jamihelm

I am not really an unschooler, but I am not a text book /work book
style either. I do basically let my children pick what they want to
learn about, but of coarse math needs to be done. We don't always do
it. I find that we are all very bored with workbooks and if they help
me figure how much we have to spend at the store or helping with our
home business, they learn much more practical things. Well my oldest
is 13yrs and I would like to get some opinions on schooling at this
level. I want her to be intelligent and there is a lot out there to
do BUT, I don't want to stuff her with unimportant junk. What are
some others doing about kids this age. Also what about high school
and college? What do you do for record keeping and such things?
--Jami

Alyce

--- In [email protected], "jamihelm"
<helmonthehill@i...> wrote:
Well my oldest
> is 13yrs and I would like to get some opinions on schooling at
this
> level. I want her to be intelligent and there is a lot out there
to
> do BUT, I don't want to stuff her with unimportant junk. What are
> some others doing about kids this age. Also what about high school
> and college?

Hi! My oldest still of "schooling age" is 14. Here's what she's
been up to. She takes jazz dance and fashion illustration through
the "kids college" at the community college here. That has led her
to - wanting to take a choreography class available this summer AND
she discovered a fascination with wedding dresses in the fashion
class which has further led her to an interest in wedding planning.
SO... she's taken it upon herself to find out about small business
management since wedding planners are independent contractors - has
studied accounting and management and budgeting on her own via books
and the internet (there are free accounting classes online if you
search). She also wants to enter the "bridge" program at the
college - allows high school age kids to take college classes. She
wants to sign up for small biz mgmt (plenty of math!) and psychology
or sociology (or both) since wedding planning requires you work well
with people... etc.

so I guess after all that what I'm saying is this - do let your
daughter follow her interests and you'll both be surprised where it
lands her! And give it some time. My daughter spent nearly a year
doing little besides dancing and reading and writing stories - which
was all great with me. It's fascinating how it evolves when you
just let it happen.

Alyce

[email protected]

Hi Jami!
  How about letting your daughter keep the books at your business?  This of course with supervision!  Along with letting her keep the check book register, maybe even writing the checks for bills, you can't get more real life experience then that, especially out of a book. Does she like to cook?  The fractions come into play with measuring the ingredients.  Also reading, following directions.  And of course, this is all if SHE wants to do it.
Just some ideas I've read about.
Syndi

Jon and Rue Kream

>>but of coarse math needs to be done
 
**Hi Jami - We've never 'done math', so I question that "of course" :0). I think you make a good point about kids (and people in general) learning more by actually using numbers than by doing workbooks.  Workbooks have no connection to real life.
 
>>Well my oldest
is 13yrs and I would like to get some opinions on schooling at this
level.
 
**My kids are 11 and 7, but we plan on continuing as we are now - doing what interests us, having fun, and enjoying learning as a by-product of living full lives.
 
>>I want her to be intelligent
 
**I don't think there's much we can do one way or the other to make our kids less or more intelligent. 
 
>>I don't want to stuff her with unimportant junk
 
**I think by letting go of trying to stuff our kids with anything we give them the opportunity to seek out what is important to them.  
 
>>Also what about high school
and college? What do you do for record keeping and such things?
 
**My kids won't be going to high school (unless they decide to for some reason).  If one of them wants to go to college we'll do whatever we can to help her.  She'll approach colleges as an unschooler, so she won't have a transcript or a diploma, but there are creative ways around that.   Lots of colleges seem to be interested in accepting homeschoolers these days.   
 
Welcome to the list :0).  ~Rue
 

jamihelm

First you all here are so nice!! I guess I feel the need to prove
that we have "done school". My husband and his father are very
concerned about if the kids are learning. My mom thinks I should put
my kids in PS and be a teachers helper. "thanks mom" But I do have to
tell you all a really neat thing. My oldest daughter wanted to
rent "The Sound of Music" we did and I found a lesson guide for it
online. Well last night I gave them the background info on the movie
and we watched it, even our energetic 4yr old watched it. Well all
day today our 13yr and 11 yr girls have been playing playstation,
they are trying to figure out how to upgrade their race cars and what
they really need. They have been singing songs from that movie ALL
day at the top of their lungs!! I am watching it again in the other
room with our 4yr old and all of this music is a bit much. But I am
so glad that they enjoy it so much.
Also I have given our girls a job. On day that I work they can help
me and I will pay them $5 per hour. They both think this is great and
we are putting together a log for them to keep record of their hours.
I only use them maybe 1-2 hours so it is cheap help for me and I
really need their help.
Today I have decided to many people need new clothes in our house
and i have asked the girls to help me figure out exactally what
everyone needs and in what order things need bought. They think this
is great because it has to do with clothes. Of coarse they are both
on the top of the list.
I guess I woory mostly about our oldest because I am kind of
learning as I go with her. She is really a wonderful person.
Thank you for being supportive people, sometime I just need to hear
that others believe children learn from the world and not what paper
work they can get done.:)

