I thought this was an unschooling blog?!

I just looked through my most recent (and not so recent) posts and realized that for a supposed unschooling blog, I’m certainly lacking in inspirational posts about my child. Heck, I’ve barely mentioned him! Bad mama! I do have a reason though. And it’s not that he’s been up to “nothing”.

It’s actually that he’s been up to something pretty cool. Something he’s been working on from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed for at least two weeks. Something that he has already saved over $100 to be able to expand (after he tapped out his mom and dad) by pulling weeds, cleaning and organizing for grandparents. Something he says will cost him an additional $500 and possibly a year to complete! (Thank goodness he has plenty of grandparents!) Something I’m not suppose to publicly spill the beans on just yet. But maybe I can hint!

What I’m really hoping is that with enough elbowing he can give us (me) a smaller version of his bigger plans. Help me out will ya? Help me convince him to share the coolness he has planned!

Before he got into this current plan he was adamant about building a go-kart. We found a how-to manual online but by the time it got to us, he was onto these bigger fish. He also started taking a “How To Do a Handstand” class but that has been put on hold because of his insistence to work on this project. I have a hard time pulling him away from it long enough to eat, go to the park or visit the library. He’s so excitedly absorbed in it!

I mentioned not long ago (okay maybe it was a while ago!) how I was seeing changes in his approach to learning and this is just another step in those deschooling changes. Zeb went through a long phase of *fear*. Mostly it was fear of trying new things, something I’ve seen diminishing for several months now. But even once he started something he would also hold a fear of messing it up or being disappointed by it or not having it be well received by others. But with this new project, though his perfectionism is still intact, the fear is not the same it once was. Where before I would hear almost constant self-criticism or picking apart of his work, I’m only seeing him working to make it better (by his standards). He has been gung-ho; studying, researching, practicing, building and rebuilding, writing and talking and mostly undaunted by the enormity of the project he’s created. (He has had moments where he’s felt discouraged but nothing a break and some cuddling wouldn’t comfort before he’d head right back in.)

Wait! I’m told I may be able to share Phase 1 soon! Here is my only allowable hint: