jesseandjenni531

Hi All!
I am new here, on recommendation of Dana, and am just starting to
think about unschooling. Listening to her talk, I became enthralled
with the idea, and am now reading up! So of course I'll be
interested in hearing how any of you do it, thanks!
I live in Washington State, and have 4 children....Kelsey-11, Eli-8,
Megan-5, and Erik-3. Kelsey went to public school for Kindergarten
and part of first, then went back last year for 4th. Eli went last
year for 2nd grade, but I took him out part way through the year, as
he HATED it. Other than that, they have been homeschooled.
Thanks for any information, and Hi Dana!! :-)
Jenni

Dana Matt

> Thanks for any information, and Hi Dana!! :-)
> Jenni
>

Hi, Jenni :) Glad you found it!

This is a great list and there are many wonderfully
wise people here :)

Dana
in Montana FOR 5 MORE DAYS!!!

>




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

Diana

Hi,

I am Diana, mom of 3, Elise 10, Marissa 7 and Anna 1,5.
We took the kids out of school in January and we want to go for unschooling.
Unfortunately I noticed I need to detox major, as I think school.
Therefore I joined the group to read and learn.

Thank you.

Diana

Hilary

Welcome Diana,

Yep, going through the same journey here in Auckland New Zealand (Pam,
we are just heading into winter here!! - no four month summer break
here - but thank you for the book refs and you are right, I do need to
read more to bolster me up).

Its 9 mnths since 11.5 yr old son came out of school - and I know that
I still have some detoxing to go!! I think we are so brave to step
ououtside of the system; even to question and also to notice that it
doesn't work.. that we can do better for our kids. I still feel the
outside pressures acting on me. Really looking forward to lettign
those go.

Its been an up and down journey. It helps me greatly when people say
me to me "god, daniel is so smart" because even though he may not be
learning all the stuff that he "should" be learning (ie: maths), he is
a pretty clued up kid in many other things that you don;t learn in
school. I SO need to remember that.

Anyway, welcome - I lurk most of the time, but really enjoy the
discussions. When I get anxious, I find they bring me alot of sanity,
they bring me back to my heart, to why I stepped on this path in the
first place. And, its OK to still confess to my anxieties and silly
stuff too.

Warmly,
Hilary




--- In [email protected], "Diana" <dboskma@y...> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am Diana, mom of 3, Elise 10, Marissa 7 and Anna 1,5.
> We took the kids out of school in January and we want to go for
unschooling.
> Unfortunately I noticed I need to detox major, as I think school.
> Therefore I joined the group to read and learn.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Diana

[email protected]

Hi everyone,
My name is Jess. I homeschool my two sons ages 8 and 6. I have been using
curriculum after curriculum and we are BURNED OUT.

My oldest son is bipolar and ADHD and everyone keeps telling me how much
structure he needs. Well, we need to go another route because we just hate
things the way they are.

I think I get the general concept of unschooling but I am still lost.
Looking forward to learning from all of you!

Hugs,
Jess


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

Melissa

Welcome, I'm new myself but wanted to say something about having a
child who needs structure. One thing I'm learning is that having a
child who needs structure does not mean that he needs everything
legislated for him. I have several children with special needs. For
my daughter (who's also eight and has autism) it means that she needs
to be able to trust me and know that I will respond calmly and in the
same way every time she needs something. It means that she needs me
to structure four meal times a day at around the same time, while
providing her with choices on what to eat. I provide several options
of things to do in her time, but our day has a schedule and some
expectations of when special things will happen. I respect her need
to have space and do things on her own time, and when she has trouble
and wants help, I'm there to help without question or reprimand.

