[email protected]

In a message dated 5/30/2003 12:06:45 PM Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
>
> My job isn't to create lists of activites that tie together. And it isn't
> to create activities at all. It's to be available.

Exactly.
We have days with so many topics/interests covered I can't keep track.
The key element is for each topic to be honored by the parent and for the
parent to be curious and interested!

We were invited to swim at a fellow unschoolers house yesterday. The boys had
this idea about taking our little wading pool along to see if they could use
it as a boat.
I didn't think it could hold their weight, but they were curious so I loaded
it up.
Amazingly enough, it held two children and floated just fine.
They tried a number of different things with it and it turned out to be a lot
of fun.

Being open to new (and possibly strange) ideas, no matter how hard it is to
creatively meet the need, being intensely curious about everything in the whole
wide world and letting information swirl and flow through your life without
strangling it with "studies" or contrived projects is the key to happy,
successful unschooling.

When the parent is still trying to make information into a study, they aren't
quite "there" yet. But it can come. And when it does, it's like a huge
lightbulb turning on in your head and you never see the world the same again.

Ren


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

liza sabater

On Friday, May 30, 2003, at 14:33 America/New_York, starsuncloud@...
wrote:

> In a message dated 5/30/2003 12:06:45 PM Central Daylight Time,
> [email protected] writes:
> >
> > My job isn't to create lists of activites that tie together. And it
> isn't > to create activities at all. It's to be available.
>
> Exactly.
> We have days with so many topics/interests covered I can't keep track.
> The key element is for each topic to be honored by the parent and for
> the parent to be curious and interested!


This is such a great way of putting it. I was having my doubts (2nd
year of deschooling, BTW) and even though I knew I was not willing to
go the curriculum route (even hated those as a teacher), I just felt
adrift for a moment there. Remember, I had disconnected from this board
for about 3-4 months. Gosh, that was definitely too long.

Here in NYC most homeschoolers I know use curricula of one kind or
another. And some 'unschoolers' have demarcated what they call
'learning' from 'entertainment' so play time, PCs and the TV are
closely regulated. I really have to come here to participate in this
kind of discussion.

> When the parent is still trying to make information into a study, they
> aren't quite "there" yet. But it can come. And when it does, it's like
> a huge lightbulb turning on in your head and you never see the world
> the same again.

This is where my husband is right now and I have had to make
concessions. So my job right now is to make available not just to my
kids but to him as well activities that can turn his impetus to teach
into an opportunity for the kids to learn --and not 'study'.

It's as if I'm unschooling my kids AND my husband as well :-)

So thanks to all. Love ya!

/ l i z a




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Olga

The more I reflect on my path the more I feel this is my big fear:

starsuncloud@c...
> wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 5/30/2003 12:06:45 PM Central Daylight Time,
> > [email protected] writes:
> > >
> > > My job isn't to create lists of activites that tie together.
And it
> > isn't > to create activities at all. It's to be available.
> >
> > Exactly.
> > We have days with so many topics/interests covered I can't keep
track.
> > The key element is for each topic to be honored by the parent and
for
> > the parent to be curious and interested!
>

That somehow I will fail them. Not be interested enough or not be
able to give the right *guidance* (for lack of a better word). I
feel like they will present some interest and maybe I won't catch it,
won't follow through to suggest the library or here is a great book
with related experiements. So I see I am holding on to the really
loose, give me a little control, unit studies. So although they take
up less then 5% of our total time, they are there. I am not sure how
to rid myself of that fear, maybe just time and maybe that
conference ;) Looking forward to seeing and talking to everyone in
person!!

Olga :)