unschooling groups (ideas and report)
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/26/1999 2:50:43 AM, you wrote:
<<I'm really motivated to start a new group but haven't
a clue how to do that. Any of you more experienced,
organized Mom's and Dad's have some tip's?>>
This reminds me that I said I would make a new phone list for our group, and
the notes from Thursday's meetings are in Holly's little note pad, and we're
leaving for Washington D.C. before the next meeting. *oh joy!* <g>
Oh wait--you said "ORGANIZED"...
Our group is a few years old and evolved from a play group some La Leche
League members had had. We still have two of the original members.
Some people will come for just a week or month or season. Don't take that
personally. Organizing unschoolers seems to be a bit like herding cats. The
new unschoolers need to see older unschoolers (not biologically older, but
on-the-path older), and some of the older unschoolers have the wish to help
newer unschoolers so that they don't have to struggle and wonder and
hit-and-miss as sometimes happened years ago, or as still can happen if
people don't have encouragement and feedback.
Our group (Albuquerque Unschoolers) is just a play group. We have these
rules: No business meetings, no officers, and no field trips. This doesn't
keep me from keeping a phone list, and doesn't keep people from getting
together to do things in groups. The group exists, though, so that the kids
can get together with other unschooled kids. While that's happening, the
moms sit and talk. That's all. We don't usually talk about unschooling,
although when new families come we'll certainly answer questions for them,
and point out certain kids who might be good to observe or interview if they
want more direct reassurance.
I'm tired of going, but my kids NEED to see their friends, and so I go. Last
winter we met at my house, and we finally came to the point that I dreaded
Thursdays and even my kids were hoping for it to end. We were having as many
as twelve families, and the house is big, and not fancy/formal, but still
there was wear and tear (on nerves mostly).
In New Mexico we can meet in a city park at least half the year. In Alaska,
I don't know what to recommend. Indoors a bunch of kids get loud and close.
But as to organization, if you have a day, time and place, even if it's just
two or three families, you can gather other families up gradually. We made
flyers and put them in the most unschooling-related place in town, a used
bookstore called Title Wave owned by a homeschooling family at which lots of
homeschoolers check in occasionally.
We meet on Thursdays, people bring food to share (snack stuff and drinks) and
the kids play for three or four hours. Lately we have lots of boys in the 9
- 13 age range--sometimes ten of them. They played dodgeball this week, and
palled around in smaller groups playing Pokemon or talking about video games,
and they played with some badminton stuff one mom had brought--making up
games without a net.
Sandra, rambling
<<I'm really motivated to start a new group but haven't
a clue how to do that. Any of you more experienced,
organized Mom's and Dad's have some tip's?>>
This reminds me that I said I would make a new phone list for our group, and
the notes from Thursday's meetings are in Holly's little note pad, and we're
leaving for Washington D.C. before the next meeting. *oh joy!* <g>
Oh wait--you said "ORGANIZED"...
Our group is a few years old and evolved from a play group some La Leche
League members had had. We still have two of the original members.
Some people will come for just a week or month or season. Don't take that
personally. Organizing unschoolers seems to be a bit like herding cats. The
new unschoolers need to see older unschoolers (not biologically older, but
on-the-path older), and some of the older unschoolers have the wish to help
newer unschoolers so that they don't have to struggle and wonder and
hit-and-miss as sometimes happened years ago, or as still can happen if
people don't have encouragement and feedback.
Our group (Albuquerque Unschoolers) is just a play group. We have these
rules: No business meetings, no officers, and no field trips. This doesn't
keep me from keeping a phone list, and doesn't keep people from getting
together to do things in groups. The group exists, though, so that the kids
can get together with other unschooled kids. While that's happening, the
moms sit and talk. That's all. We don't usually talk about unschooling,
although when new families come we'll certainly answer questions for them,
and point out certain kids who might be good to observe or interview if they
want more direct reassurance.
I'm tired of going, but my kids NEED to see their friends, and so I go. Last
winter we met at my house, and we finally came to the point that I dreaded
Thursdays and even my kids were hoping for it to end. We were having as many
as twelve families, and the house is big, and not fancy/formal, but still
there was wear and tear (on nerves mostly).
In New Mexico we can meet in a city park at least half the year. In Alaska,
I don't know what to recommend. Indoors a bunch of kids get loud and close.
But as to organization, if you have a day, time and place, even if it's just
two or three families, you can gather other families up gradually. We made
flyers and put them in the most unschooling-related place in town, a used
bookstore called Title Wave owned by a homeschooling family at which lots of
homeschoolers check in occasionally.
We meet on Thursdays, people bring food to share (snack stuff and drinks) and
the kids play for three or four hours. Lately we have lots of boys in the 9
- 13 age range--sometimes ten of them. They played dodgeball this week, and
palled around in smaller groups playing Pokemon or talking about video games,
and they played with some badminton stuff one mom had brought--making up
games without a net.
Sandra, rambling
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/26/99 5:23:54 AM, SandraDodd@... writes:
<<I'm tired of going, but my kids NEED to see their friends, and so I go.
Last
winter we met at my house, and we finally came to the point that I dreaded
Thursdays and even my kids were hoping for it to end.>>
Hey, I've been doing a small Thursday shindig at my small house with the
remnants of an LLL play group. One of the things we started doing to make it
more fun for the moms, since our kids are now older, is to treat it like a
moms day out arrangement, and encourage some of the moms leave to run errands
or do fun things. The trick with this is that it is always hardest for the
hostess to extricate herself, so if you do it, you may want to keep track on
a calendar, unless your friends are all scrupulously fair. (Since we have a
small group, we can count on our fingers. ;-)
Betsy
<<I'm tired of going, but my kids NEED to see their friends, and so I go.
Last
winter we met at my house, and we finally came to the point that I dreaded
Thursdays and even my kids were hoping for it to end.>>
Hey, I've been doing a small Thursday shindig at my small house with the
remnants of an LLL play group. One of the things we started doing to make it
more fun for the moms, since our kids are now older, is to treat it like a
moms day out arrangement, and encourage some of the moms leave to run errands
or do fun things. The trick with this is that it is always hardest for the
hostess to extricate herself, so if you do it, you may want to keep track on
a calendar, unless your friends are all scrupulously fair. (Since we have a
small group, we can count on our fingers. ;-)
Betsy
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/26/99 5:23:46 AM PST, SandraDodd@... writes:
<< Organizing unschoolers seems to be a bit like herding cats. >>
OH Sandra.....after dealing with my two cats this morning I can really
appreciate that statement. And its so true, about organizing unschoolers.
Christina
<< Organizing unschoolers seems to be a bit like herding cats. >>
OH Sandra.....after dealing with my two cats this morning I can really
appreciate that statement. And its so true, about organizing unschoolers.
Christina
A.Y.
> And its so true, about organizing unschoolers.Hmmmm...
I think that confirms that I am a total unschooler. I can't ever get myself
or the rest of us organized! :)
Ann