New and confused
cindyg227
I have 2 boys age 9 and 12 that have been in public school since Kindergarten. They are at home with me this year and I really don't know where to start or what to do with them. I was hoping for some advice.
We tried an online public school at the beginning of the school year, but that didn't work out, so we are on our own now. I've tried purchasing inexpensive workbooks for them to use, but it's just not working out either.
Help!
We tried an online public school at the beginning of the school year, but that didn't work out, so we are on our own now. I've tried purchasing inexpensive workbooks for them to use, but it's just not working out either.
Help!
Lesley Cross
What do you and your children want your lives to look like? What do you
mean when you say it's "not working"?
The easiest start is to just be with your kids, see what they get excited
about and dive in with them to enjoy those things. Just live. The learning
is in the living.
We have some workbooks, only because my kids expressed interest in them
(well, my 6yo and 10yo anyway), but they rarely get used. My 6yo kind of
likes tracing letters and doing some of the sound identifying activities- my
10yo went through a phase of that when she was about 3yo, though I suspect
what she liked most was the time I spent sitting with her and showing her
what to do as she asked. My kids have never done a math worksheet, but have
a really intuitive sense of math. Once when my son was about 13yo, I showed
him how people lay out long calculations on paper (at about 2am when the
subject came up in conversation). But they mostly do everyday math
calculations fairly easily and accurately in their heads- without ever
having been "taught".
That's not to mean anyone else's experience will look like ours- this is
just one way it *can* look. That's the beauty of unschooling.
Lesley
Living in wholeness so our children can live in theirs
http://www.lesleyreidcross.wordpress.com
_
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
mean when you say it's "not working"?
The easiest start is to just be with your kids, see what they get excited
about and dive in with them to enjoy those things. Just live. The learning
is in the living.
We have some workbooks, only because my kids expressed interest in them
(well, my 6yo and 10yo anyway), but they rarely get used. My 6yo kind of
likes tracing letters and doing some of the sound identifying activities- my
10yo went through a phase of that when she was about 3yo, though I suspect
what she liked most was the time I spent sitting with her and showing her
what to do as she asked. My kids have never done a math worksheet, but have
a really intuitive sense of math. Once when my son was about 13yo, I showed
him how people lay out long calculations on paper (at about 2am when the
subject came up in conversation). But they mostly do everyday math
calculations fairly easily and accurately in their heads- without ever
having been "taught".
That's not to mean anyone else's experience will look like ours- this is
just one way it *can* look. That's the beauty of unschooling.
Lesley
Living in wholeness so our children can live in theirs
http://www.lesleyreidcross.wordpress.com
_
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
tawha
Welcome to the journey of Unschooling!!
It's seems that you are the door and ready to Drop off all of your conditionings that made you believe that traditional education its the only way of doing and living,...you will be surprised how many great unschooling topics and advises people from this group will offer ..
It's all there to explore and trust, trust yourself and your children..Education is having fun and being happy.
You will not get there if you are following someone's curriculum other than yourself, your children.. and worrying if they are "learning"..
It seems that its time for a start for a good journey of DESCHOOLING!
For now, take a deep breath and open your mind for all the advises from Unscholling philosophy this group will offer.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
It's seems that you are the door and ready to Drop off all of your conditionings that made you believe that traditional education its the only way of doing and living,...you will be surprised how many great unschooling topics and advises people from this group will offer ..
It's all there to explore and trust, trust yourself and your children..Education is having fun and being happy.
You will not get there if you are following someone's curriculum other than yourself, your children.. and worrying if they are "learning"..
It seems that its time for a start for a good journey of DESCHOOLING!
For now, take a deep breath and open your mind for all the advises from Unscholling philosophy this group will offer.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
NCMama
Here are a couple of links you might find helpful:
http://sandradodd.com/beginning
http://sandradodd.com/deschooling
http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/unschooling/firstquestions.html
Read those, take the time to let the ideas sink in.
