Shauna

Hi all. I'm new to both this list, and unschooling really. I've just started researching unschooling, and think it might be a great fit for us (something I previously didn't think). I've always secretly admired unschoolers, but never thought it would work for me (not necessarily my kids, but ME). I'm rethinking my whole educational philosophy and trying to let go of the way I *think* learning should happen, and just let it happen. I was looking at the message boards at unschooling.com and saw a link for this group and hopped right on, since I'm in the "learn all I can" stage at the moment, the more sources I can absorb from the better. My daughters are 6 1/2 and almost 5 (next month). I also homeschool my 15 year old neice, and tutor my 16 yr old nephew.

Shauna
Mama to Carson and Ashlyn
"Men are always whining about how we're suffocating them. Personally, I think if you can hear them whining you're not pressing hard enough on the pillow!"


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

Danielle Conger

===I'm rethinking my whole educational philosophy and trying to let go
of the way I *think* learning should happen, and just let it happen. I
was looking at the message boards at unschooling.com and saw a link for
this group and hopped right on, since I'm in the "learn all I can" stage
at the moment, the more sources I can absorb from the better. My
daughters are 6 1/2 and almost 5 (next month). =====

Hi Shauna,

I'm Danielle, Unschooling mom to Emily (7), Julia (5) and Sam (4).
You've come to the right place! The energy and information here is
great--read back through some of the archives and you'll find a wealth
of information.

You might find the Always Unschooled list useful--it's focus is on
Unschooling children under 8. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlwaysUnschooled

There's also the Unschooling Info Forum:
http://www.unschooling.info/forum/ which is pretty new but has a
really great thread going about "What is Unschooling?"

--Danielle

http://www.danielleconger.com/Homeschool/Welcomehome.html


>

Misty

Hi my name is Misty, I have a 2 1/2 yo daughter and we live in the
North Plano area. I was wondering if all meet regularly for any park
days or other playdate type events. We are just starting home
schooling and I'm looking for other kids toddler/preschool that will
help my daughter feel this is as normal as her friends that are
beginning pre-school.

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/24/2006 8:44:08 P.M. Central Standard Time,
misty@... writes:

Hi my name is Misty, I have a 2 1/2 yo daughter and we live in the
North Plano area. I was wondering if all meet regularly for any park
days or other playdate type events. We are just starting home
schooling and I'm looking for other kids toddler/preschool that will
help my daughter feel this is as normal as her friends that are
beginning pre-school.


Hi Misty my name is Alyssa i have a 2 1/2 year old a 6 month old and am 5
weeks preggo. We live in Geneva so not to far from you.

~Alyssa
Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2) and Gage(5 months)

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like you do when nobody's watching."


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

Misty Felner

Where is Geneva, I'm not familiar with it?



_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
SquishyMommy1@...
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 10:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] Re: [unschoolingbasics] New here





In a message dated 3/24/2006 8:44:08 P.M. Central Standard Time,
misty@... writes:

Hi my name is Misty, I have a 2 1/2 yo daughter and we live in the
North Plano area. I was wondering if all meet regularly for any park
days or other playdate type events. We are just starting home
schooling and I'm looking for other kids toddler/preschool that will
help my daughter feel this is as normal as her friends that are
beginning pre-school.


Hi Misty my name is Alyssa i have a 2 1/2 year old a 6 month old and am 5
weeks preggo. We live in Geneva so not to far from you.

~Alyssa
Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2) and Gage(5 months)

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like you do when nobody's watching."


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




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[email protected]

In a message dated 3/25/2006 9:31:48 A.M. Central Standard Time,
misty@... writes:

Where is Geneva, I'm not familiar with it?


i think i was confused we have a plano in IL and you are in Texas correct?

~Alyssa
Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2 1/2) and Gage(6 months)

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like you do when nobody's watching."


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

Misty Felner

Texas that’s right, sorry I should have been more specific. So are you
doing anything currently with your 2 ½ yo?



