Unschooling in a rural area and what age did you start?
Megan
Hello, I'm new to this group, but I'm looking forward to learning a
ton. My 3-year-old son is having a rough time with daycare (he
previously loved it) and my DH and I are going to make some changes so
that we can stop working outside of the home.
This will likely involve moving from our Maryland suburb (about 45
minutes from Washington, DC) to a rural area in Delaware (near the
beaches). Of course, we'll have internet access, but not as much
access to the great museums and libraries that we have here. Does
living in a more rural area impact unschooling? I haven't checked yet
whether there are any unschooling groups in the area we'll be moving
to.
Also, what age did you start unschooling? At this age (3), would you
have play be the primary objective of every day?
Thanks!
Megan
ton. My 3-year-old son is having a rough time with daycare (he
previously loved it) and my DH and I are going to make some changes so
that we can stop working outside of the home.
This will likely involve moving from our Maryland suburb (about 45
minutes from Washington, DC) to a rural area in Delaware (near the
beaches). Of course, we'll have internet access, but not as much
access to the great museums and libraries that we have here. Does
living in a more rural area impact unschooling? I haven't checked yet
whether there are any unschooling groups in the area we'll be moving
to.
Also, what age did you start unschooling? At this age (3), would you
have play be the primary objective of every day?
Thanks!
Megan
BRIAN POLIKOWSKY
Also, what age did you start unschooling? At this age (3), would you
have play be the primary objective of every day?
-=-=-=-=-
At any age play can be the primary objective of every day!!!!!!!!
I live in a Farm and I am at least one hour and 15 minutes from any big museum. We do just fine.
Field trips with friends or just us as family are fun!
Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
have play be the primary objective of every day?
-=-=-=-=-
At any age play can be the primary objective of every day!!!!!!!!
I live in a Farm and I am at least one hour and 15 minutes from any big museum. We do just fine.
Field trips with friends or just us as family are fun!
Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kelly Lovejoy
-----Original Message-----
From: Megan <mmaines@...>
This will likely involve moving from our Maryland suburb (about 45
minutes from Washington, DC) to a rural area in Delaware (near the
beaches).
-==-=-=-
I was at the Ohio Waterpark Gathering last week. I swear there must have been five families from Delaware. Who'da thunk? None could possibly be all that far from you!
-=-=-=-==-
Of course, we'll have internet access, but not as much
access to the great museums and libraries that we have here. Does
living in a more rural area impact unschooling? I haven't checked yet
whether there are any unschooling groups in the area we'll be moving
to.
-=-==-=-=-
It's funny. Folks will come on who live in New York City who ask about unschooling in a big city. They think it must be harder because of the lack of trees and chickens and nature trails. Country folks wonder about the lack of museums and such. Suburbanites worry about *both* of those.
It's NOT about what you DON'T have. It's about what you DO have! Nothing's far---seriously. Unless you live way up in Bemidji, MN---I don't know how they do THAT! <G>
Experiencing the *other* stuff is for visiting friends and going to conferences. Enjoy what you have available. Even if you think it's not much, there's no way you can see *everything* your area has to offer!
But at three, he really needs "close-to-home" stuff right now anyway!
-=-=-=-=-=-
Also, what a
ge did you start unschooling? At this age (3), would you
have play be the primary objective of every day?
-=-=-=-=-=-
My 13 and 21 years olds---AND this 48 year old!---play is the primary objective of every single day!
~Kelly
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~Ghandi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
From: Megan <mmaines@...>
This will likely involve moving from our Maryland suburb (about 45
minutes from Washington, DC) to a rural area in Delaware (near the
beaches).
-==-=-=-
I was at the Ohio Waterpark Gathering last week. I swear there must have been five families from Delaware. Who'da thunk? None could possibly be all that far from you!
-=-=-=-==-
Of course, we'll have internet access, but not as much
access to the great museums and libraries that we have here. Does
living in a more rural area impact unschooling? I haven't checked yet
whether there are any unschooling groups in the area we'll be moving
to.
-=-==-=-=-
It's funny. Folks will come on who live in New York City who ask about unschooling in a big city. They think it must be harder because of the lack of trees and chickens and nature trails. Country folks wonder about the lack of museums and such. Suburbanites worry about *both* of those.
