[email protected]

In a message dated 7/24/2002 10:13:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:


> The problem we are having is our youngest, who sees her friends (all ages)
> getting ready to go back to school and going for the first time. She wants
> to be just like them, she loves to sit at the table with assignments and
> wants to be a part of the lunch box
> carrying crowd. I've tried to handle some of this by supplying her with
> "school type" books (she loves them and does them with no prompting from me
> although she really wants me to say "ok, now it's time for...") and when
> school starts again in this area I want
> to do something with her (and older son) to help take the sting out of her
> friends not being around much anymore. (Even the ones who homeschool are
> "going back to school.") Maybe a trip to the dinosaur exhibit at the
> Natural History Museum?
> Anyway the point of this is to ask: What do you do when the whole family
> is unschooling and one doesn't want to?
>

When I was a kid my sister and I loved to "play school." I can't speak for my
sister, but I really hated Real School. But playing school was fun.

I don't see any conflict with your playing school with your daughter. Get her
a lunchbox with her favorite characters on it and put her lunch in it. (Make
sure there's a thermos!) Buy new crayons and pencils and a notebook. Give
her assignments. The trick is: SAY you're "playing school." Invite HER to be
the teacher sometimes. Stress that the fun part of Playing School is you can
do the fun things about school without the boring things...and you can stop
to go on a "field trip" or bake cookies or read a story... whenever you want
to!

Ask her if she really wants to try school, or if she thinks Playing School
would be okay.

Kathryn


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