Re: Books on Unschooling
[email protected]
Homeschooling our Children, Unschooling Ourselves by Allison McKee is
absolutely my favorite book written by an unschooler
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
absolutely my favorite book written by an unschooler
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Dawn Adams
My votes for best unschooling books go to E.Nesbitt for 'The Treasure Seekers' and Arthur Ransome for 'Swallows and Amazons.' Both kids fiction but will give people a real feel for what unschooling can be, or just what childhood can be, when you give kids their freedom. If I were deschooling, these would be on my must read list.
Dawn (in NS)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Dawn (in NS)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Wife2Vegman
--- DACunefare@... wrote:
Child's Work by Nancy Wallace
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan
All of John Holt's books, but if you have small
children definitely Learning All The Time and Teach
Your Own.
wifetovegman
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/
> Homeschooling our Children, Unschooling Ourselves byBetter Than School by Nancy Wallace
> Allison McKee is
> absolutely my favorite book written by an unschooler
Child's Work by Nancy Wallace
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan
All of John Holt's books, but if you have small
children definitely Learning All The Time and Teach
Your Own.
wifetovegman
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/17/2003 2:14:36 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Better Than School by Nancy Wallace
Child's Work by Nancy Wallace
***************
These were our family's inspiration and bane. (I actually wrote a short essay
about this that appears in Homeschooling the First Year.) I loved the images
of the kids creating and learning, and we had all of these wonderful ideas of
Julian writing operas and novels at eight, like Vita and Ishmael in these
books.
Didn't happen. Apparently Julian didn't get the memo. He wanted to play with
his Playstation.
These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
unschoolers.
Kathryn
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
Better Than School by Nancy Wallace
Child's Work by Nancy Wallace
***************
These were our family's inspiration and bane. (I actually wrote a short essay
about this that appears in Homeschooling the First Year.) I loved the images
of the kids creating and learning, and we had all of these wonderful ideas of
Julian writing operas and novels at eight, like Vita and Ishmael in these
books.
Didn't happen. Apparently Julian didn't get the memo. He wanted to play with
his Playstation.
These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
unschoolers.
Kathryn
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
** These were our family's inspiration and bane. (I actually wrote a short
essay
about this that appears in Homeschooling the First Year.) I loved the images
of the kids creating and learning, and we had all of these wonderful ideas of
Julian writing operas and novels at eight, like Vita and Ishmael in these
books.
Didn't happen. Apparently Julian didn't get the memo. He wanted to play with
his Playstation.
These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
unschoolers.**
<g> As could your own writings about Julian and Harvard extension courses at
14.
Wonderously different they all are. :)
Deborah in IL
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
essay
about this that appears in Homeschooling the First Year.) I loved the images
of the kids creating and learning, and we had all of these wonderful ideas of
Julian writing operas and novels at eight, like Vita and Ishmael in these
books.
Didn't happen. Apparently Julian didn't get the memo. He wanted to play with
his Playstation.
These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
unschoolers.**
<g> As could your own writings about Julian and Harvard extension courses at
14.
Wonderously different they all are. :)
Deborah in IL
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
>Marty Layne told me that she found them intimidating, and that was one
>
>These were our family's inspiration and bane. (I actually wrote a short essay
>about this that appears in Homeschooling the First Year.) I loved the images
>of the kids creating and learning, and we had all of these wonderful ideas of
>Julian writing operas and novels at eight, like Vita and Ishmael in these
>books.
>
>Didn't happen. Apparently Julian didn't get the memo. He wanted to play with
>his Playstation.
>
>These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
>unschoolers.
reason she wrote *her* book, which *I* found a bit intimidating.
<g>
Tia
Kelli Traaseth
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tia Leschke" <leschke@...>
**Marty Layne told me that she found them intimidating, and that was one
> reason she wrote *her* book, which *I* found a bit intimidating.
> <g>**
I agree with ya there Tia!
Maybe one of us will have to write a book about the adventures of our kids
and their game systems. I should be keeping a journal. :)
My kids right now are downstairs figuring out the Bionical game for
Playstation 2. And doing it very quietly, cuz Grandma and Grandpa are
sleeping in the next bedroom,,, shhhhhhh. They're so cute!
Kelli~
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/20/2003 1:26:25 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
unschoolers.**
<g> As could your own writings about Julian and Harvard extension courses at
14.
Wonderously different they all are. :)
***********************
I am sitting alone in my office cracking up.
You're absolutely right.
It's possible that Ishmael picked his nose in public until he was 17, and
Vita might have been unable to make a peanut butter sandwich without smearing
jelly as far as the ceiling. What Nancy failed to portray in the book was
PERSPECTIVE.