Misty



_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
SquishyMommy1@...
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 11:24 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] New here





In a message dated 3/25/2006 9:31:48 A.M. Central Standard Time,
misty@... writes:

Where is Geneva, I'm not familiar with it?


i think i was confused we have a plano in IL and you are in Texas correct?

~Alyssa
Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2 1/2) and Gage(6 months)

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like you do when nobody's watching."


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




SPONSORED LINKS


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online

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[email protected]

In a message dated 3/25/2006 8:51:30 P.M. Central Standard Time,
misty@... writes:

Texas that’s right, sorry I should have been more specific. So are you
doing anything currently with your 2 ½ yo?



LOL lots. He is able to read simple words like cat, dog , home stuff like
that. We read to him ALOT. The leap frog book things have been really great
for us. We have this preschool computer game(the name escapes me right now i
will get back to you on it) Blue's clues has been an intrical part of our
days. He has learned so much from watching the shows. We count everything,
how many lines are on the rode, how many kids he sees, how many yellow/red cars
we see. We also do Gymboree so he gets the interaction with other kids. We
go to lots of museums. We only live about an hour by train from Chicago, so
we have all the stuff there aquarium ( which he loves) the brookfield zoo.
He loves animals. We draw alot. He loves to draw on our walls LOL(not so
good) so we got chalk board paint and painted his walls so he can write all
over them. We have used ALOT of Mr clean magic erasers before we did the paint.
LOL. We love to go on walks and i point out different animals ( if we se
any) or birds. We watch a TON of animal planet, discovery, Discovery health,
TLC, History channel. We also watch a game show called Lingo that is like
tic tac toe but you guess words and get balls he is a little young to guess the
words but he likes the show. LOL is that enough? LMAO

~Alyssa
Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2 1/2) and Gage(6 months)

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like you do when nobody's watching."

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/)

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/)



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

Paige

> ~Alyssa
> Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2 1/2) and Gage(6
months)

I have to know...why are you crunchy?
:)
Paige

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/25/2006 9:56:03 P.M. Central Standard Time,
paigehughes1972@... writes:

> Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2 1/2) and Gage(6
months)

I have to know...why are you crunchy?


we only eat organic no sugar or "junk" food. And i use cloth pads for my
period and cloth diapers. But we dont do organic clothes or linens or anything
like that. I try to use as much organic or non toxic cleaners as i can get
my hands on, some things just dont cut it though. Like i HAVE TO HAVE my Mr
Clean Magic erasers. LMAO. That is the slightly crunchy if i was really crunchy
i would be doing all organic clothes and cleaning products stuff like that.
Is that any help? LOL

~Alyssa
Slightly crunchy, unschooling Mom to Landen(2 1/2) and Gage(6 months)

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like you do when nobody's watching."

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/)

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/)



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

Misty Felner

Re: We have this preschool computer game(the name escapes me right now I
will get back to you on it)



My dd really loves the computer. She plays some games on a special keyboard
we got her, but she's starting to become too advanced for it. She likes
playing games on-line, but I've noticed she doesn't seem to get how the
mouse works yet. Does anyone know of any games that can help with this.
Other games in general appropriate for her age would be good to know too.



Thanks,

misty

_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
SquishyMommy1@...
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:09 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] New here









_____



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

Nancy Reeves

We have Winnie the Pooh Toddler and Mickey Mouse Toddler
that my 2 & 3 yr olds use. They only require that the mouse
be hovered over something to select it. Clicking works, too,
but is not required. My 3 yr old got the mouse thing very
quickly when he was 2, but my 2.5 yr old still reaches up
and touches the screen instead of trying to move the mouse.
He will click the button when I remind him, though.

Winnie the Pooh Baby takes any keystroke to make the action
happen. Mouse movement & clicks are needed to change from
one game to another.

Hope that helps.

Nancy

-----Original Message-----
From: Misty Felner
>I've noticed she doesn't seem to get how the mouse works
yet.
>Does anyone know of any games that can help with this.

