Willing to move AND where is the best community for unschoolers/life learners
Diane Targovnik
So I am thinking about leaving my literal and figurative desert and finding
a community. I am looking for a place with lots of unschoolers who actually
get together and do something! I want a village. I want a group of kids for
my own children to grow up with who share the same value that life is a
learning experience. My kids are four and one. So where is this???? Any
ideas, suggestions?
thanks
diane
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a community. I am looking for a place with lots of unschoolers who actually
get together and do something! I want a village. I want a group of kids for
my own children to grow up with who share the same value that life is a
learning experience. My kids are four and one. So where is this???? Any
ideas, suggestions?
thanks
diane
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sara Evans
I'll be interested in seeing the answers myself! We are in north metro
Detroit and I'm very happy with our homeschooling/unschooling community, and
would really hate to leave. But if I ever had to it would be nice to know
the top unschooling places to live :)
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Detroit and I'm very happy with our homeschooling/unschooling community, and
would really hate to leave. But if I ever had to it would be nice to know
the top unschooling places to live :)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
plaidpanties666
Diane Targovnik <dianetargovnik@...> wrote:
---Meredith
> I want a village. I want a group of kids forI'm sure folks will be throwing out ideas, but there's no panacea. Unschooling doesn't guarantee your kids will get along or that you'll get along with the other parents. I know of some wonderful experiences but also some very sad cases of unschooling families feeling excluded and ostracized by other unschoolers.
> my own children to grow up with who share the same value that life is a
> learning experience.
---Meredith
JJ
I think finding compatible communities is not about geography. "Where" to find people with shared values is more like wanting to know where to meet possible life partners and figuring out your answer is "not in bars" or "at church" etc. rather than a certain location on the map.
And to me a real joy of unschooling was escaping the age groupings of school, so I hope you'll consciously stop thinking of finding them an age-specific community. In my experience little kids mostly spend time with the other little kids their moms find community with, and what they "do" together is all so little-kid centered (which I found annoying and limiting) and less interesting than my own little kids were doing non-age-restricted, interest-based stuff with us. :)
And realistically, finding any group of little kids who will remain close friends while they each learn and grow and change and discover their own way in the world, could happen but is unlikely. And cannot be mapped or charted. :)
My unschooled kids found their closest community in musical theatre, singing and dancing stories. So it turned out their shared community was mainly adults and mentors, not other kids, and they are the most lifelong-learning oriented folks we could have handpicked by scouring the earth. So my children now 21 and almost 16 have indeed grown up with these (still learning but already grown) people. :)
But since you are relocating geographically as well, you might lean a little toward "college towns" because for their size, they do tend to offer a wide range of community learning opportunities and potential groups sharing different passions and learning together. I've written about living and learning in (two different southern) college towns and the discussion following brings up a few others:
http://cockingasnook.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/living-in-a-college-town/
http://cockingasnook.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/jjs-beloved-gator-nation-makes-nyt-for-education-culture-history/
http://cockingasnook.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/next-chapter-in-which-favorite-daughter-received-her-own-first-passport/
"I'd say it's not holiday OR work, though I hadn't thought about it until you asked. It's more like the way she's always learned, as an unschooler she meets people and gets involved in what appeals to her, like reading and writing, dancing and musical theatre. Then those people in those worlds connect to other people and overlapping interests, and she goes (how did the Narnia Chronicles put it?) 'higher up and deeper in!'
So I guess you could say it's a Power of Story trip? The Europe Adventure seems to have germinated in dance (Ireland) and been watered well by song and poetry and literature. The fertilizer then, seems to have been various college honors courses in religion and the humanities. She just got around to formal foreign language study (French) and if it hadn't been for her fluent friend and meeting her family, I'm not sure she ever would have seen that as something worth her time and effort.
The agenda they're planning (all by themselves) is very personal and offbeat, and the different arrangements they're considering and what criteria they're using to choose, are just fascinating to hear about."
And to me a real joy of unschooling was escaping the age groupings of school, so I hope you'll consciously stop thinking of finding them an age-specific community. In my experience little kids mostly spend time with the other little kids their moms find community with, and what they "do" together is all so little-kid centered (which I found annoying and limiting) and less interesting than my own little kids were doing non-age-restricted, interest-based stuff with us. :)
And realistically, finding any group of little kids who will remain close friends while they each learn and grow and change and discover their own way in the world, could happen but is unlikely. And cannot be mapped or charted. :)
My unschooled kids found their closest community in musical theatre, singing and dancing stories. So it turned out their shared community was mainly adults and mentors, not other kids, and they are the most lifelong-learning oriented folks we could have handpicked by scouring the earth. So my children now 21 and almost 16 have indeed grown up with these (still learning but already grown) people. :)
But since you are relocating geographically as well, you might lean a little toward "college towns" because for their size, they do tend to offer a wide range of community learning opportunities and potential groups sharing different passions and learning together. I've written about living and learning in (two different southern) college towns and the discussion following brings up a few others:
http://cockingasnook.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/living-in-a-college-town/
http://cockingasnook.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/jjs-beloved-gator-nation-makes-nyt-for-education-culture-history/
http://cockingasnook.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/next-chapter-in-which-favorite-daughter-received-her-own-first-passport/
"I'd say it's not holiday OR work, though I hadn't thought about it until you asked. It's more like the way she's always learned, as an unschooler she meets people and gets involved in what appeals to her, like reading and writing, dancing and musical theatre. Then those people in those worlds connect to other people and overlapping interests, and she goes (how did the Narnia Chronicles put it?) 'higher up and deeper in!'
