Illinois Groups
Olif VanPelt
Hello. I am new to the list. I have been lurking for about a week now. This is our first year homeschooling. We started out as classical homeschoolers. My daughter is fine with the structure and books, but my son just isn't. I have switched curricula repeatedly in certain subjects, and just decided a few weeks ago that we are going to give unschooling a try, because I am tired of fighting him to do his work. It is stressful, and I just don't like feeling like a dictator.
Of course I have the usual questions...what do we do now, etc., but I think we are doing okay. We play games almost everyday, sometimes they play on the computer. My daughter reads every night in bed for a couple hours. She is becoming such an expert on animals at the age of 7! I realized a couple months ago that she is learning so much more science on her own than what I have taught her this year, I also noticed that she would know what certain sounds are, like -tion before I got to showing her because she figured it out on her own, and I starting realizing that there is no point having her study spelling lists with words like "when" because she is going to be able to spell these by next year anyway just because she reads so much!
Anyway, my main reason for posting is that I am looking for other unschoolers and SECULAR groups in Illinois. I am in Sandwich, which is southwest of Aurora. I am probably about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from Chicago. Are any of you here in the Chicago land area or the DeKalb or Ottawa area? What groups do you belong to, and are there a lot of unschoolers? I belong to a small secular group out here. There is one family that pretty much unschools, but they are looking to move when their house sells. I would really like to find some real-life people!
Thanks,
OlifGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Of course I have the usual questions...what do we do now, etc., but I think we are doing okay. We play games almost everyday, sometimes they play on the computer. My daughter reads every night in bed for a couple hours. She is becoming such an expert on animals at the age of 7! I realized a couple months ago that she is learning so much more science on her own than what I have taught her this year, I also noticed that she would know what certain sounds are, like -tion before I got to showing her because she figured it out on her own, and I starting realizing that there is no point having her study spelling lists with words like "when" because she is going to be able to spell these by next year anyway just because she reads so much!
Anyway, my main reason for posting is that I am looking for other unschoolers and SECULAR groups in Illinois. I am in Sandwich, which is southwest of Aurora. I am probably about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from Chicago. Are any of you here in the Chicago land area or the DeKalb or Ottawa area? What groups do you belong to, and are there a lot of unschoolers? I belong to a small secular group out here. There is one family that pretty much unschools, but they are looking to move when their house sells. I would really like to find some real-life people!
Thanks,
OlifGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/4/03 7:56:09 AM, ovanpelt@... writes:
<< I starting realizing that there is no point having her study spelling
lists with words like "when" because she is going to be able to spell these
by next year anyway just because she reads so much! >>
She might or she might not be writing/spelling by next year. Maybe next
month. Maybe two years. When you're unschooling the passage of time
changes dramatically. Knowledge comes in more steadily, without needing
measurement. They take in one bit at a time, yet soon it seems like they
just take it ALL in without you even seeing it in bits or parts. And years
won't matter.
Seems freakish and nonsensical, but it's better. And it's the way adults
learn. It's the way people learn, when nobody's preventing it.
Watch out of the corner of your eye how you learn about unschooling, and
realize that that's how your kids can learn about anything they want as their
lives unfold.
Sandra
<< I starting realizing that there is no point having her study spelling
lists with words like "when" because she is going to be able to spell these
by next year anyway just because she reads so much! >>
She might or she might not be writing/spelling by next year. Maybe next
month. Maybe two years. When you're unschooling the passage of time
changes dramatically. Knowledge comes in more steadily, without needing
measurement. They take in one bit at a time, yet soon it seems like they
just take it ALL in without you even seeing it in bits or parts. And years
won't matter.
Seems freakish and nonsensical, but it's better. And it's the way adults
learn. It's the way people learn, when nobody's preventing it.
Watch out of the corner of your eye how you learn about unschooling, and
realize that that's how your kids can learn about anything they want as their
lives unfold.
Sandra
Olif VanPelt
"When you're unschooling the passage of time
changes dramatically. Knowledge comes in more steadily, without needing
measurement. They take in one bit at a time, yet soon it seems like they
just take it ALL in without you even seeing it in bits or parts. And years
won't matter."
I am still trying to remind myself of all this. It really is difficult, but I am starting to understand that there are things that my kids won't know that the ps kids know, and there are things that mine will know that ps kids won't know. None of it really matters, but I do know just from seeing mine our first year homeschooling that they really do retain more when they are seeking the knowledge.
I honestly do worry about writing because my son's writing skills aren't very good compared to "grade expectations". I don't mean physical writing but sentence structure, etc. He hates writing though. I am trying to remind myself that it doesn't matter and he will improve as he feels the need. It is difficult to think outside the ps box though.
I do feel a new freedom. We don't have curriculum restrictions. We can pick up and go anywhere without worrying about school work getting done. We have more time to do more fun things that we just didn't have time for before. We just live life and enjoy ourselves...for a whole two weeks now:) We are loving it non-the-less. I am still waiting for them to turn into the curious little creatures that books tell me they are sure to be, which is the way my son was before his last year of school just killed his natural curiosity. I am sure it will come back with time...
-OlifGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
changes dramatically. Knowledge comes in more steadily, without needing
measurement. They take in one bit at a time, yet soon it seems like they
just take it ALL in without you even seeing it in bits or parts. And years
won't matter."