Thanks,

misty

Kristie Cochran

We have those too. My ds was playing Mickey Mouse Toddler around 18mo
and really got proficient with the mouse and the computer in general.
He then moved on to a motorcycle racing game, which required him to use
the arrow keys to move the motorcycle around the different tracks. We
didn't really like the Winnie the Pooh game and haven't used that one
much at all. We're trying to introduce our 16mo to MMT now.

Kristie

Nancy Reeves wrote:
> We have Winnie the Pooh Toddler and Mickey Mouse Toddler
> that my 2 & 3 yr olds use.

S Drag-teine

How old is she? We use Reader Rabbit Playtime for Baby for 9 - 24 months and
then we will move to JumpStart Toddler both help with using the mouse.

Shannon

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Misty Felner
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 9:16 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Computer games

Re: We have this preschool computer game(the name escapes me right now I
will get back to you on it)



My dd really loves the computer. She plays some games on a special keyboard
we got her, but she's starting to become too advanced for it. She likes
playing games on-line, but I've noticed she doesn't seem to get how the
mouse works yet. Does anyone know of any games that can help with this.
Other games in general appropriate for her age would be good to know too.



Thanks,

misty

_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
SquishyMommy1@...
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:09 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] New here









_____



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






Yahoo! Groups Links

Cant tell you

Hey all. I'm a stay at home mom of three beautiful children ages 7,5,
and 1. We just recently decided to start homeschool this fall. I am
trying to learn as much as I can before we get started. I'm excited
thinking about all the fun activities we can do together as a family,
but at the same time, i'm really nervous that I won't teach them
something they really need to know.
I know that a lot of our friends are going to think we're crazy for
homeschooling. So i'm still trying to figure out how to break it to
them.
But I couldn't be more happier with our decision. :)

Manisha Kher

--- Cant tell you <jusplaincrazz@...> wrote:

I'm excited
> thinking about all the fun activities we can do
> together as a family,
> but at the same time, i'm really nervous that I
> won't teach them
> something they really need to know.
LOL. Believe me, you won't teach them many things
they'll need to know. Because nobody knows what
they'll need to know years from now. I went to school
and on to engineering college and then to 2 years of
graduate school. Yet most of what I know now comes
from on the job experience. And this when I work full
time as a software engineer, which is basically an
extension of what I went to school for. It would be
even more so for people who change fields.

The best thing you can do for your kids is give them
the attitude of learning. They need to feel that they
can learn things when they need to. I know too many
people who think they cannot learn anything unless
they take a class. They're afraid to pick up a book or
just try stuff. I think that's what school's teach -
the idea that you cannot learn without being taught.

Manisha


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

JAMIE BUTLER

Hi everyone!! I am currently homeschooling my 6 year old son. I
recently found a book about kids who learn visually and I have been
reevaluating what I have been doing. I am using a program called
c.l.a.s.s ( christian liberty academy school system) It was okay for
awhile, but my son hates workbooks and I find him to be very fidgety
and off in his own world when I am teaching him. I came hear to learn
more of the unschooling approach. I don't like it structured but I
want to know that he is learning. I already get bad comments from the
world about homeschooling with family. I just want to see my kids
happy while learning. Any advice would be great and I am looking
forward to getting to know you all. Jamie

eriksmama2001

--- In [email protected], "JAMIE BUTLER"
<coffeebuzzed24@...> wrote:
< I don't like it structured but I > want to know that he is learning.

Welcome Jamie,

How could you keep him from learning? How could anyone keep *you* from
learning? is the parallel question to ponder. Trust and observation
will allow you to *see* that learning happens all the time. For all of
us.

Pat

Michelle/Melbrigða

On 7/7/06, JAMIE BUTLER <coffeebuzzed24@...> wrote:
> Hi everyone!! I am currently homeschooling my 6 year old son. I
> recently found a book about kids who learn visually and I have been
> reevaluating what I have been doing. I am using a program called
> c.l.a.s.s ( christian liberty academy school system) It was okay for
> awhile, but my son hates workbooks and I find him to be very fidgety
> and off in his own world when I am teaching him. I came hear to learn
> more of the unschooling approach. I don't like it structured but I
> want to know that he is learning.

