new to group
Melissa Wood
Hi. I have a 3 year old daughter and I am planning on homeschooling
her. I am new to this and looking for all the information I can find.
Anyone from Arkansas? Would love to hear from someone. Thnaks.
Melissa
her. I am new to this and looking for all the information I can find.
Anyone from Arkansas? Would love to hear from someone. Thnaks.
Melissa
Joseph May
Hi,
I have been homeschooling my boys 6, 8 for about a
year. I am a little confused about homeschool vs. unschool.
I would love to learn more about it. I do have a
few questions.
1. How do you know if your kids are learning all
the basics.
Nouns, verbs, etc.?
2. Do you say you are in a certain
grade?
3. Do you use any type of worktext items at
all?
I have just recently heard about unschooling, but I
have heard so many things from different people that contradict each
other.
I would also love any advise you may have.
Thanks
Dianna
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/12/2000 2:40:05 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< I have just recently heard about unschooling, but I have heard so many
things
I know that when we decided to do this I had researched unschooling vs
homeschooling for 3 years so at least I wasn't doing it blind.. I read every
book I could on unschooling, typed the word "unschooling, unschooler,
unschooled" into AOL, Yahoo, Snap.com and every other search engine I could
find... I went to Barnes and Noble, Borders (sorry guys), Amazon.com etc etc
until I felt I couldn't learn anything more before making a decision (which
of course I could)... This whole exercise in it'self is unschooling... When I
am interested in learning about something I will ask questions, do research,
contact other people and have all my "stuff" in front of me and then be able
to make decisions about what I want to keep and what I want to throw away....
same as unschooling...
My son spent 5 hours on the computer yesterday (5 years old) playing Madeline
2nd Grade Math (which he knows how to do) in conjunction with using his
dinosaurs to count so that he can add things up (ever seen 75 + 27 dinosaurs
laid out on the bedroom floor before!!!)... I kept asking him if he (a)
wanted help to which he replied "no thanks mum, just juice" and (b) would you
like to do something else to which he replied "no thanks mum, just a Pnut
Butter and Jelly Sandwick (which he had at the kitchen table)....He then got
out his number game (that's what he calls it) and puts all the cards in order
and starts chosing ones he wants to add and subtract.. He's been on the math
kick for a couple of weeks now... Soon he'll move on.... He asked about
letters and reading yesterday afternoon and I asked him if he wanted to learn
to read. he said yes, so now I have to figure out how to do that... Someone
suggested a phonics books for the sounds... I'm only interested in using
those as a jumping off point... I think we'll go around the house and write
the words of all the appliances, etc... DS just came into my office and I
told him we were going to do that and he said "can we write the word DOG"
favorite word at the moment... I said "we don't have a dog what shall we
stick it on?" He said "I have a toy SPOT THE DOG, maybe we could stick it on
him".... There's unschooling and using your imagination for you.
Anyway off to make labels....not the kind that say "my child is a honor
student at blah blah blah school" but the kind that teach him something and
help his self esteem.
Dawn F
[email protected] writes:
<< I have just recently heard about unschooling, but I have heard so many
things
> from different people that contradict each other.Hi Dianna:
> I would also love any advise you may have. Thanks
> Dianna >>
I know that when we decided to do this I had researched unschooling vs
homeschooling for 3 years so at least I wasn't doing it blind.. I read every
book I could on unschooling, typed the word "unschooling, unschooler,
unschooled" into AOL, Yahoo, Snap.com and every other search engine I could
find... I went to Barnes and Noble, Borders (sorry guys), Amazon.com etc etc
until I felt I couldn't learn anything more before making a decision (which
of course I could)... This whole exercise in it'self is unschooling... When I
am interested in learning about something I will ask questions, do research,
contact other people and have all my "stuff" in front of me and then be able
to make decisions about what I want to keep and what I want to throw away....
same as unschooling...
