awesomeisgod0704

Hello

I am new to the group. I homeschool my three children using the
Charlotte Mason method but I am very interested in learning more
about unschooling and may possibly start trying to implement this in
our home. Anyone familiar with the Charlotte Mason Method? I was
wondering if I could some how implement both. With the Charlotte
Mason method we do nature, narrations after reading, listen to folk,
hymn, and classical music, picture study, short lessons, and we read
from real books instead of textbooks. I was thinking that I could
do unschooling and try to incorporate some of the aspects of
Charlotte Mason into our daily routine such as the following:
Playing classical music in the backgroud while during different
things, going on nature walks, keeping real living books around-
without telling they must read them but having them available,
Showing them a picture-taking it away- and telling them to tell me
about it, having a read aloud time with my family, etc.

What's a typical day like for the unschooling family?

Your responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: awesomeisgod0704@...
I am new to the group. I homeschool my three children using the
Charlotte Mason method but I am very interested in learning more
about unschooling and may possibly start trying to implement this in
our home. Anyone familiar with the Charlotte Mason Method? I was
wondering if I could some how implement both. With the Charlotte
Mason method we do nature, narrations after reading, listen to folk,
hymn, and classical music, picture study, short lessons, and we read
from real books instead of textbooks. I was thinking that I could
do unschooling and try to incorporate some of the aspects of
Charlotte Mason into our daily routine such as the following:
Playing classical music in the backgroud while during different
things, going on nature walks, keeping real living books around-
without telling they must read them but having them available,
Showing them a picture-taking it away- and telling them to tell me
about it, having a read aloud time with my family, etc.

-=-=-=-=-=

A couple of questions first.

WHY are you interested in unschooling? Especially if you're happy with
Charlotte Mason?

What do you feel you would gain from unschooling?

What is your goal for your daughter?


Basics? Trust. Patience. Respect. Generosity. Kindness.

~Kelly

Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org


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chandelle'

admittedly, i know nothing about charlotte mason, but from your description,
it sounds basically like unschooling, except for the lesson part, and if the
other stuff you mentioned is really regimented. ???

chandelle'

On 4/6/07, kbcdlovejo@... <kbcdlovejo@...> wrote:
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: awesomeisgod0704@...
> I am new to the group. I homeschool my three children using the
> Charlotte Mason method but I am very interested in learning more
> about unschooling and may possibly start trying to implement this in
> our home. Anyone familiar with the Charlotte Mason Method? I was
> wondering if I could some how implement both. With the Charlotte
> Mason method we do nature, narrations after reading, listen to folk,
> hymn, and classical music, picture study, short lessons, and we read
> from real books instead of textbooks. I was thinking that I could
> do unschooling and try to incorporate some of the aspects of
> Charlotte Mason into our daily routine such as the following:
> Playing classical music in the backgroud while during different
> things, going on nature walks, keeping real living books around-
> without telling they must read them but having them available,
> Showing them a picture-taking it away- and telling them to tell me
> about it, having a read aloud time with my family, etc.
>
> -=-=-=-=-=
>
> A couple of questions first.
>
> WHY are you interested in unschooling? Especially if you're happy with
> Charlotte Mason?
>
> What do you feel you would gain from unschooling?
>
> What is your goal for your daughter?
>
>
> Basics? Trust. Patience. Respect. Generosity. Kindness.
>
> ~Kelly
>
> Kelly Lovejoy
> Conference Coordinator
> Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
> http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free
> from AOL at AOL.com.
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


--
"Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my
mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said
then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while
there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I
am not free."
-Eugene V. Debs


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ren Allen

~~I was thinking that I could
do unschooling and try to incorporate some of the aspects of
Charlotte Mason into our daily routine such as the following:
Playing classical music in the backgroud while during different
things, going on nature walks, keeping real living books around-
without telling they must read them but having them available,
Showing them a picture-taking it away- and telling them to tell me
about it, having a read aloud time with my family, etc.~~


Here are some of the stumbling blocks I see:

There's nothing wrong with playing classical music in the background,
if that's what you all like, but if you're valuing that style of music
above Rock-n-roll, bluegrass, folk, reggae or any other style of
music, then you're limiting your world. Unschooling is about expanding
our world.