I'm sure other people will have better suggestions, i just wanted to
let you know that you're not alone, and that unschooling our kids has
been the best thing that could have happened to them. We've spent
months deschooling, and just letting them relax and be kids. They are
still watching a large amount of tv, but they break off and do other
stuff.

glad you're here!
melissa
On Jan 18, 2006, at 8:12 AM, lostmom218@... wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> My name is Jess. I homeschool my two sons ages 8 and 6. I have
> been using
> curriculum after curriculum and we are BURNED OUT.
>
> My oldest son is bipolar and ADHD and everyone keeps telling me how
> much
> structure he needs. Well, we need to go another route because we
> just hate
> things the way they are.
>
> I think I get the general concept of unschooling but I am still lost.
> Looking forward to learning from all of you!
>
> Hugs,
> Jess
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>
> Visit your group "unschoolingbasics" on the web.
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>
>



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

Ren Allen

"One thing I'm learning is that having a
child who needs structure does not mean that he needs everything
legislated for him. "

I'm really glad you brought that up!
"Structure" is a framework around things, a basic outline in a sense.
I never understood why "structure" got translated into "school" for so
many families. I'd be having conversations with people about
unschooling and a parent would pipe in with "Oh, but MY son needs
structure, he doesn't do well without it".
Yeah? And how did that equal school?

Unschooling is all about meeting a child's needs....including a need
for structure if that's the environment they thrive in. That in no way
means they need schooling, or manipulation or control. Providing a
framework for them isn't all that.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

Ren Allen

"My oldest son is bipolar and ADHD and everyone keeps telling me how
much structure he needs. Well, we need to go another route because we
just hate things the way they are."

I'm glad you're starting to ignore all those voices that seem to be
adding to unhappiness. Your child may be dealing with certain issues,
but I really hope you can see him as himself, not ADHD and bipolar.
You said he "is bipolar and ADHD".

No, he is (insert name here). You might find, as many other families
have, that ADHD is not a disability as the schools try to label it,
but rather a set of characteristics that present no problem outside of
that bizarre institution of school (including homeSCHOOL).

Learning does not unfold well in an unhappy environment. If you can
just focus on making your days light and joyful, that's the first (and
most major) step towards unschooling.

Welcome to the list.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

Danielle Conger

Ren Allen wrote:

> "One thing I'm learning is that having a
> child who needs structure does not mean that he needs everything
> legislated for him. "
>
> I'm really glad you brought that up!
> "Structure" is a framework around things, a basic outline in a sense.
> I never understood why "structure" got translated into "school" for so
> many families. I'd be having conversations with people about
> unschooling and a parent would pipe in with "Oh, but MY son needs
> structure, he doesn't do well without it".
> Yeah? And how did that equal school?
>
> Unschooling is all about meeting a child's needs....including a need
> for structure if that's the environment they thrive in. That in no way
> means they need schooling, or manipulation or control. Providing a
> framework for them isn't all that.

I agree with all that.

I think the difficult thing, however, is for the parent carefully to
separate out a child's "need" for structure validating the parent's
"need" to enforce things like bedtime and mealtimes unquestioningly.
Too often, I've heard parents use a child's preference for
predictability to justify forcing a protesting child to bed for his own
good kind of thing--i.e. the parent knows better than the child what the
child needs being used to disregard the child's statements of need in
the moment. So, a parent forces a kid to bed and then when the child
wakes up pleasant, happy and well-rested, that's a justification for the
nighttime coercion rather than trying to find a win/ win solution that
would enable the child to feel good about going to bed *and* wake up
well-rested.

--
~~Danielle
Emily (8), Julia (7), Sam (5)
http://www.danielleconger.com/Homeschool/Welcomehome.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"With our thoughts, we make the world." ~~Buddha

Joanne

Hi Jess and welcome!

Yes, I would imagine it's easy to get burned out when using a
curriculum. I'm sure you're not alone in feeling that.

Good for you for trying to find another way! :-)

My oldest two also struggle with certain issues (manic
depression/attachment disorder/sensory/emotional). You'll find quite
a few parents here that can understand.

You'll also find different ways to look and handle things. Maybe
something you read here can help you and your family on your
unschooling journey. Go back and read some of the archives when you
have some free time, there's a wealth of good information there.

Welcome again...I hope you enjoy it here as much as I do!

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/

[email protected]

In a message dated 1/18/2006 10:53:11 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
lostmom218@... writes:


I think I get the general concept of unschooling but I am still lost.

**********

Hi Jess! Welcome!

Don't worry about getting it. It will come. I've been unschooling for
several years and I still have "aha" moments.