So I guess you could say it's a Power of Story trip? The Europe Adventure seems to have germinated in dance (Ireland) and been watered well by song and poetry and literature. The fertilizer then, seems to have been various college honors courses in religion and the humanities. She just got around to formal foreign language study (French) and if it hadn't been for her fluent friend and meeting her family, I'm not sure she ever would have seen that as something worth her time and effort.
The agenda they're planning (all by themselves) is very personal and offbeat, and the different arrangements they're considering and what criteria they're using to choose, are just fascinating to hear about."
> I want a group of kids for
> my own children to grow up with who share the same value that life is a learning experience. My kids are four and one. So where is this???? Any ideas, suggestions?
plaidpanties666
"JJ" <jrossedd@...> wrote:
That's a really good point - "college towns" or sections of cities with a strong collegiate presence provides a lot of cultural stuff at lower prices. College art galleries, for instance, are often free. Musical events may be free or cheap by commercial standards. Colleges also create more possibilities for multicultural opportunities. A college with a strong emphasis on sciences may have a planetarium, a small natural history museum, and/or good extension programs.
---Meredith
>> But since you are relocating geographically as well, you might lean a little toward "college towns" because for their size, they do tend to offer a wide range of community learning opportunities*************
That's a really good point - "college towns" or sections of cities with a strong collegiate presence provides a lot of cultural stuff at lower prices. College art galleries, for instance, are often free. Musical events may be free or cheap by commercial standards. Colleges also create more possibilities for multicultural opportunities. A college with a strong emphasis on sciences may have a planetarium, a small natural history museum, and/or good extension programs.
---Meredith
plaidpanties666
It occured to me that one way to look at/for communities is to see where the unschooling events and conferences are being held - they tend to be in areas with higher populations of unschoolers. Then again "higher population" often means several families within a couple days' drive! But its a place to start.
Corvalis is supposedly a new unschooling hotspot - several families in the area - and I've just met two families in the New Orleans area. Two families is significant in unschooling terms! There are at least three in the Chicago area, and I've met at two from Indiana - but neither recommend Indiana to other unschoolers.
A good place to look for a calander of unschooling events is the Radical Unschoolers Network:
http://familyrun.ning.com/
---Meredith
Corvalis is supposedly a new unschooling hotspot - several families in the area - and I've just met two families in the New Orleans area. Two families is significant in unschooling terms! There are at least three in the Chicago area, and I've met at two from Indiana - but neither recommend Indiana to other unschoolers.
A good place to look for a calander of unschooling events is the Radical Unschoolers Network:
http://familyrun.ning.com/
---Meredith
Heather Stafford
Denver, Boulder, Longmont & Fort Collins (Colorado) also seems to be a real
hotspot. We live in Fort Collins and I personally know of 4 other unschooling
families (not including my family) who live in Fort Collins (and I'm sure there
are other families I haven't met yet). There is a very active unschooling group
that is centered in the Boulder area who meet every week for a park day, either
in Boulder or Longmont (very occasionally in Denver or Fort Collins), so I would
actually say that the Boulder/Longmont/Lyons area is the true hotspot (as in
LOTS of families). Check out the Blue Skies yahoo group to learn more about
this group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BLUE_SKIES2/)
Ironically, we are thinking of moving away from this area and are also wondering
where other unschooling hotspots might be... there must be other places. Maybe
I just never realized how good we actually have it here!
Anyway, good luck! -Heather
________________________________
From: plaidpanties666 <plaidpanties666@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Mon, May 2, 2011 4:41:43 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: Willing to move AND where is the best community
for unschoolers/life learners
It occured to me that one way to look at/for communities is to see where the
unschooling events and conferences are being held - they tend to be in areas
with higher populations of unschoolers. Then again "higher population" often
means several families within a couple days' drive! But its a place to start.
Corvalis is supposedly a new unschooling hotspot - several families in the area
- and I've just met two families in the New Orleans area. Two families is
significant in unschooling terms! There are at least three in the Chicago area,
and I've met at two from Indiana - but neither recommend Indiana to other
unschoolers.
A good place to look for a calander of unschooling events is the Radical
Unschoolers Network:
http://familyrun.ning.com/
---Meredith
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
hotspot. We live in Fort Collins and I personally know of 4 other unschooling
families (not including my family) who live in Fort Collins (and I'm sure there
are other families I haven't met yet). There is a very active unschooling group
that is centered in the Boulder area who meet every week for a park day, either
in Boulder or Longmont (very occasionally in Denver or Fort Collins), so I would
actually say that the Boulder/Longmont/Lyons area is the true hotspot (as in
LOTS of families). Check out the Blue Skies yahoo group to learn more about
this group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BLUE_SKIES2/)
Ironically, we are thinking of moving away from this area and are also wondering
where other unschooling hotspots might be... there must be other places. Maybe
I just never realized how good we actually have it here!
