Mom, is it a school day tomorrow?
alisonslp
I have gotten this question nearly everyday from my dd (6) since I
told them we were taking a good long vacation from schoolwork. That
was on the dec. 8th. I just have been answering "no school day for a
while, sweetie, but everyday is a learning day". Then sometimes I get
the "but how is that if we aren't doing school work?" So we've talked
about learning through everything she does and that if she wants to
read or play a game or do her crafts, to do it. I have even said if
she wants to do a few workbook pages she can to, but she doesn't have
to and shouldn't do it to make me happy, but because she wants to... I
think she's having a hard time with it the "no schedule, no school
time". She likes the workbooks as it gives her something to work on -
to prove she knows "important" stuff (I know, that's the school
brainwashing - even at this young age).
DS (twin) on the other hand hasn't asked a single time. I think he
fears that I will say "yes - school tomorrow" if he asks so he just
avoids all mention to it - even to the point where he shushes dd when
she brings it up"...
I'm thinking I just need to sit them down and simply tell them we
aren't going back to the schoolwork as we used to do it. The past 3
wks have been real eye openers for dh and I in regards to how much
they actually are learning if given the space and time they want (and
assistance when asked). And not just in the schoolish terms but in
managing their own bodies with food and sleep, etc.
alison
told them we were taking a good long vacation from schoolwork. That
was on the dec. 8th. I just have been answering "no school day for a
while, sweetie, but everyday is a learning day". Then sometimes I get
the "but how is that if we aren't doing school work?" So we've talked
about learning through everything she does and that if she wants to
read or play a game or do her crafts, to do it. I have even said if
she wants to do a few workbook pages she can to, but she doesn't have
to and shouldn't do it to make me happy, but because she wants to... I
think she's having a hard time with it the "no schedule, no school
time". She likes the workbooks as it gives her something to work on -
to prove she knows "important" stuff (I know, that's the school
brainwashing - even at this young age).
DS (twin) on the other hand hasn't asked a single time. I think he
fears that I will say "yes - school tomorrow" if he asks so he just
avoids all mention to it - even to the point where he shushes dd when
she brings it up"...
I'm thinking I just need to sit them down and simply tell them we
aren't going back to the schoolwork as we used to do it. The past 3
wks have been real eye openers for dh and I in regards to how much
they actually are learning if given the space and time they want (and
assistance when asked). And not just in the schoolish terms but in
managing their own bodies with food and sleep, etc.
alison
Kelly Weyd
Alison,
My 6 year old daughter went to pre-school and kindy. We put her in 1st grade this year and pulled her and her sister out at the end of Sept. It's amazing what those two years (not even full time) did to my 6 year old. The whole school thing is so engraved in her head. She says stuff to me all the time like "Mom, you aren't teaching us anything" or "Mom, we need to do this, that, or the other thing in order to learn like the neighborhood kids in school". My 8 year old let go of that stuff immediately and was so meant for "Unschooling". I am having a harder time getting my 6 year old to let it go. She even wants to call me Miss Kelly, and take attendance in the morning. The other day she asked me how to do something on the computer, I told her, and she looked at me and said "Mommy, you taught me something". I said to her Yes, Mariah, that is how Unschooling works........it does not have to come from a text book or from a teacher lexturing in front of a classroom.
Kelly
alisonslp <alisonslp@...> wrote:
I have gotten this question nearly everyday from my dd (6) since I
told them we were taking a good long vacation from schoolwork. That
was on the dec. 8th. I just have been answering "no school day for a
while, sweetie, but everyday is a learning day". Then sometimes I get
the "but how is that if we aren't doing school work?" So we've talked
about learning through everything she does and that if she wants to
read or play a game or do her crafts, to do it. I have even said if
she wants to do a few workbook pages she can to, but she doesn't have
to and shouldn't do it to make me happy, but because she wants to... I
think she's having a hard time with it the "no schedule, no school
time". She likes the workbooks as it gives her something to work on -
to prove she knows "important" stuff (I know, that's the school
brainwashing - even at this young age).
DS (twin) on the other hand hasn't asked a single time. I think he
fears that I will say "yes - school tomorrow" if he asks so he just
avoids all mention to it - even to the point where he shushes dd when
she brings it up"...
