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Homeschool Zone Unschooling Support CenterA Word from Our Friends Join the Unschooling Discussion Group |
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some "unschoolers" which gives some insight into this philosophy. From: Deborah Cobern dccd3@webtv.net "I am an unschooling parent which basically means that I use everything that is around to school my gifted son, Chad. We use the library resources, educational tv, computer programs, the web, magazines like National Geographic, field trips, etc. including some curriculums when warranted." From: Chris O'Connor chrisoco@aol.com My question is this: How do I do away with the workbooks and begin unschooling without my son thinking we are not "schooling" any more. He would rather build with Legos and play chess and I have a very hard time figuring out what else he wants to learn. Lisa, Building with Legos and playing chess *IS* learning. That's probably the first lesson in unschooling. Playing is how children learn. They handle things, see how they work, take them apart and put them back together... and then do it again so it gets set in their mind. Legos are very mathmatical, spacial, and logical. They teach sequence, symmetry, sorting, following directions... exactly what an 8 yo should be learning! Ask him to tell you about what he is building, draw what he built or design something. They can be used as great math manipulatives for counting by 2's, as well as all the major fuctions - addition through division. Funny thing is, that when children have played with Legos for years, they are already thinking about these sorts of things, they just don't know it is called "division" or whatever. It seems to exercise their minds even without knowing it.. Chess is phenomenal for extended critical thinking, planning, logic, and has been shown as a key to successful organizational skills as well as excelling in higher mathmatics such as Algebra. Unschooling can really be a leap, I know. Its about trusting that children are learning without teaching. You say that you are worried that your son will think that you are no longer "doing school". To unschool, is to do exactly that, to no longer school. It accepts that children learn by doing, by mimicking what they see around them, by creating a great environment and then allowing them to *be* in it. To play cards and dig in the dirt and cook, a cuddle and chase butterflies and know taht it is all being taken in. A dear friend, Paul Mech, shared how upset she was to find her daughhter sitting in the freshly tilled garden letting dirt fall through her fingers after the mom told her to find something constructive to do. She marched out to confront her lazy daughter only to be told how marvelous the soil is.. see all these different types of dirt.. all these critters.. how alive it is.... like a mini world. She left her daughter be. That's unschooling. We don't do school in our house. School implies a set time and set learning. My children learn all the time. Life and learning are interchangable.. like breathing. They ask questions, I answer them. They play, I play, I read, they read, I write, they write. I take them places and do whatever I expect them to do. I am who they learn from what it is to be a successful adult. If I want them to read, I have to. If I want them to do math workbooks, I need to do that. I find giving them blank check registers and actually savings accounts do far better. We don't learn from play money, we give them real money to count and sort and treasure. We do real things. They are like sponges, not blank slates. They pick up everything around them. Fill their surroundings with positive examples and they will be productive, not in producing pages of mathmatical calculations, but in true understanding of what math is all about and how it affects their lives. Fill their lives with a passion for living and they will write pages of poems because they are moved to do so, not because it is assigned. They will fill diary pages and write letters to senators on isues they care about. As an aside, none of my own children have ever been schooled, in government schools or at home. My oldest is a passionate 13 yo and I have 3 others ages 8, 9, and 10. Under the age of 12, I do not expect my children to produce written work or devote extended study to a project. By my daughter has wonderfully risen to the occassion as she has crossed that line. She has picked up Algebra with ease. She has been awarded for her writing ability. She volunteers at a local science center and receives accolades from her director for her abilities. She spent the first 12 years of her llife exploring and now she's ready to jump in. Our studies are more formal now, but still based on her interests. My 10 and 9 yo have both picked up some basic understanding of Algebra in the process as well. They may well already know it by the time I introduce it formally. Another dear friend produced this list of items needed to unschool: 10 Get a life, borrow one if need be ;-) 9 A planet, though not strictly necessary, it gives you a place to stand. 8 Travel, step beyond your immediate bounds 7 A library, and a functional library card 6 Kids, they're a real help 5 Friends, there are too many thing not share 4 An open mind, though I don't reccomend cutting holes in your skull. 3 The daring to risk being wrong and ... 2 The honesty to admit it in front of your children 1 Curiosity, in great measure I strongly recommend Mary Griffth's book, The Unschooling Handbook and anything by John Holt or Linda Dobson is a well known columnist for Home Education Magazine and author of The Art of Education and The Homeschooling Book of Answers. I wish you well on your journey. Don't bite it off in huge chunks, just take what you are comfortable with today and go with that. |
Unschooling
Support Center Homeschool FAQ  "What is
unschooling?"Unschooling Bookstore The Unschooling
Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom |
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