It's NOT about what you DON'T have. It's about what you DO have! Nothing's far---seriously. Unless you live way up in Bemidji, MN---I don't know how they do THAT! <G>
Experiencing the *other* stuff is for visiting friends and going to conferences. Enjoy what you have available. Even if you think it's not much, there's no way you can see *everything* your area has to offer!
But at three, he really needs "close-to-home" stuff right now anyway!
-=-=-=-=-=-
Also, what a
ge did you start unschooling? At this age (3), would you
have play be the primary objective of every day?
-=-=-=-=-=-
My 13 and 21 years olds---AND this 48 year old!---play is the primary objective of every single day!
~Kelly
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~Ghandi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
BRIAN POLIKOWSKY
It's NOT about what you DON'T have. It's about what you DO have! Nothing's far---seriously. Unless you live way up in Bemidji, MN---I don't know how they do THAT! <G>
-=-=-=-=-=-=
That is why they moved down closer to you!!!!!!!!<BWG>!
Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
-=-=-=-=-=-=
That is why they moved down closer to you!!!!!!!!<BWG>!
Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
--- In [email protected], "Megan" <mmaines@...> wrote:
out for the goats!
Periodically I worry about my very social 15yo getting enough social
time, living where we do. But then I start thinking back about all he
does - parties and events and coffee houses and trips and just plain
hanging out with friends - and I don't worry so much. There are ways
to connect with others, even living in the middle of nowhere.
will be useful resources or not. Some people love those, others not
so much. My 15yo isn't much a fan of either. My 7yo enjoys museums
and zoos, but doesn't have much patience for stopping and looking. So
visiting those places is more like a high speed chase than a "trip to
a museum"! It can be great fun... but bring your running shoes!
Anyway, the upshot of that is we don't go very often - but when we do
it tends to be a great event and lots of fun for the whole family.
word "unschooling" when she was 2ish. My 15yo is my stepson. He's
been unschooling for about 2.5 yrs now - before then he lived with
his mom and was in school, but when he was little he lived with us
and homeschooled (long story).
feeling forced to do so, all learning is a kind of play - human
beings love to learn! My stepson has gone from a surly school kid who
Hated learning with a passion to a staunch advocate for the idea of
learning as a natural, joyful process.
Now is a good time to step back (metaphorically speaking) and look at
How your child learns. You can learn a lot about him from watching
the way he plays right now. Is he methodical or does he leap into new
things? Does he laugh in the face of failure or get easily
frustrated? He's already expressing his basic temperament, which will
have a big impact on how he learns his whole life long. You have a
wonderful opportunity to start supporting his learning process at an
early age!
Of course, its a wonderful thing to invite your little one to take
part in any kind of family and household activities, too. Younger
children often love to have the opportunity to help wash things, sort
things, pour and cut and stir things - all those things are play to a
young child. There's no reason whatsoever not to look through
various "activities" for young children with an eye to offering it as
something fun to do. Just make sure its an offer, not a plan or a
lesson. Kids are amazingly good at knowing their own primary
objectives ;)
---Meredith (Mo 7, Ray 15)
>DoesWe live very rurally indeed - most of our road is paved, but watch
> living in a more rural area impact unschooling?
out for the goats!
Periodically I worry about my very social 15yo getting enough social
time, living where we do. But then I start thinking back about all he
does - parties and events and coffee houses and trips and just plain
hanging out with friends - and I don't worry so much. There are ways
to connect with others, even living in the middle of nowhere.
>not as muchSince your ds is only 3, you can't yet know if museums or libraries
> access to the great museums and libraries that we have here
will be useful resources or not. Some people love those, others not
so much. My 15yo isn't much a fan of either. My 7yo enjoys museums
and zoos, but doesn't have much patience for stopping and looking. So
visiting those places is more like a high speed chase than a "trip to
a museum"! It can be great fun... but bring your running shoes!
Anyway, the upshot of that is we don't go very often - but when we do
it tends to be a great event and lots of fun for the whole family.
> Also, what age did you start unschooling?My 7yo has been unschooled from the start - I think I first saw the
word "unschooling" when she was 2ish. My 15yo is my stepson. He's
been unschooling for about 2.5 yrs now - before then he lived with
his mom and was in school, but when he was little he lived with us
and homeschooled (long story).