You say everyone is telling you your child needs structure. What is he
telling you? Or maybe more accurately, what are he behavior and emotional
responses telling you? I'm sure you already do this for the rest of life (he needs
to eat at a certain time or take certain things with him on an outing), so
it won't be too hard to apply it to unschooling. Does he feel good when you
are really involved in his activities or does he like to spend more time
alone? My son likes to do things on his own and then show them to me. He doesn't
like suggestions.....sometimes even when he is asking for help <g>. Does he
like lots of toys and activities at once or does this overwhelm him and make
him too excited?

If you asked me I would say we are very unstructured. But my husband is
coming home from overseas this week and he will inevitably throw us off-balance.
He undoes (because he isn't part of our rhythm anymore) what structure and
rhythm we do have but don't see because it is just part of our lives! It is
always an eye-opener for me!

You will find your own rhythms and know instinctively what things need to be
done and when (structure!) because these are the things that keep life
running smoothly, especially in families with kids that have higher needs.

Oh, and I suppose a child with any type of non-typical learning style would
"need" imposed structure to learn things in that school idea of proper
learning. When those unnecessary ideas are removed, there is no longer any need
for the imposed structure. The child will only needs what he needs to feel
safe and good about himself.

Oh, and have fun!

Leslie in SC








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

Su Penn

Welcome, Melissa!

I think there's a really important distinction implicit in what
you're saying, which is the difference between structure a parent
imposes ("every child must be in bed by 7:30") and structure a parent
helps facilitate in response to a child's need or preference. Four
meals at around the same day is something your daughter needs a be
able to count on; you're not structuring HER, you're structuring
YOURSELF to help her get that need met, making sure that your
schedule and routine includes providing those meals.

My older son imposed a lot of structure on my days when he was
younger. He needed his nap, he needed it at home, and he needed it at
a certain time. That he went down for a nap at 2:00 every afternoon
wasn't a structure I imposed, it was a structure that arose from my
recognizing his need and the regularity of his body clock. My younger
son can nap anytime and anyplace, or sometimes not at all, so our
planning is much more flexible.

Su

On Jan 18, 2006, at 11:08 AM, Melissa wrote:

> For
> my daughter (who's also eight and has autism) it means that she needs
> to be able to trust me and know that I will respond calmly and in the
> same way every time she needs something. It means that she needs me
> to structure four meal times a day at around the same time, while
> providing her with choices on what to eat. I provide several options
> of things to do in her time, but our day has a schedule and some
> expectations of when special things will happen.

[email protected]

Ren,

Thanks for the welcome. I do see my son as himself ...the loving creative
Noah that he is. : ) But he is bipolar and it is part of him. It can make
teaching him very difficult at times. It's the reason we want to give
unschooling a try.

Hugs,
Jess


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

nrskay

Hello and Welcome Jesse: You have come to the right place. A lot
of us are old homeschool curriculum junkies. I have often stated
how much money I am saving this year by not buying all that
curriculum. Now when my 11 yo dd wants something I don't cringed,
because I have the extra $, and I like saying yes!

Kay





> Hi everyone,
> My name is Jess. I homeschool my two sons ages 8 and 6. I have
been using
> curriculum after curriculum and we are BURNED OUT.
>
> My oldest son is bipolar and ADHD and everyone keeps telling me
how much
> structure he needs. Well, we need to go another route because we
just hate
> things the way they are.
>
> I think I get the general concept of unschooling but I am still
lost.
> Looking forward to learning from all of you!
>
> Hugs,
> Jess
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Melissa

OMG...I never thought of it that way. thanks for pointing it out.
That's a pretty fundamental difference in thought, really.
melissa
On Jan 18, 2006, at 11:18 AM, Su Penn wrote:

> you're not structuring HER, you're structuring
> YOURSELF to help her get that need met, making sure that your
> schedule and routine includes providing those meals.

Ren Allen

" But he is bipolar and it is part of him. It can make
teaching him very difficult at times."

Trying to "teach" someone could really add to the problems....none of
us like to be "taught" but we all love to learn right?
I love that Galileo quote "You can not teach a man anything, only help
him find it within himself" (that might not be exact, but close).