My son spent 5 hours on the computer yesterday (5 years old) playing Madeline
2nd Grade Math (which he knows how to do) in conjunction with using his
dinosaurs to count so that he can add things up (ever seen 75 + 27 dinosaurs
laid out on the bedroom floor before!!!)... I kept asking him if he (a)
wanted help to which he replied "no thanks mum, just juice" and (b) would you
like to do something else to which he replied "no thanks mum, just a Pnut
Butter and Jelly Sandwick (which he had at the kitchen table)....He then got
out his number game (that's what he calls it) and puts all the cards in order
and starts chosing ones he wants to add and subtract.. He's been on the math
kick for a couple of weeks now... Soon he'll move on.... He asked about
letters and reading yesterday afternoon and I asked him if he wanted to learn
to read. he said yes, so now I have to figure out how to do that... Someone
suggested a phonics books for the sounds... I'm only interested in using
those as a jumping off point... I think we'll go around the house and write
the words of all the appliances, etc... DS just came into my office and I
told him we were going to do that and he said "can we write the word DOG"
favorite word at the moment... I said "we don't have a dog what shall we
stick it on?" He said "I have a toy SPOT THE DOG, maybe we could stick it on
him".... There's unschooling and using your imagination for you.
Anyway off to make labels....not the kind that say "my child is a honor
student at blah blah blah school" but the kind that teach him something and
help his self esteem.
Dawn F
Tracy Oldfield
I laughed when I read this, because that's probably the truest thing
ever said about unschooling! It's one of those things that's different
for everybody, there are as many ways to unschool as there are
unschoolers. For us, it means atm that we don't think about what
the kids are learning, because I know they will always learn. I don't
worry about 'basics,' because what might be basic to me isn't
necessarily basic to my kids. Dd1, (nearly 5yo) for example, is
getting into reading and writing, she was asking me how to spell
something. I was trying to tell her that if you think about how you
say the word, then take the letters that make those sounds, then
write it down, you will have that word, and she just doesn't want to
know it. What could be more 'basic' than phonics? Anyway, I'm
rambling. If we use workbooks it's when the kids want them,
textbooks would be treat like 'normal' books.
Welcome to the group, Dianna (is that pronounced dy-anna or de-
anna? I'm asking because dd2 has a Trekkie middle name...)
Tracy
ever said about unschooling! It's one of those things that's different
for everybody, there are as many ways to unschool as there are
unschoolers. For us, it means atm that we don't think about what
the kids are learning, because I know they will always learn. I don't
worry about 'basics,' because what might be basic to me isn't
necessarily basic to my kids. Dd1, (nearly 5yo) for example, is
getting into reading and writing, she was asking me how to spell
something. I was trying to tell her that if you think about how you
say the word, then take the letters that make those sounds, then
write it down, you will have that word, and she just doesn't want to
know it. What could be more 'basic' than phonics? Anyway, I'm
rambling. If we use workbooks it's when the kids want them,
textbooks would be treat like 'normal' books.
Welcome to the group, Dianna (is that pronounced dy-anna or de-
anna? I'm asking because dd2 has a Trekkie middle name...)
Tracy
On 11 Aug 2000, at 23:17, Joseph May wrote:
> Hi,
> I have been homeschooling my boys 6, 8 for about a year. I am a little
> confused about homeschool vs. unschool. I would love to learn more
> about it. I do have a few questions. 1. How do you know if your kids
> are learning all the basics.
> Nouns, verbs, etc.?
> 2. Do you say you are in a certain grade?
> 3. Do you use any type of worktext items at all?
> I have just recently heard about unschooling, but I have heard so many
> things from different people that contradict each other. I would also
> love any advise you may have. Thanks Dianna
>
kathleenmadrid
Hello, I just found these support/discussion groups online and joined
four, so this post may show up a few times in your in-boxes. My name
is Kathleen Madrid. I have five-year-old twin daughters, Isabella and
Martha. We recently moved to Sharpsburg, MD from Germantown. We
have no family, friends or support groups in the area and are
desperate to make some connections. I'm a single mom trying to
homeschool/unschool with no clue as to how I should be doing this.