Classical music isn't inherently better than any other style of music,
nor does it lead to more/better learning experiences.

Nature walks are great, if they're allowed to be enjoyed by each
person rather than turned into some kind of "lesson".

If someone showed me a picture and took it away, asking me to tell
them about it, I'd be really annoyed. Unschooling is all about
authentic interactions. If moments are contrived in order to "teach"
or get information into our children that WE think is important, we
miss the more important things that THEY think are important.

If you want to get to unschooling, take a deep breathe and realize
that Charlotte Mason was one person, with her own ideas and prejudices
about what is proper and good to learn. She had some great ideas too.
The problem I see with any learning method that places certain
activities as more valuable, is it misses the point that the child
right in front of us has their own interests that may or may not
coincide with that method.

The most important thing for me is to assist my children in exploring
the world in their own way. The Charlotte Mason ideas appealed to me,
but my video-game loving children have their own ideas!:)

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

[email protected]

We started out with CM over 5 years ago and gently evolved into unschooling.

I am still passionate about CM and her views about children. She felt they
were capable of much more than people thought, at a time when the mentality was
*children were to be seen and not heard*.

She always said "expose them to everything, even things (typically thought)
beyond them, and they will take from it what they will...and make their own
connections." She respected children...the essence of unschooling.

So expose your children to everything....books ..art ..nature
..music..handicrafts etc ... create that rich enviroment, BUT don't have daily lessons or a
daily routine. For instance don't *require* a narration after your child reads
a book, but you might find yourself just chatting * together* about the book
*IF* your child *wants* to. Don't *require* daily copywork, but you might
find your child *wants* and *enjoys* writing in a journal or keeping a book of
quotes, etc.

And YOU go ahead and do the things YOU are passionate about, whether from CM
or not.... and they might join in...or NOT. But respect their choice.

We unschool... and our days are *filled* with nature and art and books and
music and handicrafts.... AND TV and video games ! <<G>>

Just live life doing what you all love and see .....

~marcia
HarmonyWoodsFarm
JUSTLIVELIFE-Choose Joy and Freedom



******************************************************************************
*************
I am new to the group. I homeschool my three children using the
> Charlotte Mason method but I am very interested in learning more
> about unschooling and may possibly start trying to implement this in
> our home. Anyone familiar with the Charlotte Mason Method? I was
> wondering if I could some how implement both. With the Charlotte
> Mason method we do nature, narrations after reading, listen to folk,
> hymn, and classical music, picture study, short lessons, and we read
> from real books instead of textbooks. I was thinking that I could
> do unschooling and try to incorporate some of the aspects of
> Charlotte Mason into our daily routine such as the following:
> Playing classical music in the backgroud while during different
> things, going on nature walks, keeping real living books around-
> without telling they must read them but having them available,
> Showing them a picture-taking it away- and telling them to tell me
> about it, having a read aloud time with my family, etc.

****************************************








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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nance Confer

unschoolingbasicsYou mean like real life? These are all things that people do all the time, we just don't call it a method.

Except for the quizzing about what a picture has in it. That's not necessary. Why not just talk about the picture?

Nance
***********
Playing classical music in the backgroud while during different
things, going on nature walks, keeping real living books around-
without telling they must read them but having them available,
Showing them a picture-taking it away- and telling them to tell me
about it, having a read aloud time with my family, etc.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Rachel Salavon

>
> And YOU go ahead and do the things YOU are passionate about, whether
from CM
> or not.... and they might join in...or NOT. But respect their choice.
>
>
Here's something I started doing a while ago whenever I thought of
something I thought my kids would like to do. Rather than push it on
them - whether it was a movie or a book, a garden or a nature
journal. I do it myself. I have read children's books that I thought
looked interesting. I have discovered so many wonderful things that
*I* enjoy. I started keeping a list of backyard birds on the back
door. Every time I see a new one, I identify it with my bird book and
write it down. In the process, through watching me do it and asking
questions, my kids have learned about identifying birds. One day a
bird got into the house while I was outside. My son described it to
me in detail and we discovered that it was a Carolina Wren.

Rachel in OK