> At this age (3), would youPlay is how children learn. Ultimately, when people can learn without
> have play be the primary objective of every day?
feeling forced to do so, all learning is a kind of play - human
beings love to learn! My stepson has gone from a surly school kid who
Hated learning with a passion to a staunch advocate for the idea of
learning as a natural, joyful process.
Now is a good time to step back (metaphorically speaking) and look at
How your child learns. You can learn a lot about him from watching
the way he plays right now. Is he methodical or does he leap into new
things? Does he laugh in the face of failure or get easily
frustrated? He's already expressing his basic temperament, which will
have a big impact on how he learns his whole life long. You have a
wonderful opportunity to start supporting his learning process at an
early age!
Of course, its a wonderful thing to invite your little one to take
part in any kind of family and household activities, too. Younger
children often love to have the opportunity to help wash things, sort
things, pour and cut and stir things - all those things are play to a
young child. There's no reason whatsoever not to look through
various "activities" for young children with an eye to offering it as
something fun to do. Just make sure its an offer, not a plan or a
lesson. Kids are amazingly good at knowing their own primary
objectives ;)
---Meredith (Mo 7, Ray 15)
Faith Void
You got a lot of good answers so far. We live rural in small (pop500) town.
There is a tiny city nearby (25 minutes) and a couple medium cities within 2
hours. We can go to the city if there is something my kids desire there. We
stay home and play A LOT. My kids are 1, 6 and 12. We have been living and
learning all their lives. I quit school and started de-schooling myself at
15 or 16.
I would say play is not only our primary objective but we try to just have
fun with whatever we are doing. We have a dog, cat, chickens and hermit
crabs. And live within walking distance of a nice trail for biking or
walking/running. There is a church in town that has a playground that the
kids can use (we don't attend). We also have an amazing creek that we swim
in all summer long.
Today we played in the playroom, building marble runs and making a puppet
show. We read a few books. We walked in the rain and jumped on the
trampoline. We went to the store and found a huge canvas for dd12. We
watched part of a movie and ate some food. We met the school bus and played
with friends outside and now inside. They are presently all playing
MarioKart on our wii. I believe the older crew walked to the playground.
they also have a fort. at some point a game of hide and seak ensued. plenty
to do!
I do feel isolated some times but to be perfectly honest I found it hard to
find other unschoolers when we lived in Baltimore (a big but not huge) city.
Some of my kids love museums, libraries and that kind of thing. Others
don't. So we do a huge variety of things. They all are very active so we
find ourselves out doors a lot moving around. Running, biking, hiking,
playing tag, jumping on the trampoline, chasing each other, playing wii,
going on treasure hunts, making big art and all kinds of stuff.
Also our library is tiny but we can order whatever we want online and have
it delivered from another library ready for pick up. It is awesome.
I think fun is what you make of it. All unschooling takes is paying
attention to your child and yourself and searching out what you need. You
can find it anywhere. LOL< I totally make it sounds easy. It takes work. I
believe parenting is a career. It takes time, commitment, love and lots of
energy.
Best wishes
Faith
mY blog link is at the bottom if you want to check out what my rural living
kids do.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a tiny city nearby (25 minutes) and a couple medium cities within 2
hours. We can go to the city if there is something my kids desire there. We
stay home and play A LOT. My kids are 1, 6 and 12. We have been living and
learning all their lives. I quit school and started de-schooling myself at
15 or 16.
I would say play is not only our primary objective but we try to just have
fun with whatever we are doing. We have a dog, cat, chickens and hermit
crabs. And live within walking distance of a nice trail for biking or
walking/running. There is a church in town that has a playground that the
kids can use (we don't attend). We also have an amazing creek that we swim
in all summer long.
Today we played in the playroom, building marble runs and making a puppet
show. We read a few books. We walked in the rain and jumped on the
trampoline. We went to the store and found a huge canvas for dd12. We
watched part of a movie and ate some food. We met the school bus and played
with friends outside and now inside. They are presently all playing
MarioKart on our wii. I believe the older crew walked to the playground.
they also have a fort. at some point a game of hide and seak ensued. plenty
to do!
I do feel isolated some times but to be perfectly honest I found it hard to
find other unschoolers when we lived in Baltimore (a big but not huge) city.