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

[email protected]

>>My name is Jess. I homeschool my two sons ages 8 and 6. I have been using curriculum after curriculum and we are BURNED OUT.>>

Welcome Jess! I think you'll find some inspiration here for a life that needs no curriculum.

>>My oldest son is bipolar and ADHD and everyone keeps telling me how much
structure he needs. Well, we need to go another route because we just hate
things the way they are.>>

I think when people say a child needs structure, it's more about routine. No child benefits from being told what to do, what to think, when to act , etc all throughout his day. But lots of kids can benefit from havings a routine or rhythm to their days. It feels good and safe to know what's coming up and when. That's routine.

So if you take the curriculum out of it, what kind of pattern can you see in your son's life? What helps the days flow and the emotions remain steady? What gets the imagination sparkling?
--
~Mary

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: lostmom218@...





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

S Drag-teine

I like that quote my favorite though is still Einstein's - Don't let
education get in the way of your learning.

Shannon

~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~
Did you know?...
--most well-known brands of lipstick contain lead?
--air fresheners have toxic ingredients you aren't supposed to breathe?
--most household cleaners have carcinogens and neurotoxins such as
formaldehyde, phenols and/or phosphates?
--of 2,983 everyday products, 884 have toxic chemicals?

I'm glad we switched!
We are now safer and healthier, using toxic-free products and saving money,
too. Call (212) 990-6214 for a 10 minute prerecorded presentation or contact
me directly.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ren Allen
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 4:04 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Newbie

" But he is bipolar and it is part of him. It can make
teaching him very difficult at times."

Trying to "teach" someone could really add to the problems....none of
us like to be "taught" but we all love to learn right?
I love that Galileo quote "You can not teach a man anything, only help
him find it within himself" (that might not be exact, but close).

Ren
learninginfreedom.com







Yahoo! Groups Links

[email protected]

>>I like that quote my favorite though is still Einstein's - Don't let
education get in the way of your learning.>>

I don't think that's an Einstein quote. A few of EInstein's kind of unschooly quotes are:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge..."
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
"The important thing is not to stop questioning."
"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."

I think the quote you were referring to was from Mark Twain:

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
--
~Mary

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "S Drag-teine" <dragteine@...>





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

S Drag-teine

I am sorry - you are correct it wasn't Einstein it was Mark Twain and it is
still a slight misquote but you get the idea.

Shannon

~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~
Did you know?...
--most well-known brands of lipstick contain lead?
--air fresheners have toxic ingredients you aren't supposed to breathe?
--most household cleaners have carcinogens and neurotoxins such as
formaldehyde, phenols and/or phosphates?
--of 2,983 everyday products, 884 have toxic chemicals?

I'm glad we switched!
We are now safer and healthier, using toxic-free products and saving money,
too. Call (212) 990-6214 for a 10 minute prerecorded presentation or contact
me directly.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of zenmomma@...
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 3:45 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [unschoolingbasics] Newbie

>>I like that quote my favorite though is still Einstein's - Don't let
education get in the way of your learning.>>

I don't think that's an Einstein quote. A few of EInstein's kind of
unschooly quotes are:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge..."
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
"The important thing is not to stop questioning."
"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual
who can labor in freedom."

I think the quote you were referring to was from Mark Twain:

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
--
~Mary

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "S Drag-teine" <dragteine@...>





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




Yahoo! Groups Links

[email protected]

>>I am sorry - you are correct it wasn't Einstein it was Mark Twain and it is
still a slight misquote but you get the idea.>>

Oh yeah it's a great quote. :o) I was just trying to share more info.

--
~Mary

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "S Drag-teine" <dragteine@...>





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

S Drag-teine

Oh, no - I am glad not only that you corrected me but that you added to my
collection of quotes.

Mark Twain is a favorite person - if there is anyone I would want to meet
living or dead it would be him. He actually said something more to the
affect of don't let school get in the way of learning. The guy that lived
behind me when I was a kid used to tell me that all the time because I hated
school. He showed me a love of learning that I never learned in school.