I'm thinking I just need to sit them down and simply tell them we
aren't going back to the schoolwork as we used to do it. The past 3
wks have been real eye openers for dh and I in regards to how much
they actually are learning if given the space and time they want (and
assistance when asked). And not just in the schoolish terms but in
managing their own bodies with food and sleep, etc.
alison
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My 6 year old daughter went to pre-school and kindy. We put her in 1st grade this year and pulled her and her sister out at the end of Sept. It's amazing what those two years (not even full time) did to my 6 year old. The whole school thing is so engraved in her head. She says stuff to me all the time like "Mom, you aren't teaching us anything" or "Mom, we need to do this, that, or the other thing in order to learn like the neighborhood kids in school". My 8 year old let go of that stuff immediately and was so meant for "Unschooling". I am having a harder time getting my 6 year old to let it go. She even wants to call me Miss Kelly, and take attendance in the morning. The other day she asked me how to do something on the computer, I told her, and she looked at me and said "Mommy, you taught me something". I said to her Yes, Mariah, that is how Unschooling works........it does not have to come from a text book or from a teacher lexturing in front of a classroom.
Kelly
alisonslp <alisonslp@...> wrote:
I have gotten this question nearly everyday from my dd (6) since I
told them we were taking a good long vacation from schoolwork. That
was on the dec. 8th. I just have been answering "no school day for a
while, sweetie, but everyday is a learning day". Then sometimes I get
the "but how is that if we aren't doing school work?" So we've talked
about learning through everything she does and that if she wants to
read or play a game or do her crafts, to do it. I have even said if
she wants to do a few workbook pages she can to, but she doesn't have
to and shouldn't do it to make me happy, but because she wants to... I
think she's having a hard time with it the "no schedule, no school
time". She likes the workbooks as it gives her something to work on -
to prove she knows "important" stuff (I know, that's the school
brainwashing - even at this young age).
DS (twin) on the other hand hasn't asked a single time. I think he
fears that I will say "yes - school tomorrow" if he asks so he just
avoids all mention to it - even to the point where he shushes dd when
she brings it up"...
I'm thinking I just need to sit them down and simply tell them we
aren't going back to the schoolwork as we used to do it. The past 3
wks have been real eye openers for dh and I in regards to how much
they actually are learning if given the space and time they want (and
assistance when asked). And not just in the schoolish terms but in
managing their own bodies with food and sleep, etc.
alison
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Maisha Khalfani
<<She says stuff to me all the time like "Mom, you aren't teaching us anything" or "Mom, we need to do this, that, or the other thing in order to learn like the neighborhood kids in school". >>
*****************************************************************
Kelly, my daughter has been the same way. She and my son went to school for only 5 months last year. It was their first time in school. After that she thought she wasn't learning anything if we weren't doing any "work". I just keep explaining to her that learning happens everyday, all the time....it's called LIFE - and LIFE is learning. She's starting to get it.
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
*****************************************************************
Kelly, my daughter has been the same way. She and my son went to school for only 5 months last year. It was their first time in school. After that she thought she wasn't learning anything if we weren't doing any "work". I just keep explaining to her that learning happens everyday, all the time....it's called LIFE - and LIFE is learning. She's starting to get it.
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ellen
--- In [email protected], "alisonslp" <alisonslp@...>
wrote:
with her, but I think you should keep some worksheets around. I think
the true unschooling experience means giving the kids what they want
when they ask for it. It would not be US to assign them to her, but if
you have the books around and she wants to do it, fine. It could be a
phase of her deschooling or it could be that she likes that kind of work.
I can't be sure since I was schooled, but I think I would have liked
doing that kind of busy work anyway. I remember doing some of those
workbooks at home that were left over from my older brothers and I
thought it was fun. No one asked me to do it or graded it. I realized
it this weekend when I was dong a circle the letter puzzle in the
paper for the first time in many, many years. It's a kind of silly
task but there is something relaxing about having a defined game to
play and satisfying about completing it.
Also, I remember reading elsewhere I think on this list about people
who have these kinds of books around and their kids play with them but
not necessarily by following the directions. There, unschooling is
great because no one is going to tell the child they "are doing it wrong"!
wrote:
>I have even said if
> she wants to do a few workbook pages she can to, but she doesn't haveMy DD is only 2 so I am not saying this from unschooling experience
> to and shouldn't do it to make me happy, but because she wants to... I
> think she's having a hard time with it the "no schedule, no school
> time". She likes the workbooks as it gives her something to work on -
> to prove she knows "important" stuff (I know, that's the school
> brainwashing - even at this young age).