Could he not learn? Can you imagine that it is possible that a person
could not learn? I learn something new everyday. Just today I
learned how glaciers are located by artic explorers. Now I may never
need that information, but I could see how this procedure could be
used in other instances (because it is doubtful I will be doing any
artic exploring anytime soon) :-D

>I already get bad comments from the
> world about homeschooling with family.

Someone is always going to be critical of the things you do. Your
children are the only ones that you have to be accountable to. As
long as you are complying with the letter of the law there what can
they do? Basically just bitch that you are doing something that they
don't (and will refuse to) understand. (most of the time.) If your
children succeed (in their opinion) then people are going to say,
"Amazingly her children made it" and if they are "bums" (again in
their opinion) then they are going to say, "See, that unschooling
stuff is for the birds."

>I just want to see my kids
> happy while learning.

Let them be happy and free and they won't be able to be stopped
learning. Just realize that learning in an unschooling family looks
much different than in traditionally schooled families.

--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist

Joanne

Hi Jamie,

If you're looking to learn more about unschooling, you came to the
right place. My advice? Grab a drink, sit back and start reading some
of the posts here. You'll find lots of suggestions on how you can
change your own view of education.
Welcome!

~ 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], "JAMIE BUTLER"
<coffeebuzzed24@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone!! I am currently homeschooling my 6 year old son. I
> recently found a book about kids who learn visually and I have been
> reevaluating what I have been doing. I am using a program called
> c.l.a.s.s ( christian liberty academy school system) It was okay for
> awhile, but my son hates workbooks and I find him to be very fidgety
> and off in his own world when I am teaching him. I came hear to learn
> more of the unschooling approach. I don't like it structured but I
> want to know that he is learning. I already get bad comments from the
> world about homeschooling with family. I just want to see my kids
> happy while learning. Any advice would be great and I am looking
> forward to getting to know you all. Jamie
>

Tracy

Hi Ladies,

I joined about 2 weeks ago & have been lurking trying to take in all
the info I can on the unschooling lifestyle. I live in south Alabama
with my husband of 14 years & our 3 children. This will be our 4th
year of "homeschooling".

My son, Kendall, is 13 & he went to puiblic school for K-4th grade. My
daughter, Kayla, will be 10 in Nov. and she only attended
Kindergarten. My youngest daughter, Kenzie, just turned 6 and has
never been to public school.

We started out using a curriculum the first year, but hated it and
soon dropped it. We usually start out the new school year
doing "school" -- reading books, doing math workbooks, doing copywork
for handwriting, but it never lasts & I've felt so guilty and lazy for
not sticking with it.

I know I have alot of changes to make in myself & in our home, but
where do I start?

~Tracy

P.S. Michelle, I saw your daughter's video & thought it was really
cool. My son now wants to learn how to make a video of his own. He
loves video games & said your daughter must be really smart. :)

[email protected]

Tracy - I was just in Gulf Shores a few weeks ago! And my radical unschooling buddy Carrie and her family was there, too! I'm so sorry you missed the opportunity to meet us! LOL I'm going to email you off-list, okay?

Deirdre


I joined about 2 weeks ago & have been lurking trying to take in all
the info I can on the unschooling lifestyle. I live in south Alabama
with my husband of 14 years & our 3 children. This will be our 4th
year of "homeschooling".

My son, Kendall, is 13 & he went to puiblic school for K-4th grade. My
daughter, Kayla, will be 10 in Nov. and she only attended
Kindergarten. My youngest daughter, Kenzie, just turned 6 and has
never been to public school.

We started out using a curriculum the first year, but hated it and
soon dropped it. We usually start out the new school year
doing "school" -- reading books, doing math workbooks, doing copywork
for handwriting, but it never lasts & I've felt so guilty and lazy for
not sticking with it.

I know I have alot of changes to make in myself & in our home, but
where do I start?

