So what do you DO if you’re not working your way through a curriculum? I’m so glad you asked! Here are my suggestions…
Tag: Unschooling
My Top 10 Advantages (and some Criticisms) About Unschooling
Deb Lewis shares a few advantages she noticed unschooling her son over the years. She provides some insight into some of the criticisms that occasionally surface about unschooling too. There are advantages, profound and beautiful, silly and fun, to letting your child skip school, every day, for thirteen years. As you’ll see, some of Read More
When Socializing Looks Unsocial
Michelle Conaway shows us how technology may be changing how we view socialization. Parents may not be aware of all the skills kids are learning while they’re playing games and interacting with friends online. It is hard to believe, but one of the most asked questions of homeschoolers is still about socialization. How will they learn Read More
An Unschooling Path to College
In thinking about writing this article and pondering an appropriate title, I kept coming back to a song that was written for an Off Broadway show a few years back. The song is called “Die Vampire Die” and it’s about all the people (the vampires) who try to suck the life out of your creative Read More
Deschooling – A Key to Successful Unschooling
Deschooling is a word that’s often tossed about in homeschooling/unschooling circles. But before long, it’s relegated to the back burner when worries about curriculum choices, ACT/SAT tests, or “gaps” appear in the kids’ learning. When people first leave the school system, I think one of the hardest things to do is relax into this new Read More
10 Practical Solutions for Busy Deschooling Moms
The learning curve can be steep as we try to embrace so many new concepts about learning and parenting. But fear not! We have 10 PRACTICAL solutions that can really help your days go more smoothly. And remember, everyone doesn’t always do this perfectly! We have our “off days.” But you dust yourself off, make Read More
Screentime
Roxana Sorooshian, grown unschooler, shares her perspective on the common concern parents have about “screentime.” I read a lot on a Nook, the nook app on my iPhone, and as PDFs or text files on my laptop. Because I’m using a screen to access those books, they get put into the same category as all Read More
Mom! I’m bored!
People write a lot about the benefits of letting kids be bored. And while that may give kids the opportunity to figure things out, I tend to want to help them when they are uncomfortable. My family was an average suburban middle class family. In the beginning, my kids went to school just like everyone else. Read More
Unschooling is NOT Unparenting
Let’s put this concept that Unschooling equals Unparenting to rest once and for all. Ok? People have been saying this for decades. And those same people usually have no first-hand knowledge about unschooling. Or perhaps they’ve witnessed one family having a rough time. Let’s try to remember a few things: Do people parent differently? Of course. Do Read More
The Myth of Structure
Structure is another one of those words that gets misused. People say that kids need structure – and then take it too far. Kids don’t need their whole lives structured. There’s no room for curiosity or following an interest if you do that. They don’t need their learning structured for exactly that same reason. It’s Read More