>
> alison
>
with her, but I think you should keep some worksheets around. I think
the true unschooling experience means giving the kids what they want
when they ask for it. It would not be US to assign them to her, but if
you have the books around and she wants to do it, fine. It could be a
phase of her deschooling or it could be that she likes that kind of work.
I can't be sure since I was schooled, but I think I would have liked
doing that kind of busy work anyway. I remember doing some of those
workbooks at home that were left over from my older brothers and I
thought it was fun. No one asked me to do it or graded it. I realized
it this weekend when I was dong a circle the letter puzzle in the
paper for the first time in many, many years. It's a kind of silly
task but there is something relaxing about having a defined game to
play and satisfying about completing it.
Also, I remember reading elsewhere I think on this list about people
who have these kinds of books around and their kids play with them but
not necessarily by following the directions. There, unschooling is
great because no one is going to tell the child they "are doing it wrong"!
Ariannah Armstrong
Hi, My name is Ariannah, and I live in Nova Scotia. I'm married and
stay at home with 4 of our children ages 5-16. I saw the Dr. Phil
episode on unschooling last month (the only Dr. Phil show I've ever seen
in my life), with Dayna and Joe Martin on it. I was so inspired by it
that I sought out some groups to join about unschooling.
I posted a kind of an "intro" hidden in another post, but due to the
timing and the holiday season and such, I don't think anybody saw it, so
I am posting it here, killing two birds with one stone, by responding to
something that I found interesting here...
have, and we've been unschooling now for 4 years. Some of the schoolish
stuff spilled into the 3rd child (DD8) and she requested schoolish
stuff, so I just bought the worksheet books and busy work, and she at
first wanted to do it a lot, and now it holds just as much interest as
many of her other things... she doesn't see it as necessary but rather
it's interesting. Her friends go to school so for her it keeps up
appearances, satisfying her need to just do her own thing, while having
"school stuff" in the house, even if she's not actively working on it :)
I saw an interesting magazine with Air and Space travel in it and
thought it was fascinating, and remembered that my son likes it, and
bought it for him (12, former school student) as a "stocking stuffer"
for Christmas. He said, "Thank you for that magazine, it's very
educational" (with a slight eyeroll. Aaaaack! I hadn't even thought of
it in those terms.
I said, "Honey, you don't have to read it, it's not 'schoolwork', I just
got it because it looked interesting. They don't use this magazine in
school." 4 years later and he's still sensitive to anything that looks
like it "contains information" ... I've come to understand that for him,
"educational" is a polite way of him saying, "I don't want to do this."
But understandably, he got a Nintendo DS for Christmas and that's the
highlight of the season for him :)
De-schooling myself has been a big epiphany for me.
Ariannah in Nova Scotia
--
Ariannah Armstrong
http://ec.lecti.ca/
"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."
Proverbs 31:13
stay at home with 4 of our children ages 5-16. I saw the Dr. Phil
episode on unschooling last month (the only Dr. Phil show I've ever seen
in my life), with Dayna and Joe Martin on it. I was so inspired by it
that I sought out some groups to join about unschooling.
I posted a kind of an "intro" hidden in another post, but due to the
timing and the holiday season and such, I don't think anybody saw it, so
I am posting it here, killing two birds with one stone, by responding to
something that I found interesting here...
> My DD is only 2 so I am not saying this from unschooling experienceOur older 2 (DD16, DS12) have been in school, younger 2 (DD8, DD5) never
> with her, but I think you should keep some worksheets around. I think
> the true unschooling experience means giving the kids what they want
> when they ask for it. It would not be US to assign them to her, but if
> you have the books around and she wants to do it, fine. It could be a
> phase of her deschooling or it could be that she likes that kind of work.
have, and we've been unschooling now for 4 years. Some of the schoolish
stuff spilled into the 3rd child (DD8) and she requested schoolish
stuff, so I just bought the worksheet books and busy work, and she at
first wanted to do it a lot, and now it holds just as much interest as
many of her other things... she doesn't see it as necessary but rather
it's interesting. Her friends go to school so for her it keeps up
appearances, satisfying her need to just do her own thing, while having
"school stuff" in the house, even if she's not actively working on it :)
I saw an interesting magazine with Air and Space travel in it and
thought it was fascinating, and remembered that my son likes it, and
bought it for him (12, former school student) as a "stocking stuffer"
for Christmas. He said, "Thank you for that magazine, it's very
educational" (with a slight eyeroll. Aaaaack! I hadn't even thought of
it in those terms.
