unschooling before pesach

The kids have learned a lot about Pesach because there is lot of experiential learning leading up to Pesach.  Kashering, looking for chometz, kitniyos vs chometz, halacha and minhag.

Two days ago, Elazar decided he wanted to go for a walk.  He patiently waited until I was done with a batch of cake and we went for a stroll together.  He just wanted to walk around the neighborhood.  This child has unlimited computer and TV all the time and he dragged me out for a walk.  It was nice to get out of the kitchen and enjoy the first nice spring day.

They also spent a lot of time playing with the cardboard boxes that were put out for recycling.  I told them that the men don't take the boxes if they are not stacked neatly, so to be sure to put them back that way.  I kept hearing ::WHACK:: ::WHACK:: ::WHACK:: through the open window.  But the recycling was all taken, so they must have stacked it back neatly enough.  They did take one box and make a succah with duct tape.  I was informed it is not a kosher succah.

Jack (age 5) reads Hebrew and English before bedtime.  We were reading the English, and last week he brought the Hebrew reader to put on my night table, and we've been doing both.  This morning, he asked for morning snuggle (I was already downstairs) so I went back up to my bed to snuggle him for a bit, and he asked to read.  He read for about half an hour.  It's funny how when I was homeschooling but not unschooling, I would not have been doing school before Pesach, because it takes energy to carve out the time to teach.  But with unschooling, I teach when asked.  The kids ask me for their educational wants and needs, so it ended up getting done even on erev Pesach.

I mentioned that we should dig out their tuxedos for the seder tonight.  Jack went to find his suit and belt.  Elazar asked why.  I said this is the most special, fancy night.  He asked why.  I asked him if he remembered.  He said, because it's the seder!  I said, but why is it the seder?  And he said, for matza! And I said, but why do we eat matza? And he said, because it's Pesach.  I said, but why do we have Pesach?  He said, because Jews!  I said, but why do the Jews have Pesach?  What are we celebrating?  And he said the escape from Mitzrayim.

Interesting.  I wonder what his concept of "escape" is.  Maybe we'll discuss it more tonight.

As for Chana, she agreed to learn with me, but when I asked her what she wanted to learn, she told me to choose.  And when I asked her to come sit with me and talk, which she did, she said she didn't want to talk about Torah.  She wanted to just have conversation.  So I left it alone.  We'll see what she makes of the seder tonight.

Chag Sameach!