~Tracy

Michelle Leifur Reid

On 9/1/06, Tracy <rosehavencottage@...> wrote:
> Hi Ladies,
>
>
> My son, Kendall, is 13 & he went to puiblic school for K-4th grade. My
> daughter, Kayla, will be 10 in Nov. and she only attended
> Kindergarten. My youngest daughter, Kenzie, just turned 6 and has
> never been to public school.
> P.S. Michelle, I saw your daughter's video & thought it was really
> cool. My son now wants to learn how to make a video of his own. He
> loves video games & said your daughter must be really smart. :)
>

Hey Tracy, I'm just now finding your original message (it got buried
somehow and I missed it.) Your kids are very close to my kids' ages.
Kendall and Emily can get together some Wednesday and she can share
with him the whole deal with making the AMV's. She uses Windows Movie
Maker and downloads the clips from KH-Vids.net She would love to have
someone "local" to be able to chat with about this. Her best (and
mostly only) friend just moved to Atlanta and she is having a very
difficult time dealing with (yet another) friend moving away. It
seems to be the pattern of her life. :( She's currently working on
two different AMV's. One is using Intermission by Panic at the Disco
and the other is using One Week (by I Don't Know LOL!) She's also
done one to Linkin Park.

--
Michelle
Michelle Leifur Reid
YOUR Pampered Chef Consultant
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Check out my homeschool cooking classes!

Karen Swanay

Hello all,
>

My name is Karen and I am the mother of three kids, John 11, Liam 9 and Xian
Yi 3. I pulled the boys out of school at the end of last year for numerous
reasons. I am trying this "unschooling" thing but must admit to being
scared out of my mind. It's so hard to discard old thought structure! I
have visions of them not being able to get into college because they aren't
interested in math. What do you all do about that? I understand the basics
but at some point, if they want to be as my oldest expresses, a
herpetologist he's going to need to get into college and pass organic
chemistry. That is going to take a grasp of the abstract and theory. And I
don't see that coming on naturally as we live our lives. So how do your
kids transition into college?

Anyway, we are living in pergatory known as Panama City Fl. I hate it
here. This is where culture and diversity come to die. So there isn't
anything to do. We go to the beach quite a bit but use the tv as a way to
get out of here and exposure to other times and places. We hope to be out
of here in a year or so and it looks like it will be DC after this so that
is terribly exciting because of all the area has to offer.

So, I'm here and I'm new and I'm terrified.
Karen


>
>



--
"Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about."

LOI 1/26/07
PA 3/22/07
DTC 8/10/07
Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling, tact, or fact are transmission errors.

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


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

Meredith

Hi, Karen, I'm Meredith mom to Morgan 6 "always" unschooled, and
stepmom to Ray, who Just Turned 14!!!!! He moved in with us and
started unschooling about a year ago.

> I am trying this "unschooling" thing but must admit to being
> scared out of my mind. It's so hard to discard old thought
structure! I
> have visions of them not being able to get into college because
they aren't
> interested in math. What do you all do about that?

I found it most helpful, when I was just getting my feet wet, to
read the stories of longtime unschoolers. There's a whole passle of
blogs listed in the "links" folder, so here's a link to *that* if
you're not reading at the web site:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingbasics/links/unschoolers_blo
gs_001085929218/

> I understand the basics
> but at some point, if they want to be as my oldest expresses, a
> herpetologist he's going to need to get into college and pass
organic
> chemistry. That is going to take a grasp of the abstract and
theory. And I
> don't see that coming on naturally as we live our lives.

Its important to realize that *you* need to deschool as much as the
kids - or more! since you've had many more years for school to get
under your skin. Abstract thinking doesn't come from school. If
anything, its just the opposite. Think about all the things you
*hated* about school, both for yourself and your kids. I'd be
willing to bet the regurgitation of disconnected facts was somewhere
on that list. Abstract thinking and problem solving are things
people learn *despite* school, not because of it.