-Jami


--- In [email protected], "Jon and Rue Kream"
<skreams@c...> wrote:
> >>but of coarse math needs to be done
>
> **Hi Jami - We've never 'done math', so I question that "of
course" :0). I
> think you make a good point about kids (and people in general)
learning more
> by actually using numbers than by doing workbooks. Workbooks have
no
> connection to real life.
>
> >>Well my oldest
> is 13yrs and I would like to get some opinions on schooling at this
> level.
>
> **My kids are 11 and 7, but we plan on continuing as we are now -
doing what
> interests us, having fun, and enjoying learning as a by-product of
living
> full lives.
>
> >>I want her to be intelligent
>
> **I don't think there's much we can do one way or the other to make
our kids
> less or more intelligent.
>
> >>I don't want to stuff her with unimportant junk
>
> **I think by letting go of trying to stuff our kids with anything
we give
> them the opportunity to seek out what is important to them.
>
> >>Also what about high school
> and college? What do you do for record keeping and such things?
>
> **My kids won't be going to high school (unless they decide to for
some
> reason). If one of them wants to go to college we'll do whatever
we can to
> help her. She'll approach colleges as an unschooler, so she won't
have a
> transcript or a diploma, but there are creative ways around that.
Lots of
> colleges seem to be interested in accepting homeschoolers these
days.
>
> Welcome to the list :0). ~Rue

Jon and Rue Kream

That all sounds great, Jami.  I hope you guys will have fun working together.   Maybe you can tell your husband lots of stories (maybe send him emails?) about what you all are up to when he's not with you to help him see the learning in places he might not think to look for it.
 
I've got "the hills are alive..." running through my head now :0).  ~Rue

[email protected]

In a message dated 5/29/2004 11:26:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time, helmonthehill@... writes:
I am not really an unschooler, but I am not a text book /work book
style either.<<<<<
 
Are you looking to *become* an unschooler? We can help! <g>
 
 
>>>> I do basically let my children pick what they want to
learn about, but of coarse math needs to be done.<<<<
 
 
Boy, do we hate to hear *that*! <g> What? Math worksheets? Texts? Math is all around you. I bet there's not one day that goes by that some form of math is used by each and every family member! So *of COURSE* it gets done! <BWG>
 
>>>>Well my oldest
is 13yrs and I would like to get some opinions on schooling at this
level. <<<<<
 
 
Not really the place for "schooling" answers! But we can give you UNschooling opinions!
 
 
>>>>>I want her to be intelligent and there is a lot out there to
do BUT, I don't want to stuff her with unimportant junk.<<<<<
 
 
Well, I think she probably already IS intelligent! And I think she can stuff herself with what makes her happy. Some of it might be unimportant to you, but if allowed to discover what fascinates HER, she'll find that it'll all be important to HER.
 
 
z>>>>> What are
some others doing about kids this age. Also what about high school
and college? What do you do for record keeping and such things?<<<<<
 
I have a 16 year old son. He has a part-time paying job in a deli and volunteer job at the independent film theatre in town. He plays drums with a jazz/blues band on Thursday nights at a micro-brewery. His first film is making its debut at Spoleto (a BIG arts festival in Charleston,  SC) this Friday and Saturday. He has a girlfriend. He's into film and all kinds of music (he'll be at Boneroo next weekend with his dad). He's fascinated with the 60's and 70's.
 
I doubt he'll go to college. At least not right now. For that kind of money----$100-200,000.00--- I could send him to Europe for a year (or three!), set him up in his own business, or buy the top-of-the-line camera! <g>
 
I keep records of everything he does. It's all practical stuff. We just record what he does each day. We keep copies of his films; we record his music. I have lists of books and movies he reads and watches. Easy.  And it's ALL *real* learning----for *real* purposes.
 
~Kelly