get the sushi from the plate into her mouth.  She kept chickening out and putting it down, only to announce again, “Okay, okay…I’m going to do this.”

Let’s just say that the trash can got to finish Kendall’s piece of sushi.

Somehow we failed to get pix of Carlie and Jillian — ladies, did you try the sushi, or not? 

At last the spanikopita came out of the oven, and it was simply delightful in the moms’ opinion.

Students, what did you decide about it?