If your oldest is interested in reptiles *right now*, take him
places where he can see some critters - pet stores, for example. You
don't need to plan impressive "field trips" to zoos and science
museums (although those can be fun now and again), you can go out
for lunch, stop at a pet shop or two and maybe another fun stop for
your other kids.

If he's interested in organic chemistry *right now* look into cheese
or candy making or fermentation. Real chemistry experiments you can
eat. Heck, if *you're* interested in organic chemistry, try some of
those things for *you*. They're fascinating, and they'll keep you
out of your kids' hair while their learning ;)

> Anyway, we are living in pergatory known as Panama City Fl. I
hate it
> here. This is where culture and diversity come to die. So there
isn't
> anything to do. We go to the beach quite a bit but use the tv as
a way to
> get out of here and exposure to other times and places.

The beach and tv are great resources! Here's where you can do some
more deschooling, though - as I said before, you don't really need
fancy field trips for "educational experiences". Kids learn from
Everything! Here's a link to "Deb's list of things to do in the
winter" that might spark your imagination a bit if you're looking to
get out of the house more:

http://sandradodd.com/strew/deblist

I re-read that list whenever I feel like I'm stuck in a rut and need
a new idea.

> So, I'm here and I'm new and I'm terrified.

Its intimidating to step off the map, as it were! Try to remember
that everything changes, and its no good trying to second guess the
future. So its Most important to help your kids feel good about
themselves and their abilities and their support system. That's the
most valuble "foundation" they can have.

---Meredith (Mo 6, Ray 14)

Donna Vanderlip

Hi Merideth and Karen

It is a scary thing and it is hard to discard the old thought structure. I think the deschooling process is the most difficult part of unschooling......even though I am a newbie as well so really don't have much experience or wisdom behind me. But, it has been 4 months and I am seeing some progress with both Kora and Lukas. It seems that Kora is reading again and starting to ask questions again. She is having some amazing conversations with other adults and seems to be getting into the experience more and more. Lukas continues to spend most of his time on screens yet can have some pretty amazing discussions about film making, graphics and seems to enjoy reciting the lines he remembers from movies. What is difficult is the set backs I have with myself and my husband as we deschool. Sometimes I wonder if my kids are happy, if they are spending too much time together, if they feel lonely because they are not with school friends and school activity. Some days I get a
flood of scary thoughts about the future. So, it continues to be a process and I keep trying to trust that if they are not insisting on going back to school, unschooling must be meeting some of their needs. Hope I am making some sense. Just sort of feelin the need to support the beginners and receive support for the whole deschooling thing myself. Thanks donna


Meredith <meredith@...> wrote:
Hi, Karen, I'm Meredith mom to Morgan 6 "always" unschooled, and
stepmom to Ray, who Just Turned 14!!!!! He moved in with us and
started unschooling about a year ago.

> I am trying this "unschooling" thing but must admit to being
> scared out of my mind. It's so hard to discard old thought
structure! I
> have visions of them not being able to get into college because
they aren't
> interested in math. What do you all do about that?

I found it most helpful, when I was just getting my feet wet, to
read the stories of longtime unschoolers. There's a whole passle of
blogs listed in the "links" folder, so here's a link to *that* if
you're not reading at the web site:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingbasics/links/unschoolers_blo
gs_001085929218/

> I understand the basics
> but at some point, if they want to be as my oldest expresses, a
> herpetologist he's going to need to get into college and pass
organic
> chemistry. That is going to take a grasp of the abstract and
theory. And I
> don't see that coming on naturally as we live our lives.

Its important to realize that *you* need to deschool as much as the
kids - or more! since you've had many more years for school to get
under your skin. Abstract thinking doesn't come from school. If
anything, its just the opposite. Think about all the things you
*hated* about school, both for yourself and your kids. I'd be
willing to bet the regurgitation of disconnected facts was somewhere
on that list. Abstract thinking and problem solving are things
people learn *despite* school, not because of it.

If your oldest is interested in reptiles *right now*, take him
places where he can see some critters - pet stores, for example. You
don't need to plan impressive "field trips" to zoos and science
museums (although those can be fun now and again), you can go out
for lunch, stop at a pet shop or two and maybe another fun stop for
your other kids.