I am still trying to remind myself of all this. It really is difficult, but I am starting to understand that there are things that my kids won't know that the ps kids know, and there are things that mine will know that ps kids won't know. None of it really matters, but I do know just from seeing mine our first year homeschooling that they really do retain more when they are seeking the knowledge.
I honestly do worry about writing because my son's writing skills aren't very good compared to "grade expectations". I don't mean physical writing but sentence structure, etc. He hates writing though. I am trying to remind myself that it doesn't matter and he will improve as he feels the need. It is difficult to think outside the ps box though.
I do feel a new freedom. We don't have curriculum restrictions. We can pick up and go anywhere without worrying about school work getting done. We have more time to do more fun things that we just didn't have time for before. We just live life and enjoy ourselves...for a whole two weeks now:) We are loving it non-the-less. I am still waiting for them to turn into the curious little creatures that books tell me they are sure to be, which is the way my son was before his last year of school just killed his natural curiosity. I am sure it will come back with time...
-OlifGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fetteroll
on 2/4/03 9:53 AM, Olif VanPelt at ovanpelt@... wrote:
Welcome Olif!
(NHEN) (http://www.nhen.org) and Home Education Magazine
(http://www.home-ed-magazine.com). There's also a listing at Unschooling.com
(http://www.unschooling.com) but I don't know how current it is.
Joyce
Welcome Olif!
> Anyway, my main reason for posting is that I am looking for other unschoolersYou might try checking the listings at National Home Education Network
> and SECULAR groups in Illinois.
(NHEN) (http://www.nhen.org) and Home Education Magazine
(http://www.home-ed-magazine.com). There's also a listing at Unschooling.com
(http://www.unschooling.com) but I don't know how current it is.
Joyce
coyote's corner
Hi,
My son went to PS. He's 29.
He hated writing.
He hated spelling.
He's a staff sergeant - AF
Teaches Avionics..that is the 'art' of keeping F-16's in the air.
He works the flight line, but right now, he's teaching.
He hates writing.
He still has trouble spelling.
His 'penmanship' is not so good. (remember, I'm his mom!)
Writing & penmanship aren't important.
My son can't spell but he can keep a F-16 in the air AND bring it home
safely!
Coyotes Corner
Very Cool Stuff for the World
<www.coyotescorner.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: Olif VanPelt [mailto:ovanpelt@...]
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2003 2:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Illinois Groups
"When you're unschooling the passage of time
changes dramatically. Knowledge comes in more steadily, without needing
measurement. They take in one bit at a time, yet soon it seems like they
just take it ALL in without you even seeing it in bits or parts. And years
won't matter."
I am still trying to remind myself of all this. It really is difficult, but
I am starting to understand that there are things that my kids won't know
that the ps kids know, and there are things that mine will know that ps kids
won't know. None of it really matters, but I do know just from seeing mine
our first year homeschooling that they really do retain more when they are
seeking the knowledge.
I honestly do worry about writing because my son's writing skills aren't
very good compared to "grade expectations". I don't mean physical writing
but sentence structure, etc. He hates writing though. I am trying to remind
myself that it doesn't matter and he will improve as he feels the need. It
is difficult to think outside the ps box though.
I do feel a new freedom. We don't have curriculum restrictions. We can pick
up and go anywhere without worrying about school work getting done. We have
more time to do more fun things that we just didn't have time for before. We
just live life and enjoy ourselves...for a whole two weeks now:) We are
loving it non-the-less. I am still waiting for them to turn into the curious
little creatures that books tell me they are sure to be, which is the way my
son was before his last year of school just killed his natural curiosity. I
am sure it will come back with time...
-OlifGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My son went to PS. He's 29.
He hated writing.
He hated spelling.
He's a staff sergeant - AF
Teaches Avionics..that is the 'art' of keeping F-16's in the air.
He works the flight line, but right now, he's teaching.
He hates writing.
He still has trouble spelling.
His 'penmanship' is not so good. (remember, I'm his mom!)
Writing & penmanship aren't important.
My son can't spell but he can keep a F-16 in the air AND bring it home
safely!
Coyotes Corner
Very Cool Stuff for the World
<www.coyotescorner.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: Olif VanPelt [mailto:ovanpelt@...]
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2003 2:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Illinois Groups
"When you're unschooling the passage of time
changes dramatically. Knowledge comes in more steadily, without needing
measurement. They take in one bit at a time, yet soon it seems like they
just take it ALL in without you even seeing it in bits or parts. And years
won't matter."
I am still trying to remind myself of all this. It really is difficult, but
I am starting to understand that there are things that my kids won't know
that the ps kids know, and there are things that mine will know that ps kids
won't know. None of it really matters, but I do know just from seeing mine
our first year homeschooling that they really do retain more when they are
seeking the knowledge.
I honestly do worry about writing because my son's writing skills aren't
very good compared to "grade expectations". I don't mean physical writing
but sentence structure, etc. He hates writing though. I am trying to remind
myself that it doesn't matter and he will improve as he feels the need. It
is difficult to think outside the ps box though.
I do feel a new freedom. We don't have curriculum restrictions. We can pick
up and go anywhere without worrying about school work getting done. We have
more time to do more fun things that we just didn't have time for before. We
just live life and enjoy ourselves...for a whole two weeks now:) We are
loving it non-the-less. I am still waiting for them to turn into the curious
little creatures that books tell me they are sure to be, which is the way my
son was before his last year of school just killed his natural curiosity. I
am sure it will come back with time...
-OlifGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the
moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner,
Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an
email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]