Unschooling James and Adam

We've had some pipe cleaners lying around and clay, so when I saw a picture of some bugs made out of these materials, I asked James if he would be interested to make some. Here's how we spent time working with our hands this morning..

It's Sunday and it means we can visit the National Museum for free! Cutting the intro short, here are some pictures to tell our story... Our family enjoyed looking at a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, and other art forms by Filipino artists including Luna, Hidalgo, Rizal, Francisco, and Amorsolo as we indulge in the rich history of the Philippines. Our "adopted" family member for a few days, Ninya, made our visit even more memorable. We spent time sharing knowledge on history, geography, arts, culture, etc. The reason why we were at the museum in the first place was to give her a simple tour of Manila. James and Adam enjoyed the Shipwreck exhibit the most, seeing all the cannons and cannon balls! Different species of plants and animals were also displayed and the boys got a kick from the animals preserved in jars such as geckos and snakes as well as the stuffed flying lemur and tarsier. James had a closer look on different kinds of grasshoppers...

         My birthday wish was to spend it with my dearest boys, Cesar, James, and Adam. I'm an introvert. No birthday candles, cake, or balloons. I wanted to be on the road first thing in the morning. And here's how I spent my special day, with the most special people in my life, celebrating my life and the other three lives that make it more worth celebrating!  We drove around two and a half hours from Donsol to Matnog. Met the boat man, who was very kind to guide us to the market where we bought rice, fresh fish, and ripe mangoes. Took a boat to an island and spent most of our time in a very humble, one-year old resort called "Subic Maliit". At around 3pm, we took off and headed to the Juag Fish Sanctuary where we went swimming with the fishes. It was so surreal!

     James was so determined to watch Iron Man 3 and he kept on bugging us about it even when we were in Baguio. We spent our budget for leisure activities while we were there, so we had to say no, unfortunately. But with James' persistence, begging constantly, he convinced Tatay, his grandfather, to give him money for the movie tickets.       Tatay, knowing "schooling" as the only way to get an education, is the most worried person in our family about unschooling. He has done his best to provide for his family and worked hard to send all his children to university and supported a few of his grandchildren to acquire a college diploma. He even gave us the liberty to choose any school, including international and exclusive schools, where we can send the boys with him paying whatever it may cost. It was tempting, but unschooling is the only way we know to get a REAL education. In fact, he doesn't know that he is already helping our boys learn a lot!...

When Robin Williams said "Carpe Diem" in the movie Dead Poets Society, we took it very seriously. On this trip, we didn't just seized that day, we seized the night as well! For the last time, Kennon Road kept us awake and amazed, it almost felt like the clouds rose up earlier than usual just to bid us goodbye. I love feeling small and vulnerable in the middle of the road cutting through powerful mountain ranges.  Around 10:30am, we reached Meg's place after making a wrong turn and accidentally passing by smaller towns in Pangasinan, including the busy streets of Manaoag. But we took it as a plus and carried on, learning as much as we can about these places. We thought we were already late for the Dawel River Cruise, a government initiative to promote Pantal River as they celebrate Bangus Festival, so we decided to head to the beach, James and Adam's priority for the day. However, on our way, we passed by the station where the "catamarans" were p...

After a heavy breakfast, we headed out to exchange cars at Jomar's brother's house because we needed a four-wheel drive for the next destination. On the way there, we enjoyed even more mountain views, passing by local trading posts, and seeing houses built on the side of the mountain, I mean houses with 3,4, or more floor levels!  Winaca Eco Village was our last stop in Benguet before going home and we can say we saved the best for last. We had a short bathroom break and then walked to a playground where we explored two model houses, an Ifugao house and a Sagada House. All four of us enjoyed the obstacle course, giving us more endorphin, making the trip more enjoyable. James and Adam tried wall climbing for the first time and I thought I should take the challenge as well, so I tried the "High Ropes" or canopy walk, learning about my fear of heights. I just felt like I have the responsibility to show my kids that it is good, even fun, to take tasks that scare t...