If he's interested in organic chemistry *right now* look into cheese
or candy making or fermentation. Real chemistry experiments you can
eat. Heck, if *you're* interested in organic chemistry, try some of
those things for *you*. They're fascinating, and they'll keep you
out of your kids' hair while their learning ;)

> Anyway, we are living in pergatory known as Panama City Fl. I
hate it
> here. This is where culture and diversity come to die. So there
isn't
> anything to do. We go to the beach quite a bit but use the tv as
a way to
> get out of here and exposure to other times and places.

The beach and tv are great resources! Here's where you can do some
more deschooling, though - as I said before, you don't really need
fancy field trips for "educational experiences". Kids learn from
Everything! Here's a link to "Deb's list of things to do in the
winter" that might spark your imagination a bit if you're looking to
get out of the house more:

http://sandradodd.com/strew/deblist

I re-read that list whenever I feel like I'm stuck in a rut and need
a new idea.

> So, I'm here and I'm new and I'm terrified.

Its intimidating to step off the map, as it were! Try to remember
that everything changes, and its no good trying to second guess the
future. So its Most important to help your kids feel good about
themselves and their abilities and their support system. That's the
most valuble "foundation" they can have.

---Meredith (Mo 6, Ray 14)






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

Pamela Sorooshian

People often worry about things like you've mentioned - he's going to
have to pass organic chemistry some day, or algebra doesn't just come
up naturally in our lives, or whatever their particular subject
happens to be. The bottom line is that you've been fed (and swallowed
hook, line, a sinker) a big fat lie about what it takes to do well
later. What they need is to experience life now, not prepare for
being a college student someday.

My kids have been fully unschooled, but have had absolutely no
problems in college courses including math, science, history,
English, economics, geography, anthropology, psychology, computer
programming, foreign languages, and much more. So - what prepared
them? They did what they loved, which was largely playing dress-ups,
singing, art, watching movies, playing games. We went camping a lot
and sometimes went on ranger talks, went to visitor centers at
campgrounds. We went for short trips to museums, spent lots and lots
of time at children's museums and science museums. We spent hours and
hours and hours in parks and at the beach.

When your son is older, if he's still interested in pursuing a
college degree in the sciences, he can figure out then how to
approach it. Each of my kids has handled that in their own way.
Suppose he needs algebra. There are online algebra courses, there are
a zillion books out there and each has its own approach so our kid
can find one that speaks most clearly to him/her. He might decide to
find a tutor. He might decide to find a community college course or
might get you to put together a course made up of a small group of
homeschoolers. He doesn't need algebra at 11 or 12 - nor at 13 or 14
or 15 or 16, even IF he decides to go to college at the conventional
age of around 18 or 19.

-pam




On Sep 29, 2007, at 2:19 PM, Karen Swanay wrote:

> I understand the basics
> but at some point, if they want to be as my oldest expresses, a
> herpetologist he's going to need to get into college and pass organic
> chemistry. That is going to take a grasp of the abstract and
> theory. And I
> don't see that coming on naturally as we live our lives. So how do
> your
> kids transition into college?





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sharon currie

Hi Karen,

I would considered myself new too as its only been 10 months since we took our 7 yr old son out of school. But yet I'm beginning to feel like a pro when it comes to following my son's inclination and confident that all loose ends will enventually tie itself in. So far, our days is still very much about playstation, looney tunes on tv, online games, surf the internet for more interesting games or cheat codes, the occasional meet -up with other HEing families and lots of walks to the local library near us. We're very much home-bodies, so we can very often get stuck in our pjs for the whole day, especially now that the weather is so horrible here in UK. We don't like to venture far too. So, recently, there's a new addition to our routine - son asked for ski lessons, and I'm organising a once a month cooking classes for HEers and "once a month" outing with the ranger from the local conservation heathland. I organised this because it's something I know my son will enjoy but
he's allowed to drop it, if he doesn't like it.