I've done some reading, but I feel overwhelmed by the whole process
(what will happen in January when I meet with the Washington County
school official?; should I be using a curriculum?; do I need daily
lesson plans?; can the county make me put my kids in school if they
don't like the way I'm doing things?; etc...) I have been letting the
girls lead the way, directing their own learning for the most part,
but that too is worrying me. One of my daughters loves reading, the
other one "hates" it (probably because she mixes up her letters a bit
and gets frustrated when she sees her sister learning with more
ease). Should I just leave the reading alone for awhile, or do I
keep encouraging her to try? They also have such different learning
styles. If anyone has experience with twins I'd really appreciate
hearing from you.
My ex-husband has been very supportive of me keeping the girls out of
school, but now he's really starting to push the idea of enrolling
them in kindergarten just so they can meet some other children. I
really don't like that idea, but unless I can find some other ways to
connect with people he may end up taking me to court.
If anyone can offer any help with any of these issues I'd be very
grateful for your input.
Thanks,
Kathleen
kathleenmadrid@...
four, so this post may show up a few times in your in-boxes. My name
is Kathleen Madrid. I have five-year-old twin daughters, Isabella and
Martha. We recently moved to Sharpsburg, MD from Germantown. We
have no family, friends or support groups in the area and are
desperate to make some connections. I'm a single mom trying to
homeschool/unschool with no clue as to how I should be doing this.
I've done some reading, but I feel overwhelmed by the whole process
(what will happen in January when I meet with the Washington County
school official?; should I be using a curriculum?; do I need daily
lesson plans?; can the county make me put my kids in school if they
don't like the way I'm doing things?; etc...) I have been letting the
girls lead the way, directing their own learning for the most part,
but that too is worrying me. One of my daughters loves reading, the
other one "hates" it (probably because she mixes up her letters a bit
and gets frustrated when she sees her sister learning with more
ease). Should I just leave the reading alone for awhile, or do I
keep encouraging her to try? They also have such different learning
styles. If anyone has experience with twins I'd really appreciate
hearing from you.
My ex-husband has been very supportive of me keeping the girls out of
school, but now he's really starting to push the idea of enrolling
them in kindergarten just so they can meet some other children. I
really don't like that idea, but unless I can find some other ways to
connect with people he may end up taking me to court.
If anyone can offer any help with any of these issues I'd be very
grateful for your input.
Thanks,
Kathleen
kathleenmadrid@...
Robyn Coburn
<<<<Hello, I just found these support/discussion groups online and joined
four, so this post may show up a few times in your in-boxes. My name
is Kathleen Madrid. I have five-year-old twin daughters, Isabella and
Martha. We recently moved to Sharpsburg, MD from Germantown. We
have no family, friends or support groups in the area and are
desperate to make some connections. I'm a single mom trying to
homeschool/unschool with no clue as to how I should be doing this. >>>>
Try going to www.nhen.org and clicking on the county contacts. You may
discover a whole network of nearby home schoolers with park days and other
opportunities for social interactions, and advice on the administrative
"hoops" for your state.
That website also has very clear information about the State education
statutes - click on the legal info tab. That should put your mind at ease -
if you agree that knowledge is power. Is the legal school age 5 in your
State?
<<<<should I be using a curriculum?; do I need daily
lesson plans?;>>>
Not if you are Unschooling which by definition includes not using either of
these, unless your child has asked to set it up that way. It seems unlikely
that 5 year olds would be doing so. At least my 5 yo would have absolutely
zero interest in the idea of limiting herself with a daily plan. Unschoolers
try to think in terms of "learning" rather than "teaching", so adult
instigated curricula or lessons are avoided.
<<<<I have been letting the
girls lead the way, directing their own learning for the most part,
but that too is worrying me.>>>>>
You have come to the right place to find hundreds of other families who are
going beyond even "letting" but enabling and facilitating their children
directing all their own learning. Keep reading and be reassured!
<<<<One of my daughters loves reading, the
other one "hates" it (probably because she mixes up her letters a bit
and gets frustrated when she sees her sister learning with more
ease). Should I just leave the reading alone for awhile, or do I
keep encouraging her to try? >>>>
If the encouraging is actually making her *feel* DIScouraged, then perhaps
you should stop for the moment. When the time is right for her, it will
probably suddenly become effortless seeming, as many others have
experienced.
