Are there any other whole-life unschoolers here?

[adoptedbyachicken]

For those that choose to continue this please reread the OP. This thread is a request to network to others that have made the choice to unschool, not to debate the merits of the many educational choices out there.

Hopefully this can continue on topic and respectfully.

 

[PotterWatch]

Glad that this topic is back and I look forward to hearing from some other unschoolers about the fun things they have done!

 

[thewarriorchild]

I home school.
We do not have to thankfully report anything to the state. Since third grade we have been using Switched on Schoolhouse which is a computer program which keeps track of all her work and grades most of it. She has been doing well in it but the last few years we were struggling. It seems boring to be at the computer all the time. Also her handwriting could be better. I wish I had taught her script first. This year I hope to start a study of the states as they came to be. This will involve writing the states and maybe visiting some. We have already traveled a lot. I also purchased a unit study which we will begin working on. This curriculum we are using now is supposed to be a year ahead of most so I let her slide back a year. When we are done with 7th we will start these new things. One of the best things about homeschooling is letting them learn at their own pace. Like with the reading later. She did not want to read but we used Animal Crossing from Nintendo, if you do not read what the animals say the goat will cheat you out of things.

Makes you want to read

lol She reads like crazy now. I also made her read Lord of the Rings and the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe before seeing the movies!

These books that I used for writing were wonderful.
http://www.masterypublications.com/index.htm
Cheerful Cursive and Happy Handwriting.
If you take the books to staples they can copy the whole thing for you. We just wrote in those and recopied as needed.

http://www.wholesomechildhood.com/Mar/5th.html
I do not know if that link still works but it will give you an idea of what a unit study is if you go far down into the document it has a sample.

She wants to work with horses so she is taking riding lessons and is going to be helping at the farm as it gets warmer. They work with handicap kids on horses

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Okay... I still don't get it. I'm a bit slow on non-traditional stuff.

With Unschooling how do you ensure that your child is getting a well-rounded education. What if they only want to read literature and never do math? How do you make sure that they are covering all the bases? If it had been up to me as a child I would have read all the time and never done certain subjects. How do you make sure that they are ready to go on into college courses (if that is their intent)?

Again, not trying to be snarky. Just trying to get it.
Thanks!

 

[PotterWatch]

Most people hear the term unschooling and think that it means the kid runs wild all the time and only ever does what they want with little to no parent involvement. That isn't it at all. To make unschooling successful, there is work on the part of the parent. You want/need to expose your child to a great number of things all the time. You create situations where your child will learn all the things they need to get a well-rounded education. In order to play yahtzee (a game we like), you have to be able to add up numbers, multiply numbers, etc. To bake something, you need to understand fractions, especially if you are doubling or halving the recipe. To get the best price at the grocery store, you have to be able to divide the total cost of an item by the ounces (or whatever unit of measuremnt is used). To build a new chicken coop, you have to be able to understand measurements. I could give examples from just about any subject.
**Edited to say that my kids learn these things by doing them, not by sitting down and doing a worksheet or something. So they are learning math, science, etc. even if they don't realize it.


Kids realize that in order to participate in life, they have to learn these things and the knowledge is presented in a way that is meaningful. As my kids get older and want/need to learn things that are beyond my capabilities, we will search out other avenues such as classes online, working with someone in a particular field who can teach them what they are interested in, etc.

That is part of what tends to make un/homeschoolers more self-directed. They realize early on that they need to know certain things to get by in the world and to succeed at their chosen path. If they want to play something that requires reading, well then, they had better learn to read. If they want to become a doctor, well they had better start learning some science; and they do! That is one reasons many colleges are now searching out homeschoolers and making the application and acceptance process easier for those of us who have a portfolio to show rather than a list of grades. They see the value in a child who has, from a very early age, taken lots of initiative to get to that point in their life. They haven't gotten an education because it has been forced on them, but because they understand the value of it.

 

[TubbyChicken]

Quote:
http://www.sandradodd.com/unschooling

Please check out this site...it has tons of great information about unschooling. You can follow the links to the left of the page to read more about the different aspects of unschooling and how it works.

Unschooled children don't have the same concept of subjects or learning that schooled children have so I don't think they experience the same type of disinterest in certain areas that you're imagining. Beyond that, all children have certain areas of particular interest, and allowing them to pursue those interests is, in my opinion, of great benefit. That doesn't mean that they don't still learn about other "subjects" because, as has already been stated in this thread, these kids learn all day, while they're playing, helping, etc....It's my job to pay close attention to my son, to find opportunities to show him new things, to answer his questions and help him find answers when I'm not knowledgeable enough. Imagining the possibilities that my son has to learn really excites me!

I really hope you take the time to check out that site. I think it will answer a lot of your questions!

 

[TubbyChicken]

We're having a streak of beautiful weather here which is really allowing us some good outdoor time. My son is really excited to get our planting started this year, he's been pretending to "plant" all sorts of funny things but yesterday he was watching me take the seeds out of a pepper and I noticed him fishing them out of the sink...when I asked what he was doing he told me he was "getting all the seeds to plant in the dirt outside".

I'm astonished that he made that connection. So now he's collected some more seeds for his garden.

Is anyone else's children interested in participating with the gardening?

 

[PotterWatch]

I'm hoping mine will be. We just finished our fencing that will (hopefully), keep the goats out of the garden area. Now I just need to till it and start planting!

 

[gckiddhouse]

Well, my kids are learning about what it takes to maintain a house and yard this week. It is time for spring cleaning!! Here is a "subject" that they are not that interested in!

But they are going to do it anyway!
We have weeds like you can't believe! The chicken coop is a mess, the kids' rooms are out of control! Not because they don't keep them clean, but because every now and then, we need to clean their closets of clothes that no longer fit, toys they no longer play with, and corners that are stuffed with misc. stuff.
There are repairs that need to be done, deep cleaning that must be done, yard work, yard work, yard work.
I always feel guilty about not doing academic type learning, but I have to talk myself out of it because this is the "real world" and there is work to be done in order to maintain a household. Sometimes you have to take time out of the regular routine and re-boot!
Spring has sprung, the weeds are growing, the family is kicking it into gear!!

 

[thewarriorchild]

Quote:
I am glad you are interested in wanting to learn about something you don't know... kind of like unschooling! I wanted to add that while learning this way anyone is much more likely to find something they will love to do in life. (loving their job how cool is that!)Apprenticing has become a lost advantage. How awesome is it that someone takes the time to teach a trade to the next generation. How better to get to know it. It also allows you to think out of the box as far as how to do things better and not just how to do something with sometimes no explanation of the why. Two people sharing ideas opens up whole new worlds. I learn SO much better if I really understand the why of something and it allows me to find other viable ideas of how to do it better. Sometime we are so trained to do something one way we forget there are other ways to get an answer. There is SO much outside the world of text books which have unfortunately become a reflection of those writing it instead of the truth. I also want my daughter to know how to find the truth. There is so much I wish I learned more about at school, volcanoes, the stock market, Egypt, and I will never forget the comment on my English paper that was awesome and I knew it was, she gave me a b minus or something like that with like one correction if any one the paper. I went to ask her why and she told me "Because it wasn’t the way I would do it" and really we are so individual blessed with so many different gifts and talents by God that we should be able to explore all that we can be and not put in a box. ...hope that made sense and helped, off to get my coffee