Some of my kids love museums, libraries and that kind of thing. Others
don't. So we do a huge variety of things. They all are very active so we
find ourselves out doors a lot moving around. Running, biking, hiking,
playing tag, jumping on the trampoline, chasing each other, playing wii,
going on treasure hunts, making big art and all kinds of stuff.
Also our library is tiny but we can order whatever we want online and have
it delivered from another library ready for pick up. It is awesome.
I think fun is what you make of it. All unschooling takes is paying
attention to your child and yourself and searching out what you need. You
can find it anywhere. LOL< I totally make it sounds easy. It takes work. I
believe parenting is a career. It takes time, commitment, love and lots of
energy.
Best wishes
Faith
mY blog link is at the bottom if you want to check out what my rural living
kids do.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 1:39 PM, Megan <mmaines@...> wrote:
> Does
> living in a more rural area impact unschooling?
>
> Also, what age did you start unschooling? At this age (3), would you
> have play be the primary objective of every day?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Megan
>
>
--
http://faithvoid.blogspot.com/
www.bearthmama.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Deb
We "discovered" unschooling by the time DS was born. Took a while
(until he was between 3 and 5) to get the "lifestyle" aspects sorted
out (bedtimes, etc). So we 'started' unschooling right along with his
first breath and first taste of momma milk.
Yes, PLAY is the main activity of kids - it's not an "Objective" it's
just living life. Setting out "objectives" is still part of thinking of
things as separated into "educational" and "everything else". Live
life - it's all good. Explore, do, experience, be curious.
Some folks love living rural; others thrive on urban. Neither is better
than the other for unschooling. Unschooling is living life wherever you
are. Some folks can walk down the street and milk a goat; others walk
down the street and visit an art gallery; then there's us - we can't
walk anywhere BUT we do have a two nice lakes within a 5 minute drive.
It's all different and it's all good.
--Deb R
(until he was between 3 and 5) to get the "lifestyle" aspects sorted
out (bedtimes, etc). So we 'started' unschooling right along with his
first breath and first taste of momma milk.
Yes, PLAY is the main activity of kids - it's not an "Objective" it's
just living life. Setting out "objectives" is still part of thinking of
things as separated into "educational" and "everything else". Live
life - it's all good. Explore, do, experience, be curious.
Some folks love living rural; others thrive on urban. Neither is better
than the other for unschooling. Unschooling is living life wherever you
are. Some folks can walk down the street and milk a goat; others walk
down the street and visit an art gallery; then there's us - we can't
walk anywhere BUT we do have a two nice lakes within a 5 minute drive.
It's all different and it's all good.
--Deb R
cindybablitz
> Also, what age did you start unschooling?We started unschooling when our eldest was five, because that's when
we first heard of the word unschooling. We had Noah all registered
for kindergarten, across the road, (moved to this neighborhood for
the excellent proximity to schools, lol) and when we realized, wtf
are we *thinking*?! an introduction to homeschooling via the
Charlotte Mason Companion quickly domino'd to a crash course in
homeschooling 101, and, like fitting a hand into an old glove, we
grooved into unschooling by changing not one thing we'd already been
doing for five years.
So, we say, Noah has been unschooled since he was five; Tristan was
unschooled from the start; but I consider Elijah our only *truly*
ALWAYS unschooled son, because it was after we started unschooling
that we stumbled into attachment parent circles and ideals ... making
us cringe a bit at some of the nonsense we subjected Noah to for a
few years, and Tristan for less than that.
> At this age (3), would you have play be the primary objective of"Primary objective" sounds so, you know, like Star Trek ... lol.
> every day?
Ruther, I think I'd say, you know, organically moving through your
days is what seems more natural ... . Cooking, baking, cleaning,
doing laundry, napping together, gardening, playing in the sand,
coloring, painting, visiting/playing with friends, banking,
playing ... ... ... .
Enjoy your relationships Megan!
warmly,
cindy
Lisa Meuser
We have unschooled since birth, and lived in a rural setting until
Kathrynn was 3.5. We started to go into town to the library about
once a week or so when she was around 3, maybe while still 2.....