He hasn't had any formal lessons especially maths since, we last took him out of school in December. But already, based on his PS2 and internet games and his weekly pocketmoney allowance, he very quickly understood the concept of addition, subtraction and division. He seems to pick up alot of science and physics concept from Looney toons (funny isn't it?), learnt his spelling thru Google surfing, and of course we watch alot of documentary shows on anything. As I like cooking and travelling, my son is very much exposed to alot of my favourite cooking and travelling shows. He watches my favourite-Grey's Anatomy, even though he doesn't really like it because he think's it's "too violent" but then it also means I'll have to sit and watch him playing his "horribly boring" Simpson game on his PS2. Many a times, he'll just switch everything off and wander to the back garden, pretending to be a warrior or perhap stirring up some magic potion in his plastic "cauldron" (a huge
plastic garden pot). We also read alot. I still read anything and everything to him, at his insistence despite the fact that he's got very advance reading capabilities and can read anything including my magazines. Because we realised he could do this, we gave him his own monthly subscription Playstation Gaming magazine, and he loves it! Nowadays, he'll update (it's more like a "hint" to me on what he would like to buy!) me on the latest game on the market. So at the moment, we swing from Myth and Legends to joke books to latest games and how to play instructions magazines. On some weekend, he might be pottering about at the back garden, hammering away at his wood creation with his dad.

I am of this belief that because my son is exposed to so many medium of information, predominantly the internet and tv, he also had so many questions, trying to make sense of his world. The past 3 months, all of a sudden after many months of quiet tv watching or game playing, we've been having many questions/ discussion relating to Maths, history (ask us about Hindenburg the other day), geography (we're watching a documentary about India and trains when he asked what's the capital city of India?) and many more.

Before he ask for anything new to do, first he'll have to get bored and fed-up with whatever he's doing first. And trust me, they will eventually get tired of that tv, computer or game console, and will walk away to do something diffrent. Like my son when he'll switch the game console off and asked to be taken to the park so that he can play in the sandpit or go just window shopping at Toys'r'us so that he can plan what to buy with next week's pocket money, or just to go to the local supermarket for an iced bun just because he feels like it.

As you can see, our choice of activities is pretty limited, we don't do alot of outside/ sporty activities because that's the nature of me and my son (guess he took after me in many ways, other than the morning bit whereby my son's a early riser and I'm not!). We're not sporty/ outdoor people. But our days are busy and myriad enough, filled with lots of interesting things around us to discover and talk about, like his fascination about the reflecting cat eyes on the road to the reflecting paint on the road signs, discussion about the sky and the world around us everytime we're in our car, shows to look out for on tv, or information to search for on the internet. Occasionally we treat ourselves to the out of norm activity like trip to the cinema with pizza lunch. And this autumn, I'm hoping to be able to catch a theatrical play or 2 with him.

I agree what the everybody here been's telling you - eventually the child will search and ask for the specific skill they'll need to learn, in order to prepare for their choice of future.

Currently my son's obsession with Playstation and online games is leading him into animation and video making.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
SharonC


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carnationsgalore

Hi everyone. I just joined this group and was wondering if someone
could suggest a good first book to read by John Holt. I've never read
anything by him but I see his name mentioned alot. I looked at amazon
but was unsure which to get first.

Beth with 3 kids ages 9, 11 and 15

[email protected]

In a message dated 2/16/2008 9:26:06 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
addled.homemaker@... writes:

Hi everyone. I just joined this group and was wondering if someone
could suggest a good first book to read by John Holt. I've never read
anything by him but I see his name mentioned alot. I looked at amazon
but was unsure which to get first.

Beth with 3 kids ages 9, 11 and 15



Hi, Beth! Teach Your Own is what I have - very nice. check out the website
too: _http://www.holtgws.com/_ (http://www.holtgws.com/)

there are lots of other great books too...by others, i mean! lol!

Karen
(in so. cal - we have like, 5 here i think, lol)



**************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy
Awards. Go to AOL Music.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)


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