Have you been to www.sandradodd.com/unschooling ?
<<<<They also have such different learning
styles. If anyone has experience with twins I'd really appreciate
hearing from you.>>>>
One of the greatest things about Unschooling is that it allows us to honor
the individuality, quirkiness, special brilliance of our children without
reference to charts, bell curves, competitions or milestones. Sometimes it
seems like curriculum using home schoolers, who are mimicking school
schedules, treat close in age siblings as if they were one entity with two
heads. It's great that you are free from that phenomenon.
<<<<<My ex-husband has been very supportive of me keeping the girls out of
school, but now he's really starting to push the idea of enrolling
them in kindergarten just so they can meet some other children.>>>>
If you are able to reassure him that you have taken steps to meet others
locally, he may feel better and stop pressuring you.
Welcome to the journey.
Robyn L. Coburn
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.782 / Virus Database: 528 - Release Date: 10/22/2004
four, so this post may show up a few times in your in-boxes. My name
is Kathleen Madrid. I have five-year-old twin daughters, Isabella and
Martha. We recently moved to Sharpsburg, MD from Germantown. We
have no family, friends or support groups in the area and are
desperate to make some connections. I'm a single mom trying to
homeschool/unschool with no clue as to how I should be doing this. >>>>
Try going to www.nhen.org and clicking on the county contacts. You may
discover a whole network of nearby home schoolers with park days and other
opportunities for social interactions, and advice on the administrative
"hoops" for your state.
That website also has very clear information about the State education
statutes - click on the legal info tab. That should put your mind at ease -
if you agree that knowledge is power. Is the legal school age 5 in your
State?
<<<<should I be using a curriculum?; do I need daily
lesson plans?;>>>
Not if you are Unschooling which by definition includes not using either of
these, unless your child has asked to set it up that way. It seems unlikely
that 5 year olds would be doing so. At least my 5 yo would have absolutely
zero interest in the idea of limiting herself with a daily plan. Unschoolers
try to think in terms of "learning" rather than "teaching", so adult
instigated curricula or lessons are avoided.
<<<<I have been letting the
girls lead the way, directing their own learning for the most part,
but that too is worrying me.>>>>>
You have come to the right place to find hundreds of other families who are
going beyond even "letting" but enabling and facilitating their children
directing all their own learning. Keep reading and be reassured!
<<<<One of my daughters loves reading, the
other one "hates" it (probably because she mixes up her letters a bit
and gets frustrated when she sees her sister learning with more
ease). Should I just leave the reading alone for awhile, or do I
keep encouraging her to try? >>>>
If the encouraging is actually making her *feel* DIScouraged, then perhaps
you should stop for the moment. When the time is right for her, it will
probably suddenly become effortless seeming, as many others have
experienced.
Have you been to www.sandradodd.com/unschooling ?
<<<<They also have such different learning
styles. If anyone has experience with twins I'd really appreciate
hearing from you.>>>>
One of the greatest things about Unschooling is that it allows us to honor
the individuality, quirkiness, special brilliance of our children without
reference to charts, bell curves, competitions or milestones. Sometimes it
seems like curriculum using home schoolers, who are mimicking school
schedules, treat close in age siblings as if they were one entity with two
heads. It's great that you are free from that phenomenon.
<<<<<My ex-husband has been very supportive of me keeping the girls out of
school, but now he's really starting to push the idea of enrolling
them in kindergarten just so they can meet some other children.>>>>
If you are able to reassure him that you have taken steps to meet others
locally, he may feel better and stop pressuring you.
Welcome to the journey.
Robyn L. Coburn
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.782 / Virus Database: 528 - Release Date: 10/22/2004
Danielle Conger
====
Hello, I just found these support/discussion groups online and joined
four, so this post may show up a few times in your in-boxes. My name
is Kathleen Madrid. I have five-year-old twin daughters, Isabella and
Martha. We recently moved to Sharpsburg, MD from Germantown. We
have no family, friends or support groups in the area and are
desperate to make some connections. I'm a single mom trying to
homeschool/unschool with no clue as to how I should be doing this.