And went to a park that was near town almost every day if the weather
was nice. All she did was play back then ( things haven't changed too
much for us in that department.... <BWG>)
As she became more social and able to feel comfortable out in the
world, our trips into town increased, to about 2-3 x a week.
When we moved into town at 3.5, we continued this routine.....
Our social needs have ebbed and flowed according to her needs, as well
as what is going on "out there." Because I have a very social child,
but one who is also highly sensitive, it has always been about
finding our rhythm and balance with it all. Starting out slow, and
then making some connections and making friends was paramount for us.
I'm wondering if would have access to a small local library (maybe
not as big as the ones you were used to but something....)- we had one
even though we were in a rural setting. That was a great resource for
us.... As was the park..... The beach sounds heavenly to me!!! :)
HTH
lisa :)
http://perpetualjoy.blogspot.com/
Kathrynn was 3.5. We started to go into town to the library about
once a week or so when she was around 3, maybe while still 2.....
And went to a park that was near town almost every day if the weather
was nice. All she did was play back then ( things haven't changed too
much for us in that department.... <BWG>)
As she became more social and able to feel comfortable out in the
world, our trips into town increased, to about 2-3 x a week.
When we moved into town at 3.5, we continued this routine.....
Our social needs have ebbed and flowed according to her needs, as well
as what is going on "out there." Because I have a very social child,
but one who is also highly sensitive, it has always been about
finding our rhythm and balance with it all. Starting out slow, and
then making some connections and making friends was paramount for us.
I'm wondering if would have access to a small local library (maybe
not as big as the ones you were used to but something....)- we had one
even though we were in a rural setting. That was a great resource for
us.... As was the park..... The beach sounds heavenly to me!!! :)
HTH
lisa :)
http://perpetualjoy.blogspot.com/
Megan
Thanks so much to everyone for your thoughtful responses. There is a
small library in town, and I'm sure there are more activities than I
am aware of. It's a resort town, so lots going on in the warmer
months, and not much at all in the colder ones.
Since the goal is for my DH and I to step out of the rat race and
start our own graphic design business, essentially our entire family
will be on this unschooling adventure.
My DS is introverted, highly sensitive, and a homebody (at least for
now). He enjoys other children, but doesn't need to be around them to
be happy. So I think unschooling will fit him well.
Megan
--- In [email protected], Lisa Meuser <llmeuser@...>
wrote:
small library in town, and I'm sure there are more activities than I
am aware of. It's a resort town, so lots going on in the warmer
months, and not much at all in the colder ones.
Since the goal is for my DH and I to step out of the rat race and
start our own graphic design business, essentially our entire family
will be on this unschooling adventure.
My DS is introverted, highly sensitive, and a homebody (at least for
now). He enjoys other children, but doesn't need to be around them to
be happy. So I think unschooling will fit him well.
Megan
--- In [email protected], Lisa Meuser <llmeuser@...>
wrote:
>one
>
> I'm wondering if would have access to a small local library (maybe
> not as big as the ones you were used to but something....)- we had
> even though we were in a rural setting. That was a great resourcefor
> us.... As was the park..... The beach sounds heavenly to me!!! :)
>
>
> HTH
> lisa :)
>
> http://perpetualjoy.blogspot.com/
>
Kelly Lovejoy
-----Original Message-----
From: Megan <mmaines@...>
My DS is introverted, highly sensitive, and a homebody (at least for
now). He enjoys other children, but doesn't need to be around them to
be happy. So I think unschooling will fit him well.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Both my boys are extroverts (probably), mid-to-low sensitive, and LOVE to travel. Unschooling fits them well too. <G>
It's really about finding what works for the *individual*---which is what school canNOT do. Unschooling looks different for each child because each child IS different. Unschooling "works" because it can offer exactly what the child needs.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~Ghandi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
From: Megan <mmaines@...>
My DS is introverted, highly sensitive, and a homebody (at least for
now). He enjoys other children, but doesn't need to be around them to
be happy. So I think unschooling will fit him well.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Both my boys are extroverts (probably), mid-to-low sensitive, and LOVE to travel. Unschooling fits them well too. <G>
It's really about finding what works for the *individual*---which is what school canNOT do. Unschooling looks different for each child because each child IS different. Unschooling "works" because it can offer exactly what the child needs.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~Ghandi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]