Shannon

~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~.~>|<~


I'm glad we switched!
We are now safer and healthier, using toxic-free products and saving money,
too.
Call (212) 990-6214 for a 10 minute prerecorded presentation or contact me
directly.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of zenmomma@...
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 12:56 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [unschoolingbasics] Newbie

>>I am sorry - you are correct it wasn't Einstein it was Mark Twain and it
is
still a slight misquote but you get the idea.>>

Oh yeah it's a great quote. :o) I was just trying to share more info.

--
~Mary

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "S Drag-teine" <dragteine@...>





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




Yahoo! Groups Links

Lisa Embleton

Hi Everyone,

I am a newbie to the board. We are just finishing up our first
homeschool year. DS will be 8 in July and will start 4th grade in
September. I am very curious about unschooling. I have several
questions. I think unschooling is what we have always done since he
was born, if unschooling is what I think it is. this year we were
eclectic HSers using text books and work books. DS did very well, but
I see the spark for independent learning is fading. i have to admit
even I dread the text books workbooks too. Anyway I would love to find
out unschooling is? What does a typical day look like? How do you
keep records for the school board/dept. of education if needed? Any
and all insights, suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Lisa :o)

Joanne

Hi Lisa and welcome. :-)

We homeschool through a "600/non public school" and aren't required
to maintain records except for attendence, which is basically a list
of 180 dates. I'm sure others can help you out with that question.

As far as a typical day...I have a 7, 11 and a 13 year old and
here's two examples of a typical day at our house.

http://tinyurl.com/od8rm

http://tinyurl.com/qk7y8

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (11) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/
http://foreverparents.com




--- In [email protected], "Lisa Embleton"
<girl71@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am a newbie to the board. We are just finishing up our first
> homeschool year. DS will be 8 in July and will start 4th grade in
> September. I am very curious about unschooling. I have several
> questions. I think unschooling is what we have always done since
he
> was born, if unschooling is what I think it is. this year we were
> eclectic HSers using text books and work books. DS did very well,
but
> I see the spark for independent learning is fading. i have to
admit
> even I dread the text books workbooks too. Anyway I would love to
find
> out unschooling is? What does a typical day look like? How do
you
> keep records for the school board/dept. of education if needed?
Any
> and all insights, suggestions and advice would be greatly
appreciated.
>
> Lisa :o)
>

Heather

Hi Lisa,



Welcome.



<<What does a typical day look like? How do you keep records for the school
board/dept. of education if needed? Any and all insights, suggestions and
advice would be greatly appreciated.>>



Where do you live? I'm in Tucson, Arizona. I don't keep academic records
and don't need to.

I have 2 children, 1 husband, 1 dog, and 2 gerbils :-)

I have one daughter, Sierra, age 7 (she'll turn 8 on the last day of the
Live & Learn conference) and one son, Quentin, age 10.

We've unschooled since May 2000, so neither has ever attended school. My dh
works from home.

I don't know about a typical day, but here is today -



Today 6/06/06



I got up early (this is REALLY early for me) about 7 a.m. (My dream woke me
up - before my alarm went off). I turned my alarm clock off.



I got dressed. Rubbed Sierra's back to wake her up. Started on her lunch
that she had to take to camp. Rubbed her back again. Woke up Quentin - who
got up & ate breakfast & got his DS & shoes fairly quickly. I loaded up the
car with the 2 kids - and lunch box and water bottles and Sierra's clothes
(she got into the car in her jimmies) & my stuff & we left the house about
8:05 a.m.



Drove downtown, about a 25 min drive. On the way there, Sierra asked if she
HAD to do the clay class. It was too hard, she didn't like it, etc etc. So
we discussed it. I agreed to pick her up at lunchtime so she didn't have
to do clay. Sierra ate her breakfast yogurt in the car. Got downtown.
Found a parking place and a dime for the parking meter. Sierra got dressed.
Walked Sierra to her class.