In the beginning, I heard something that helped unschooling click for me: "Unschooling is living your life as if there were no such thing as school." I got that: no grade levels, no need to learn certain things by certain times.
What do you do on summer vacation? Do that. Take time to BE, with no agenda other than fun.
I know the transition can be tricky, but you'll feel more at peace soon!
Caren
http://sandradodd.com/beginning
http://sandradodd.com/deschooling
http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/unschooling/firstquestions.html
Read those, take the time to let the ideas sink in.
In the beginning, I heard something that helped unschooling click for me: "Unschooling is living your life as if there were no such thing as school." I got that: no grade levels, no need to learn certain things by certain times.
What do you do on summer vacation? Do that. Take time to BE, with no agenda other than fun.
I know the transition can be tricky, but you'll feel more at peace soon!
Caren
--- In [email protected], "cindyg227" <cgemora227@...> wrote:
>
> I have 2 boys age 9 and 12 that have been in public school since Kindergarten. They are at home with me this year and I really don't know where to start or what to do with them. I was hoping for some advice.
Anita
Hi,
My boys are also 9 and 12. 12 yr old has been out of school 2 yrs, 9 yr old
just a few weeks.
Definitely de school ie tell them they are going to have a long Christmas
break so that they don't get anxious. In the meantime observe what they like
doing and build on that. Socialise if they want to.
My 9 yr old spends most of the day watching tv but that is because he's
deschooling. He loves Dr Who so I've built on that with lots of book,
activity books, watching dvds with him and discussing them.
My 12 yr old is passionate about video games. He plays them a lot but also
spends hrs on the computer reading about them and loves gaming books and
magazines. He has friends over to play games with him . It's amazing what
they can learn - history, geography, physics, maths not to mention hand eye
coordination.
Not all unschoolers spend all day in front of a screen! We're not a sporty
family but we do socialize, kids prefer to do it at our house.
Read lots about unschooling (yourself, not the boys) and join lots of list
like this one to build up yr confidence. You've already made a good start by
asking yr question.
Kind regards,
Anita
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of cindyg227
Sent: 15 December 2010 6:57 a.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] New and confused
I have 2 boys age 9 and 12 that have been in public school since
Kindergarten. They are at home with me this year and I really don't know
where to start or what to do with them. I was hoping for some advice.
We tried an online public school at the beginning of the school year, but
that didn't work out, so we are on our own now. I've tried purchasing
inexpensive workbooks for them to use, but it's just not working out either.
Help!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My boys are also 9 and 12. 12 yr old has been out of school 2 yrs, 9 yr old
just a few weeks.
Definitely de school ie tell them they are going to have a long Christmas
break so that they don't get anxious. In the meantime observe what they like
doing and build on that. Socialise if they want to.
My 9 yr old spends most of the day watching tv but that is because he's
deschooling. He loves Dr Who so I've built on that with lots of book,
activity books, watching dvds with him and discussing them.
My 12 yr old is passionate about video games. He plays them a lot but also
spends hrs on the computer reading about them and loves gaming books and
magazines. He has friends over to play games with him . It's amazing what
they can learn - history, geography, physics, maths not to mention hand eye
coordination.
Not all unschoolers spend all day in front of a screen! We're not a sporty
family but we do socialize, kids prefer to do it at our house.
Read lots about unschooling (yourself, not the boys) and join lots of list
like this one to build up yr confidence. You've already made a good start by
asking yr question.
Kind regards,
Anita
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of cindyg227
Sent: 15 December 2010 6:57 a.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] New and confused
I have 2 boys age 9 and 12 that have been in public school since
Kindergarten. They are at home with me this year and I really don't know
where to start or what to do with them. I was hoping for some advice.
We tried an online public school at the beginning of the school year, but
that didn't work out, so we are on our own now. I've tried purchasing
inexpensive workbooks for them to use, but it's just not working out either.
Help!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]