h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey peoples

So glad you changed the htread again, i was having so much trouble with this place last night, i eventually gave up. Anyways, im about 1 and a half converstaions behind everyone elose so forgive me if im a little slow ont he uptake....

My maths exam was pretty easy, only 3 more subjects to go and then im free for the summer

* asks IIEM for a mocha

ANyone fancy a game of scrabble or cards or something?

~ m

Her computer skills are not very advanced, as we have no computer at home. Really. We found we weren't using it, when we did have one, and it is not very good for young kids - wrong kind of stimulation and all that. Nevertheless, she did play on the computer a little before we got rid of it and last weekend, my wife and daughter came in to my office to play on the internet. My daughter had no trouble navigating her way around. Had to 1-finger type, of course, but it was amazing how quickly she started remembering where the various letters were on the keyboard.

* tumble weed rolls across floor of aroma cafe

Am i the only one here? I'm feeling kind of lonely...

* Ook - ook

Oh, ok, Ook is here, at least i have some company....

*sips mocha in her Very cool mug and starts to feel SLEEPY, very SLEEPY

Ook: Ook! *jumps onto chair opposite <Somat and slaps down board*

All was flaky. I had trouble earlier today, but seem to have secured a decent connection, which makes me reluctant to log off!! I'm stuck!

Congrats on the math exam, too.

Garius, you don't have a TV either, do you. Do you encourage music listening, or does she play an instrument?

I'm going to give Jay Ray a much bigger Coke next time, make him stick around longer.

Hello somat. This will probably simulpost with Lil, but what the heck.

I haven't talked to you directly before, but I have read your posts. I am a regular here from way back (well, pretty way back) , but recently I haven't been able to spend as much time on H2G2.

So, you're almost done school? Seems early, but then Affy is almost done too. He had to start early, though.

Yay a scrabble partner..

*kisses Ook

Oh, Garius- im not completely up to date on your little girl but when i was about 7 i started reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz- i love to read , tis one of the best tings about life, myparents didnt like me reading their books so they used to hide them from me- try to not do that,..

We try to encourage her to play the piano - we have a keyboard at home. We did try formal lessons once, but that very nearly put her off playing forever. Now, my wife (who can play - I can't) teaches Natalie when Natalie is in the mood. Lots of times, Natalie will sit at the piano and just improvise (random key-playing). It's amazing how musical it sounds. We try not to push her too hard into things that we think are good for her - we try to follow her interests. Seems to work quite well.

*Ook is very surprised*

Garius, sounds like you're following Montesori methods...

I just realised when talking with Tabitha last night (hope she's feeling better) that there were only one or two books in my life before the age of 7. But I caught up pretty fast.

I'm currently reading a book I had never finished before. I can't tell you which one, though. Not until after the unmasking. I think I'll have an unusual. And an anti-coffee. And attention. I crave the stuff. It's like a drug to me. I need a fix and I need it now.

/Red

*Ook moves over to Red and hugs his/her leg*

-----------> c{#} one Unusual
-----------> c)~( one anti-coffee

I need to go off and do things IRL, ladies, gentlemen, apes and entities. Net willing, I'll be back in a few hours.

The IIEM is on auto-pilot.
Have fruitful wishes.

Well, we started of with more of a Waldorf style - lots of natural materials, lots of imaginitive play (somewhat similar to Montesori). But now, it is more like "unschooling". This is a type of learning that is very unlike school. The student learns what they want, when they want, for as long as they want. The educators job is to provide lots of cool things to spark interest, and to help the student with what they want to learn. It's very hard to do. We still find ourselves doing some traditional-style teaching. My wife and I both love math, so it is hard for us to just let Natalie learn the math she needs at 7. We want to keep working through a curriculum. We still haven't really settled the matter in our minds yet (Natalie is almost done the grade 2 math curriculum, although she is only grade 1 age).

Thank you, Ook, even villains need a little love

looks in to see that everybody is slumped at various tables holding their cups or mugs and either looking out the window at the woods, looking out the window at the people on the boardwalk, reading the papers, sleeping, or watching Ook who has returned to playing tiddlywinks with the tiles*

Ook, tomorrow I will bring you a set of tiddlywinks. That will be fun because lots of people can play. *thinks: virtual; tiddlywinks. hmm*

I can't stay just yet, but I'll be back later on, perhaps 3 hours from now. Y'all just carry on with the IIEM, ok?

*dashes out the back*

Two forums later...
*washes up, and puts the c/_\v on*
I've finally found where you all are!

Today I read all the backlog *pats self on back*

Comment 1: Dick and Jane. Yesterday our english teacher (the coolest 'teacher' ever) gave us a calvin & hobbes strip where Calvin explains he has begun to love writing becasue it is such an artful form of bullshit. His book report is entitled "The dynamics of interbeing and monological imperatives in _Dick and Jane_: A study in psychic transrelational gender modes."

Comment 2: I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder... my parents read me the first five or so and then I read the others myself. If she likes them try Caddie Woodlawn. (title/protagonist, not author)

Comment 3: Unschooling. Your daughter is lucky, GL... earlier this year my (high school aged) friends and I discovered this book about unschooling and we were all horribly fascinated as we are all intelligent and bored in most/all classes. Several of my friends will be unschooling next year (lucky b******s) I am going to live on kibbutz in Israel instead (my choice, so I ain't complaining)

After that long post, can I get a cafe au lait? Long weekend (4 days) begins today, so I can relax briefly...

Not being one to bang on and be repetitive but has anyone read Margaret Mahy?

The crayfish was wonderful and the Heineken almost as good.

Lil maybe marbles would be more stimulating than tiddlywinks?

Hi, all!

IIEM, Coffee please. *IIEM produces coffee*

No, Ook.. no time for scrabble. I've got friends coming over tonight and I've still got to clean the apartment. Oh, and Ook... I looked it up. "Beeblebrox" is a proper name, you can't use that in scrabble.

Looney, I wouldn't trust Ook with marbles. He has shown some fair creativity but not a lot of conscience.

Hi, redbreard, glad you could drop by even for a short time. Have you plans for the holiday weekend?

Looney, Garius is considering New Zealand as a place to live; anything you can tell him about cost of living etc. would be welcome I'm sure. I just got disconnected while typing this. It may be time to go rattle the cage of my ISP again. This is why I own a sloth named Mindspring.

I have not heard of Mahy.

Hi, Io.

Garius you are obviously a person of taste. Talking about the wonder of the pacific haven of NZ on this forum may bore some people. You may want to start a thread on my page and we will take it from there

Sorry, Looney, but I've got to agree with Lil on this one.
*imagines customers walking into the cafe, stepping on marbles and flying everywhere, while holding cups of hot coffee* hehehe

No big plans, Lil. A couple of gatherings locally, and probably doing some work at home as well, to make up for all the time I've been spending here

By the way, Lil, I think I saw a cart out front that had broken down... I think the corners had worn down on the wheels.