Then Quentin & I drove around looking for silver mylar paper (for Link's
mirror shield which we are trying to build) - we haven't found it yet.
Michaels keeps saying they'll be getting some in soon. We stopped for movie
candy at Walgreen's. Stopped at Target to look for the Bionicle 3 movie.
They didn't have it. So we went to Borders and they did. Yeah! Drove to
the movie theater for the free summer kids movie to see "Space Jam", which
neither of us had seen before. It was fun. Afterwards, we drove back
downtown to pick up Sierra. Then drove home so I could drop off the kids
and go to my "beginning jewelry" class which started today. Ack! Dh wasn't
home. So I called him - he was out running errands. He agreed to meet me
at my class to get the kids. Hand-off of kids to dh was successful :-)



I went to my class. It was great fun.



I did a few errands on the way home including signing Sierra up for
gymnastics camp next week, and eating lunch at 4 p.m!



While I was gone,

my son built some bionicles, played video games, played with the dog, and
watched tv.

my daughter called a neighbor friend to play and they were swimming when I
got home.



Tonight, my mom called and she talked to the kids and me. A relatively
stress free phone call for a change. We are planning a 2-week trip to
Hawaii with them this summer.



When I got home, I called 2 of Quentin's friends to set up playdates - so
we've got one scheduled for tomorrow and another on Friday. Called one of
Sierra's friends to try to set up a playdate for tomorrow (just left a
message). I was expecting dd to be at art camp until 3:30 p.m. so I
scheduled a private dance lesson (for me) tomorrow from 2 -3 p.m. I guess I
can take her with me.



DH informed me that he'll be in Phoenix next Tuesday. Aak! Now I've got a
scheduling problem - I've got my class from 1 - 4 p.m. and Sierra has
gymnastics from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Hmmm.. I'll have to work that one out
somehow. I've come up with about 3 options for that so far and am hoping to
be able to schedule a playdate for ds at one of his friends' house.



Saw a quail family out my window - parents & about 10 baby chicks. The
chicks are so tiny - they look like little puff balls. Called Quentin over
to see them.



Read library books to the kids "The night Iguana left home" to dd and
Garfield comic books to ds. Rubbed their backs and got them ice water.



Now - it is 11 p.m. and everyone is asleep, which is VERY unusual. The kids
are usually up til much later, especially ds. But not tonight. I'm doing
some laundry. Got the stuff together for Sierra's lunch tomorrow. Need to
get my dance shoes out, so I don't forget them (I forgot to bring them to a
lesson last week. Oops!)



I'm going to spend a little time picking up stuff in my office - It is a
disaster zone. Then I might read a bit. And then go to bed. :-)











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

Tina

Heather

I enjoyed reading about your "typical" day. My kids are older, but it
gave me some comfort. One thing that seems to be a continuous, all be
it intermitent, nag in my head is whether or not our "typical" days
are okay. I know...okay to who? It's just one area that can be tough
for me especially when life seems a little more "crazy".

I'm learning more and more to go with the flow. I'm learning to be
more open to change, especially changes in plan. Inside I'm a VERY
organized person that thrives on things being relaxed and
predictable. Right now that is just not realisitic, and it is really
testing me.

Thank you for sharing your day...

Tina

Deb

--- In [email protected], "Lisa Embleton"
<girl71@...> wrote:
>
DS will be 8 in July and will start 4th grade in
> September.
My DS just turned 8 but he's not in any grade and never has been -
we've never done school.

> I think unschooling is what we have always done since he
> was born, if unschooling is what I think it is.
Unschooling is exactly how your son learned to walk and talk. You
provided a safe space to move around in, a hand to hold, some push
toys maybe to explore with, but *he* determined when and where and
how - he set the direction and the pace and the timing.

> Anyway I would love to find
> out unschooling is?
It's dropping the idea that there is a set amount of information
that must be pushed in, in set increments, between the age of 5 and
18 (or 17 or 16) no matter whether the learner wants or needs that
information at that time - or ever. It's going back to the
relationship you had before he got to "school age" and exploring
life together.