I said, "Honey, you don't have to read it, it's not 'schoolwork', I just
got it because it looked interesting. They don't use this magazine in
school." 4 years later and he's still sensitive to anything that looks
like it "contains information" ... I've come to understand that for him,
"educational" is a polite way of him saying, "I don't want to do this."
But understandably, he got a Nintendo DS for Christmas and that's the
highlight of the season for him :)
De-schooling myself has been a big epiphany for me.
Ariannah in Nova Scotia
--
Ariannah Armstrong
http://ec.lecti.ca/
"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."
Proverbs 31:13
Joanne
I went through that with my youngest daughter (not the older two-
just her) when I took her out of school in the first grade. It took
a bit of time for her to get used to not being told what to learn
and when to learn it. What I did was help her come up with her OWN
schedule. I asked her what SHE would learn if she was her own
teacher. She said she would like to learn a lot about space, birds,
Albert Einstein and the weather. She made her own schedule (I don't
remember it exactly but she wanted "birds" during the day
and "space" was at night). It lasted about a month but I think it
helped her transition from school to unschooling. It's two years
later and she still loves learning about space, birds, Albert & the
weather, just not on a schedule. :-)
~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (8), Shawna (11) & Cimion (14)
Adopted into our hearts October 2003
************************************
Unschooling Voices ~ Add Your Voice
www.foreverparents.com/UnschoolingVoices.html
--- In [email protected], "alisonslp"
<alisonslp@...> wrote:
just her) when I took her out of school in the first grade. It took
a bit of time for her to get used to not being told what to learn
and when to learn it. What I did was help her come up with her OWN
schedule. I asked her what SHE would learn if she was her own
teacher. She said she would like to learn a lot about space, birds,
Albert Einstein and the weather. She made her own schedule (I don't
remember it exactly but she wanted "birds" during the day
and "space" was at night). It lasted about a month but I think it
helped her transition from school to unschooling. It's two years
later and she still loves learning about space, birds, Albert & the
weather, just not on a schedule. :-)
~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (8), Shawna (11) & Cimion (14)
Adopted into our hearts October 2003
************************************
Unschooling Voices ~ Add Your Voice
www.foreverparents.com/UnschoolingVoices.html
--- In [email protected], "alisonslp"
<alisonslp@...> wrote:
>a
> I have gotten this question nearly everyday from my dd (6) since I
> told them we were taking a good long vacation from schoolwork. That
> was on the dec. 8th. I just have been answering "no school day for
> while, sweetie, but everyday is a learning day". Then sometimes Iget
> the "but how is that if we aren't doing school work?" So we'vetalked
> about learning through everything she does and that if she wants tohave
> read or play a game or do her crafts, to do it. I have even said if
> she wants to do a few workbook pages she can to, but she doesn't
> to and shouldn't do it to make me happy, but because she wantsto... I
> think she's having a hard time with it the "no schedule, no schoolon -
> time". She likes the workbooks as it gives her something to work
> to prove she knows "important" stuff (I know, that's the schoolwhen
> brainwashing - even at this young age).
>
> DS (twin) on the other hand hasn't asked a single time. I think he
> fears that I will say "yes - school tomorrow" if he asks so he just
> avoids all mention to it - even to the point where he shushes dd
> she brings it up"...(and
>
> I'm thinking I just need to sit them down and simply tell them we
> aren't going back to the schoolwork as we used to do it. The past 3
> wks have been real eye openers for dh and I in regards to how much
> they actually are learning if given the space and time they want
> assistance when asked). And not just in the schoolish terms but in
> managing their own bodies with food and sleep, etc.
>
> alison
>
Kelly Weyd
I'm hoping that my 6 year old will eventually get it!
Kelly
Maisha Khalfani <maitai373@...> wrote:
<<She says stuff to me all the time like "Mom, you aren't teaching us anything" or "Mom, we need to do this, that, or the other thing in order to learn like the neighborhood kids in school". >>
*****************************************************************
Kelly, my daughter has been the same way. She and my son went to school for only 5 months last year. It was their first time in school. After that she thought she wasn't learning anything if we weren't doing any "work". I just keep explaining to her that learning happens everyday, all the time....it's called LIFE - and LIFE is learning. She's starting to get it.