I've done some reading, but I feel overwhelmed by the whole process
(what will happen in January when I meet with the Washington County
school official?; should I be using a curriculum?; do I need daily
lesson plans?; can the county make me put my kids in school if they
don't like the way I'm doing things?; etc...) I have been letting the
girls lead the way, directing their own learning for the most part,
but that too is worrying me.
======
Hi Kathleen, I'm Danielle, Unschooling mom to Emily (7), Julia (5) and
Sam (4)--no twins but *very* close in age. ;) We live in Southern
Maryland, which is pretty far from where you are. I know Beth Wecht, a
member of this list, lives somewhere out your way, so she may be able to
offer more info than I.
You might also try contacting this woman to see if she can be of any help:
camillebauer25@...
I don't know if that's an active email address or not, I got it off the
Maryland Unschoolers site at http://kaligecko.tripod.com/ which
doesn't look terribly up to date.
You might also find the following email lists helpful (not sure where
else you signed up, since this is the only intro I've seen):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingbasics A list geared towards
newbies and beginner's questions
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlwaysUnschooled A list geared towards
unschooling young children--till around age 8--where I know there are at
least two single moms who might be helpful (yep, count me as another
shameless self-promoter!)
Unschooling in Maryland is very easy. Reviews vary from county to
county, though they tend to be pretty relaxed for the early years, so
don't panic about curriculum. The easiest way of all to Unschool in
Maryland is to join an Unschooling-friendly umbrella organization like
New Creation Academy, run by Wendy Bush--this is the one I use. I choose
the peer review option, which costs only $75 per year for my
*family*--not a per child charge--and that allows me to review only once
a year instead of twice with the county and I review with another
Unschooler in my area. Feel free to email me offlist if you'd like to.
Welcome!
--Danielle
http://www.danielleconger.com/Homeschool/Welcomehome.html
Hello, I just found these support/discussion groups online and joined
four, so this post may show up a few times in your in-boxes. My name
is Kathleen Madrid. I have five-year-old twin daughters, Isabella and
Martha. We recently moved to Sharpsburg, MD from Germantown. We
have no family, friends or support groups in the area and are
desperate to make some connections. I'm a single mom trying to
homeschool/unschool with no clue as to how I should be doing this.
I've done some reading, but I feel overwhelmed by the whole process
(what will happen in January when I meet with the Washington County
school official?; should I be using a curriculum?; do I need daily
lesson plans?; can the county make me put my kids in school if they
don't like the way I'm doing things?; etc...) I have been letting the
girls lead the way, directing their own learning for the most part,
but that too is worrying me.
======
Hi Kathleen, I'm Danielle, Unschooling mom to Emily (7), Julia (5) and
Sam (4)--no twins but *very* close in age. ;) We live in Southern
Maryland, which is pretty far from where you are. I know Beth Wecht, a
member of this list, lives somewhere out your way, so she may be able to
offer more info than I.
You might also try contacting this woman to see if she can be of any help:
camillebauer25@...
I don't know if that's an active email address or not, I got it off the
Maryland Unschoolers site at http://kaligecko.tripod.com/ which
doesn't look terribly up to date.
You might also find the following email lists helpful (not sure where
else you signed up, since this is the only intro I've seen):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingbasics A list geared towards
newbies and beginner's questions
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlwaysUnschooled A list geared towards
unschooling young children--till around age 8--where I know there are at
least two single moms who might be helpful (yep, count me as another
shameless self-promoter!)
Unschooling in Maryland is very easy. Reviews vary from county to
county, though they tend to be pretty relaxed for the early years, so
don't panic about curriculum. The easiest way of all to Unschool in
Maryland is to join an Unschooling-friendly umbrella organization like
New Creation Academy, run by Wendy Bush--this is the one I use. I choose
the peer review option, which costs only $75 per year for my
*family*--not a per child charge--and that allows me to review only once
a year instead of twice with the county and I review with another
Unschooler in my area. Feel free to email me offlist if you'd like to.
Welcome!
--Danielle
http://www.danielleconger.com/Homeschool/Welcomehome.html
>
>