Anyway, good luck! -Heather
________________________________
From: plaidpanties666 <plaidpanties666@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Mon, May 2, 2011 4:41:43 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: Willing to move AND where is the best community
for unschoolers/life learners
It occured to me that one way to look at/for communities is to see where the
unschooling events and conferences are being held - they tend to be in areas
with higher populations of unschoolers. Then again "higher population" often
means several families within a couple days' drive! But its a place to start.
Corvalis is supposedly a new unschooling hotspot - several families in the area
- and I've just met two families in the New Orleans area. Two families is
significant in unschooling terms! There are at least three in the Chicago area,
and I've met at two from Indiana - but neither recommend Indiana to other
unschoolers.
A good place to look for a calander of unschooling events is the Radical
Unschoolers Network:
http://familyrun.ning.com/
---Meredith
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lylaw
we’ve got over 300 people on our local unschooling list in portland, oregon!
lyla
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lyla
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Heather
We have a great unschool group here in Tucson AZ.
There are 28 families on our list. I think there are a lot more families in
the Phoenix area, but I think our group is a lot more active.
We have park days, field trips, campouts, Mom's Night out, Dad's game night,
etc etc.
My kids are 12 & 15 & they are on the high end age-wise. Most are families
with younger kids.
http://www.soaringunschoolers.com/
heather
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There are 28 families on our list. I think there are a lot more families in
the Phoenix area, but I think our group is a lot more active.
We have park days, field trips, campouts, Mom's Night out, Dad's game night,
etc etc.
My kids are 12 & 15 & they are on the high end age-wise. Most are families
with younger kids.
http://www.soaringunschoolers.com/
heather
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melissa maranda
we have several unschoolers here in Eastern Iowa (Davenport and Iowa City--a college town) but I wish we were more cohesive. I'd sure love to be in Tuscon. Someday.
~Melissa
Melissa Maranda, MA
Marriage & Family Therapist
Substance Abuse Specialist
Basic NLP Certified
Unschooling Mama
To: [email protected]
From: heather@...
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 18:06:08 -0700
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] Re: Willing to move AND where is the best community for unschoolers/life learners
We have a great unschool group here in Tucson AZ.
There are 28 families on our list. I think there are a lot more families in
the Phoenix area, but I think our group is a lot more active.
We have park days, field trips, campouts, Mom's Night out, Dad's game night,
etc etc.
My kids are 12 & 15 & they are on the high end age-wise. Most are families
with younger kids.
http://www.soaringunschoolers.com/
heather
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
~Melissa
Melissa Maranda, MA
Marriage & Family Therapist
Substance Abuse Specialist
Basic NLP Certified
Unschooling Mama
To: [email protected]
From: heather@...
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 18:06:08 -0700
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] Re: Willing to move AND where is the best community for unschoolers/life learners
We have a great unschool group here in Tucson AZ.
There are 28 families on our list. I think there are a lot more families in
the Phoenix area, but I think our group is a lot more active.
We have park days, field trips, campouts, Mom's Night out, Dad's game night,
etc etc.
My kids are 12 & 15 & they are on the high end age-wise. Most are families
with younger kids.
http://www.soaringunschoolers.com/
heather
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
kathy lehnerz
Heather,
Hi! Are there older kids in the Blue Skies group? My daughter is 13. We live in
SE Denver, and somehow I never heard of this group!
Thanks!
Kathryn
Hi! Are there older kids in the Blue Skies group? My daughter is 13. We live in
SE Denver, and somehow I never heard of this group!
Thanks!
Kathryn
NCMama
~~Corvalis is supposedly a new unschooling hotspot - several families in the area - and I've just met two families in the New Orleans area. Two families is significant in unschooling terms! There are at least three in the Chicago area, and I've met at two from Indiana - but neither recommend Indiana to other unschoolers.~~
Several friends who live in Corvallis call it the "Golden Vortex" because it has pulled so many unschooling families in! And other friends are calling Johnson City, TN the "Eastern vortex" because quite a few families live there, and more are planning to move to that area.
Western NC has a big bunch of unschooling families, especially around Hickory, and some more in Asheville, and here in Charlotte, NC, there's a nice group of folks - not all radical unschoolers, but all accepting & supportive.
Caren
Several friends who live in Corvallis call it the "Golden Vortex" because it has pulled so many unschooling families in! And other friends are calling Johnson City, TN the "Eastern vortex" because quite a few families live there, and more are planning to move to that area.
Western NC has a big bunch of unschooling families, especially around Hickory, and some more in Asheville, and here in Charlotte, NC, there's a nice group of folks - not all radical unschoolers, but all accepting & supportive.
Caren