Jeff & Diane Gwirtz

Jill and Lori,

I think one of the easiest ways to think about unschooling is to
think about continuing on the same path that you followed when they
were little toddlers. You live your life with them. You engage them
in things that interest you or that might interest them. You cheer
when they're bored because out of that boredom may come a wonderful
idea for a new project. One of the most helpful things we did when
we first started was to do anything but school-like stuff. We took a
lot of field trips, nature walks, etc. - just celebrating the fact
that we were free. We read aloud until my voice was shot and then
read some more. We also watched tv and played video games - still
do. In fact yesterday my 13 year old spent lots of time with a
video game, but to help him through it, he drew a map to scale as
the game progressed. We have learned so much from television shows
and games. With unlimited tv and video games here, my kids became
more selective on their own. Enjoy your kids and your family and the
learning will come. There will be many times that you won't be able
to figure out where they learned what they know because with an
unschooling lifestyle their brains seem so much more receptive to
little snippets of info that pass others by. Have fun!

Diane from KS
jagwirtz@...

[email protected]

Okay. I'm ready. We homeschooled last year, pretty unsuccessfully, I'd say.
I've decided to go the "unschooling" route. I'm ready to start now. What
do I do????? Got up this morning and showered, etc. Reading my e-mail now.
Kids are in my room watching TV. How do I engage them?

Jill

[email protected]

Jill, I think you and I are in the same boat! I feel okay about my kids
watching Nova (that's obviously educational) But what about Arthur??? They
sit for hours making things out of newspaper...okay I can see value in that.
But what about my daughter's tea parties with her dolls? I am so tainted by
my public school education that I don't know how much to put in their hands.
I can't wait to read the responses to your mail.
Blessings, Lori in TX

mrstar

<<<Okay. I'm ready. We homeschooled last year, pretty unsuccessfully, I'd
say.
I've decided to go the "unschooling" route. I'm ready to start now. What
do I do????? Got up this morning and showered, etc. Reading my e-mail now.
Kids are in my room watching TV. How do I engage them?

Jill>>>


Hi Jill,
What did you do on Saturday? Sunday? etc? Unschooling is life. We are all
learning all the time. What are their interests?

Bake something, make something, go somewhere, clean something, read
something-anything, take a nap-dream,
Look up a word-something absurd, have a big bowl of ice-cream.
Life is for learning, living, doing. How far will your imagination go?
Be, see, climb a tree. Beyond texts there is so much to know.
Life is an education, a journey where anything goes.
And the only limits that slow you down are the ones that are self imposed.

So, the moment you stopped making them 'do' school you were unschooling. If
they ask a question, answer it. If they want to know something help them
find out as much as they want your help. Include them in what you are doing
and let them include you in what they are doing. And once in a while let
them sleep in!

Mary in Idaho (who is feeling chatty and inspired this am, sometimes
adversity brings out the best)

Joel Hawthorne

I just can't resist.....I detest Arthur. Talking to my daughter (10) about it
she describes how stereotyped the roles of the boys and girls are. Anyway
talking with my daughter reaffirms my tentative belief that self-determination
is more important than my anxiety over TV. Which is not to say that I don't
have something to say about the TV going for hours at a time because I live here
too. It really is not a big problem for us only episodically.

RRAINENJ@... wrote:

> From: RRAINENJ@...
>
> Jill, I think you and I are in the same boat! I feel okay about my kids
> watching Nova (that's obviously educational) But what about Arthur??? They
> sit for hours making things out of newspaper...okay I can see value in that.
> But what about my daughter's tea parties with her dolls? I am so tainted by
> my public school education that I don't know how much to put in their hands.
> I can't wait to read the responses to your mail.
> Blessings, Lori in TX
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
> ONElist: your connection to like-minds and kindred spirits.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Check it out!
> http://www.unschooling.com

--
best wishes
Joel

All children behave as well as they are treated. The Natural Child
Project http://naturalchild.com/home/

Work together to reinvent justice using methods that are fair; which conserve,
restore and even create harmony, equity and good will in society i.e.
restorative justice.
We are the prisoners of the prisoners we have taken - J. Clegg
http://www.cerj.org

Lisa Fuller

Beautiful! Very well put. I would only add and listen, listen listen: to your
children, to your heart, to the birds, to the earth, that is life and that is
learning.