>What does a typical day look like?
LOL "typical" yeah right. An "averaging" of our days is something
like:

I get up and go to work. DH and DS get up when they're done
sleeping. Food happens when someone gets hungry. TV, videogames,
books, magazines, drawing, toys and games all happen in varying
amounts and at varying times. Laundry gets done, dishes get washed,
assorted tidyings occur, food gets prepared as needed. I get home in
the evening and we eat dinner. After dinner, the table gets cleared,
stuff gets put away, then more TV, videogames, toys and games, books
and magazines happen. One evening per week, DS goes to MIL's while
DH and I have some time together - whether it's a quiet dinner or
shopping for gubicide for the lawn. Another evening is my date with
DS - we get some nice time to sit and chat and DH gets some time to
himself which he needs. During the summer, Friday evenings often
mean going to the nearby drive in with a bucket of chicken or a
pizza and a sackful of snacks and enjoying a double feature. Friday
afternoons DH and DS have a standing playdate with another
homeschooling family - I think we're into the 3rd or 4th year of
this arrangement. Sometimes there are "adventures" - a trip to the
science center or the aquarium or a "Big" trip like to the Bronx Zoo
or the Amer Museum of Nat History with our hs group. Grocery
shopping and other errands happen as needed - sometimes as a whole
family event, sometimes just one or two (me, me and DS, DH, DH and
DS, like that). It looks exactly like life looks when there's no
school - picture a day in mid-July, no school, just time.

>How do you
> keep records for the school board/dept. of education if needed?
We don't need to at all. The laws of your state would determine what
you need to keep record of - keep the minimum required, and as out
of the way of life and learning as much as possible. A journal, a
scrapbook, a bunch of folders you can slip things into or slip
photos of projects and events into, whatever. It need not intrude on
the family's life really. Sandra Dodd's website has links in the
unschooling section to ideas from folks who unschool even in the
most restrictive places (like NY and PA).

--Deb

Cher Saunders

Hi Lisa!!

I'm sure you remember us, from TKD earlier last year? We're unschoolers,
and I can tell you exactly what we do for the DOE here in Fredericton.
Also, we don't use textbooks or workbooks, although we do have them in
the house, however they're used like any other book. Right now, the math
workbooks my MIL loves to buy the kids, are being used as a "storybook"
for one kid and a colouring book for the other. I'd be happy to get
together with you if you wanted and talk in real life with you if you
want! Our "typical" days lately have involved lots of outside play, xbox
games, and asking and answering and exploring 1000000 questions a day
about anything and everything. We've made soda-pop geysers and talked
about wars and pestilence and feudal Japan and colonial England (thank
you internet and TMNT) and so on. Some days it looks like we're "doing
nothing" but I can tell you, after unschooling for over 3 years now, and
having two little ones who have always unschooled, it's the only way
we'd do things. I'll email you my ph# off list and if you want to get
together, I'd love to! Right now we're not doing anything structured
program-wise for the kids, they wanted to stop doing structured things
last winter, but we're looking at a very busy summer.


Cher in Canada
Mom to Azura, Brandon, Max and Sophia

jlh44music

How do you keep records for the school board/dept. of education if
needed? Any and all insights, suggestions and advice would be greatly
appreciated.>>

What state are you in? You don't need to do anything differently
than what you're doing to homeschool (and that depends on what your
state asks for, if anything). I'm in MA, and we have to report (a
narrative or dated work samples or standardized test, we're doing a
narrative, this is our first year). When I sent in my letter of
intent to homeschool last summer, I didn't call it unschooling!
Jann

jennifer_landau

Hey all, just joined. I feel like I believed in unschooling before I
could even put a name to it... :)

I'm 25, Mom to Siena, 5 months, and Talya, 5 years. My husband agrees
with me on my reasons to want to home school the girls. BUT, he
thinks, 1, I wont' be able to 'handle it'; 2, somehow they'll be
missing out or some how disadvantaged by not having passed grade
levels and have diplomas to show for what they know. My MIL is a
teacher. She teaches special needs elementary students in NJ. I just
don't know how to help my DH see unschooling for what I do. I feel so
confident that they will learn what the need to when they need to
without having a structured curriculum. He's not so sure. I'd love
some suggestions on how some of you have introduced your spouses to
unschooling.

TIA,
Jen Landau