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kelly
Maisha Khalfani <maitai373@...> wrote:
<<She says stuff to me all the time like "Mom, you aren't teaching us anything" or "Mom, we need to do this, that, or the other thing in order to learn like the neighborhood kids in school". >>
*****************************************************************
Kelly, my daughter has been the same way. She and my son went to school for only 5 months last year. It was their first time in school. After that she thought she wasn't learning anything if we weren't doing any "work". I just keep explaining to her that learning happens everyday, all the time....it's called LIFE - and LIFE is learning. She's starting to get it.
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Julie Peters
Has anyone thought of: "LIFE = Learning In Fun and Exploration --
and/or -- Learning In Freedom and Experience" as explainations to the
never ending questions of what do unschoolers do all day?
Julie Peters
and/or -- Learning In Freedom and Experience" as explainations to the
never ending questions of what do unschoolers do all day?
Julie Peters
Ariannah Armstrong
Julie Peters wrote:
Ariannah in Nova Scotia
> Has anyone thought of: "LIFE = Learning In Fun and Exploration --Those are excellent acronym expansions!
> and/or -- Learning In Freedom and Experience" as explainations to the
> never ending questions of what do unschoolers do all day?
Ariannah in Nova Scotia
alisonslp
--- In [email protected], "Julie Peters"
<julieannpeters@...> wrote:
related to life learning. I will need one for next year when the kids
turn 7. I like the freedom and exploration parts... another couple of
words to add to my list of possibilities.
actually, I would like to use AMSB as an acronym (they are the kids'
initials), but I'm having trouble thinking of good words that will
convey the right message and meld together.
alison
<julieannpeters@...> wrote:
>oooo - I like that. I have been trying ot come up with a school name
> Has anyone thought of: "LIFE = Learning In Fun and Exploration --
> and/or -- Learning In Freedom and Experience" as explainations to the
> never ending questions of what do unschoolers do all day?
>
> Julie Peters
>
related to life learning. I will need one for next year when the kids
turn 7. I like the freedom and exploration parts... another couple of
words to add to my list of possibilities.
actually, I would like to use AMSB as an acronym (they are the kids'
initials), but I'm having trouble thinking of good words that will
convey the right message and meld together.
alison
Maisha Khalfani
Has anyone thought of: "LIFE = Learning In Fun and Exploration --
and/or -- Learning In Freedom and Experience" as explainations to the
never ending questions of what do unschoolers do all day?
Julie Peters
******************************************************************
Julie - I LOVE those acronyms! Copywright that and sell it on some tshirts!
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
and/or -- Learning In Freedom and Experience" as explainations to the
never ending questions of what do unschoolers do all day?
Julie Peters
******************************************************************
Julie - I LOVE those acronyms! Copywright that and sell it on some tshirts!
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Maisha Khalfani
I have been trying ot come up with a school name
related to life learning. I will need one for next year when the kids
turn 7.
********************************************************************
Why do you need a name for your school?
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
related to life learning. I will need one for next year when the kids
turn 7.
********************************************************************
Why do you need a name for your school?
Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
alisonslp
--- In [email protected], Maisha Khalfani
<maitai373@...> wrote:
intent. Well, technically, you don't HAVE to. but if you don't, they
will just assign one, like homeschool {last name}. Seeing as though I
may want my kids to have a diploma from homeschooling (in NC each
homeschool is considered a private school, so we give our own
diplomas), I want to make sure I have a name that not only encompasses
our philosophy of education, but one that will not raise eyebrows or
suspicions to potential employers/colleges. This is so far in the
future to be thinking of it now but unfortunately, you have to pick
the name when you start homeschooling and can't change it later...
alison
<maitai373@...> wrote:
> Why do you need a name for your school?In NC, you have to come up with a name when you file your notice of
>
intent. Well, technically, you don't HAVE to. but if you don't, they
will just assign one, like homeschool {last name}. Seeing as though I
may want my kids to have a diploma from homeschooling (in NC each
homeschool is considered a private school, so we give our own
diplomas), I want to make sure I have a name that not only encompasses
our philosophy of education, but one that will not raise eyebrows or
suspicions to potential employers/colleges. This is so far in the
future to be thinking of it now but unfortunately, you have to pick
the name when you start homeschooling and can't change it later...
alison