Enjoy,

Lisa F.

mrstar wrote:

> From: "mrstar" <mrstar@...>
>
> <<<Okay. I'm ready. We homeschooled last year, pretty unsuccessfully, I'd
> say.
> I've decided to go the "unschooling" route. I'm ready to start now. What
> do I do????? Got up this morning and showered, etc. Reading my e-mail now.
> Kids are in my room watching TV. How do I engage them?
>
> Jill>>>
>
> Hi Jill,
> What did you do on Saturday? Sunday? etc? Unschooling is life. We are all
> learning all the time. What are their interests?
>
> Bake something, make something, go somewhere, clean something, read
> something-anything, take a nap-dream,
> Look up a word-something absurd, have a big bowl of ice-cream.
> Life is for learning, living, doing. How far will your imagination go?
> Be, see, climb a tree. Beyond texts there is so much to know.
> Life is an education, a journey where anything goes.
> And the only limits that slow you down are the ones that are self imposed.
>
> So, the moment you stopped making them 'do' school you were unschooling. If
> they ask a question, answer it. If they want to know something help them
> find out as much as they want your help. Include them in what you are doing
> and let them include you in what they are doing. And once in a while let
> them sleep in!
>
> Mary in Idaho (who is feeling chatty and inspired this am, sometimes
> adversity brings out the best)
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
> ONElist now has T-SHIRTS!
> For details and to order, go to:
> http://www.onelist.com/store/tshirts.html
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Check it out!
> http://www.unschooling.com

Lisa Fuller

It's not so much what you do as what your kids do. Did they shower? are they
getting breakfast, watching tv, talking, breathing? Then you have begun:) Talk
with them, listen to them, enjoy the world around you. Have fun and remember
learning is involved in everything you do, whether or not you can *see* it. I'd
say you are well on your way.

Enjoy,

Lisa F.

Jastypes@... wrote:

> From: Jastypes@...
>
> Okay. I'm ready. We homeschooled last year, pretty unsuccessfully, I'd say.
> I've decided to go the "unschooling" route. I'm ready to start now. What
> do I do????? Got up this morning and showered, etc. Reading my e-mail now.
> Kids are in my room watching TV. How do I engage them?
>
> Jill
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
> ONElist: your connection to people who share your interests.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Check it out!
> http://www.unschooling.com

rick and deborah farrington

yay mary! that was inspiring! thank you. i read it out loud to everyone.

Lisa Fuller wrote:

> From: Lisa Fuller <eifuller@...>
>
> Beautiful! Very well put. I would only add and listen, listen listen: to your
> children, to your heart, to the birds, to the earth, that is life and that is
> learning.
>
> Enjoy,
>
> Lisa F.
>
> mrstar wrote:
>
> > From: "mrstar" <mrstar@...>
> >
> > <<<Okay. I'm ready. We homeschooled last year, pretty unsuccessfully, I'd
> > say.
> > I've decided to go the "unschooling" route. I'm ready to start now. What
> > do I do????? Got up this morning and showered, etc. Reading my e-mail now.
> > Kids are in my room watching TV. How do I engage them?
> >
> > Jill>>>
> >
> > Hi Jill,
> > What did you do on Saturday? Sunday? etc? Unschooling is life. We are all
> > learning all the time. What are their interests?
> >
> > Bake something, make something, go somewhere, clean something, read
> > something-anything, take a nap-dream,
> > Look up a word-something absurd, have a big bowl of ice-cream.
> > Life is for learning, living, doing. How far will your imagination go?
> > Be, see, climb a tree. Beyond texts there is so much to know.
> > Life is an education, a journey where anything goes.
> > And the only limits that slow you down are the ones that are self imposed.
> >
> > So, the moment you stopped making them 'do' school you were unschooling. If
> > they ask a question, answer it. If they want to know something help them
> > find out as much as they want your help. Include them in what you are doing
> > and let them include you in what they are doing. And once in a while let
> > them sleep in!
> >
> > Mary in Idaho (who is feeling chatty and inspired this am, sometimes
> > adversity brings out the best)
> >
> > --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
> >
> > ONElist now has T-SHIRTS!
> > For details and to order, go to:
> > http://www.onelist.com/store/tshirts.html
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Check it out!
> > http://www.unschooling.com
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------
>
> You can WIN $100 to Amazon.com by starting a new list at ONElist.
> Drawing is held each week through August 20. For details, go to
> http://www.onelist.com/info/onereachsplash3.html
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Check it out!
> http://www.unschooling.com