Games created by my son at his in game video game developing company! I just loved the names and what they were about.
Murder and Fedoras
Bionic
Kitten
Atom
to Planet
Cigars
and Murder
Cigar
and Murder - Rubber Puffs
Dung
Beattles and Dragons Paylo Series
Paylo
-Return of the Zombie Alien Supooper Dario Grows Legend Of Meda Legend
Of Melda- Tinks Adventure Taffer- Dark Shadows Taffer- The Steampunk
Age Taffer-Deadly Shadows
T4ffer
Teachers
and Preachers
Shotguns
and RobCots
Fat
Cigarman- ( Console version of Cigars and Murder)
Death
4 Lead
Full
Life
Full
Life- Navy Blue Working Hours The Meldar Pieces of Paper
Now the last post was all about my daughter. She is a cowgirl, farm girl, horseback riding and Minecrafting girl.
My son is 11 and he started watching TV at 18 months old. Before that he did not care for it.
At 18 months old he fell in love with Maisy and then it was Bob the Builder followed by Thomas the Tank Engine.
I sat with him and watched a lot of Maisy, Bob and Thomas. I cherish those moments . It was so sweet and I miss them.
I also learned to love what he loves.
I spent hours with him playing with tools! Then it was trains and that was a huge passion for years. I used to know probably all the Thomas songs! All the engines and stories. He was using foam or magnet letters to write names like Thomas , Percy and James at 3 years old. His passion was embraced and supported.
I remember seeing his cousin playing video games and thinking to myself that that was not going to be my son.
When he was around 4 he started playing some online games and I had already been reading about unschooling for awhile so I was not at all afraid of video games. At 4 we gave him his first Nintendo DS.
I embraced his love for gaming the same way I embraced his love for trains. I fell in love with gaming just like I did with Thomas.
Sometimes around 5 or a little before he turned 5 I discovered the online game called Roblox and introduced to him . That was huge!
Not only my son learned to read and type because of it but it was/is and amazing game. People would friend him and be very surprised when they found out he was 5 years old. He was known for being a great player and helping new people learn the game. I think Roblox should have payed him something because he was a walking advertizement for them. Every child he met he told them about Roblox!
We also gave him a Nintendo Wii at that age and we still love that system and all the Nintendo games!
He fell in love with Super Mario and Legends of Zelda games.
Legends of Zelda has inspired him to learn the Ocarina and he has read all the books several times! He has been rereading them this last few weeks!
A few months ago my son and I build his first gaming computer he has been saving for. He has many many games on his PC, his XBox 360, PS2, PS3, Gamecube , Duo Retro ( plays NES and SNES games), Nintendo DS and Gameboy.
Yes he also loves retro and classic games and consoles.
He has always been a collector and has become a researcher.
But what is amazing how well he writes, how fast he can read, how he has full grasp of math, physics and loves all Science and is always telling me and reading about everything !
His knowledge is amazing. From how your eyes work and how other animals eyes work and why to how matter and antimatter reacted to create the Universe and much much more this boys knows!
He is very witty and loves playing with words, he is bright and he is loving. He will not hurt a fly.
He is always reading and researching so many different things. He has this love for learning and information.
He tells me so many things that I am amazed he knows!
Today I played a game with him and he split some wood while I was stacking. He is my gamer that goes and splits wood that a grown up has difficulty splitting.
It is not screen time!
It is reading, researching, playing, discovering and much more!
It really gets to me when people say "screen time". They are not really paying attention to what their children are doing.
Here is a little bit of him
I went inside and come out and he had written the numbers down. Not 2 yet.
Mario and Luigi for Halloween with dad!
His first Thomas Engine and it all started ( he still had his Bob the Builder shirt)
Bob the builder was the man! He loved him.
Now this pictures are from this year only.
His Birthday this year! Lab Coat, Periodic Table and Chemistry kit. That is what he wanted.
Shooting ball with dad.
Animinneapolis ! With the voice actor and Manga author Sonny Strait.
He is in full Cosplay ( Len Kagamine)
Just laying in my lap and talking
!
The computer parts arrived!!!!!!!
Caulking ! He is using a gun!!!!!!
Up in the hayloft of the old barn with kittens and his sister.
Going for a ride with mom at 6:30 AM.
At Animinneapolis he actually sat in the Vocaloids panel and participated answering questions!
Sometimes reading too many books on anatomy leads you to use dad as a guinea pig.
Working out with dad.
Making brownies .
His little kitten Scout who he saved by bringing in and bottle feeding.
Reading Free to Live by Pam Laricchia
Snowman during snow storm ( picture by Sandra Dodd)
Record breaking snow in May! Got to do something about it.
Blue hair.
Getting his Arrow of Light and graduating from Cub Scout earlier in the year.
When Scout was so little he was syringe feeding him.
Many parents new to unschooling read about others that do not limit TV or Video Games and are so afraid that if they let their kids do it that is all they are going to do.
They says they want their kids to be in nature, play outside and not just sit there. They clearly think that playing video games has no value other than probably working on hand-eye coordination.
They are afraid. They do not even know really what they are afraid of. They repeat things they heard and read instead of looking at their children and seeing them.
My 7 year old daughter is an avid Minecrafter, specially now in cold Minnesota and the weather is very cold and we are indoors a lot she will spend hours playing Minecraft and Skyping her friends.
But here is a collection of our Spring/Fall/Summer activities ! She doesn't just play video games.
Hiking with Girls Scouts at Nature Center
Playing with kittens in the barn.
Hiking with cousins at local park.
Hiking with both Grandmothers and cousins.
Playing with mud.
Getting her calf ready for 4-H show.
At an anime convention in full cosplay.
With friend she made at anime convention after being part of her team where she sang and even won a task for her group by reading and reciting a text.
Showing her fall calf Lid at Dodge Co. Fair.
Showing a heifer for a family friend at Dodge Co. Fair.
Keeping the animals set up clean and tidy at our local County Fair. No one told her to, she just does it.
Showing in her Cloverbud class for 4-H
With her fall heifer Lid at Olmsted County Fair.
Her and Lid again!
Horseback riding lessons with Quest.
Ringing the bell.
Washing clothes
Milking for city people!
Drilling holes!
Chores time! Feeding babies!
Another day riding Quest bareback !
Trail riding with mom and friends.
Taking care of horse after trail riding!
Corn from our vegetable garden is what is for dinner!
Playing with her calf
After ditch pick up , a community service with her 4-H Club.
Finding amazing natural forming rock sculptures in the gravel!
Super happy with the present her online Minecraft/Skype friend sent her!!
Watching ultrasound being done in pregnant cows for sexing. The veterinarian has this tablet that she could watch it live while he did it to our cows.
Watching her brother build an amazing gaming computer !
Chores again ! Babies are hungry.
Wonderful friends made at the Unschooling Conference.
At the zoo.
Visiting the local shelter with Girls Scouts.
This was just a little window to a fun life where computers and video games and TV are not limited in any way.
In those months she also learned to read and is writing a ton while communicating with her friends online!
That was mostly from video game playing!
Why would I not want her to do it?
She loves books and reading them! She still loves getting full of mud ! She comes out for chores because she loves it~!
Make their world bigger and richer.
Mud is not better than video games that is not better than showing cows that is not better than watching a movie with mom in bed!!!! It is all wonderful for different reasons.
It all has its value and time.
Supporting your child's passion and exposing him to the real world . Computers are the real world.
What are you afraid of?