So here you are: Julian, at 14, is taking a difficult college level course at
Harvard Extension. He makes chain maille, and is a gifted singer. He can talk
easily and intelligently to adults, and is very kind to small children. He is
also a very sweet and funny boy.
To put all that in perspective: Julian is math-phobic and doesn't know the
multiplication tables. He panics every time he has to write a paper, before he
settles in and handles it. There are sharp metal rings scattered about my house
often, and they hurt almost as bad as Legos when you step on them. When he
has headphones on and sings along with a cd, he is no longer a gifted singer,
but he's still loud. He is very wary of age-peers he doesn't know well, and they
have to prove themselves before he'll relax with them. Sometimes he quotes
Monty Python...at length.
I was wondering what happened to Vita and Ishmael, and I came up with this:
The Orfeo Duo - Bio
Kathryn
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for new
unschoolers.**
<g> As could your own writings about Julian and Harvard extension courses at
14.
Wonderously different they all are. :)
***********************
I am sitting alone in my office cracking up.
You're absolutely right.
It's possible that Ishmael picked his nose in public until he was 17, and
Vita might have been unable to make a peanut butter sandwich without smearing
jelly as far as the ceiling. What Nancy failed to portray in the book was
PERSPECTIVE.
So here you are: Julian, at 14, is taking a difficult college level course at
Harvard Extension. He makes chain maille, and is a gifted singer. He can talk
easily and intelligently to adults, and is very kind to small children. He is
also a very sweet and funny boy.
To put all that in perspective: Julian is math-phobic and doesn't know the
multiplication tables. He panics every time he has to write a paper, before he
settles in and handles it. There are sharp metal rings scattered about my house
often, and they hurt almost as bad as Legos when you step on them. When he
has headphones on and sings along with a cd, he is no longer a gifted singer,
but he's still loud. He is very wary of age-peers he doesn't know well, and they
have to prove themselves before he'll relax with them. Sometimes he quotes
Monty Python...at length.
I was wondering what happened to Vita and Ishmael, and I came up with this:
The Orfeo Duo - Bio
Kathryn
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Holly Furgason
LOL! Here's a blurb I worte for my newsletter that may explain why
unschooling success stories can seem intimadating:
Ordinary People
If you're like me, you roll your eyes every time you read about
another overachieving unschooler. You know the ones. They go to
Oxford, they start their own successful business, write their first
novel at 16 or travel to cool places. Where do they get these people?
The unschoolers you know are all so ordinary- maybe.
As a long time unschooler, I've watched many of the unschooled kids I
know grow to be adults. As they mature they all seem to become
overachievers. Is it because they're extraordinary people? I don't
think so. They are just the same as everyone else. The difference is
that they have been allowed to lead extraordinary lives.
As these kids follow their interests and their passions, they take
their activities to new levels. They enjoy the freedom and the
support that so few young people in our culture are allowed. Most of
these kids will never make headlines or have books written about them
but they all seem to be moving ahead and enjoying their work to the
fullest even in the simplest pursuits.
That is exactly what I had hoped for my children's education and I am
not disappointed. Unschooling works.
unschooling success stories can seem intimadating:
Ordinary People
If you're like me, you roll your eyes every time you read about
another overachieving unschooler. You know the ones. They go to
Oxford, they start their own successful business, write their first
novel at 16 or travel to cool places. Where do they get these people?
The unschoolers you know are all so ordinary- maybe.
As a long time unschooler, I've watched many of the unschooled kids I
know grow to be adults. As they mature they all seem to become
overachievers. Is it because they're extraordinary people? I don't
think so. They are just the same as everyone else. The difference is
that they have been allowed to lead extraordinary lives.
As these kids follow their interests and their passions, they take
their activities to new levels. They enjoy the freedom and the
support that so few young people in our culture are allowed. Most of
these kids will never make headlines or have books written about them
but they all seem to be moving ahead and enjoying their work to the
fullest even in the simplest pursuits.
That is exactly what I had hoped for my children's education and I am
not disappointed. Unschooling works.
--- In [email protected], KathrynJB@a... wrote:
> In a message dated 12/20/2003 1:26:25 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> [email protected] writes:
> These are really very lovely books, but could be intimidating for
new
> unschoolers.**
>
> <g> As could your own writings about Julian and Harvard extension
courses at
> 14.
>
> Wonderously different they all are. :)
> ***********************
> I am sitting alone in my office cracking up.
>
> You're absolutely right.
>
> It's possible that Ishmael picked his nose in public until he was
17, and
> Vita might have been unable to make a peanut butter sandwich
without smearing
> jelly as far as the ceiling. What Nancy failed to portray in the
book was
> PERSPECTIVE.
>
> So here you are: Julian, at 14, is taking a difficult college level
course at
> Harvard Extension. He makes chain maille, and is a gifted singer.
He can talk
> easily and intelligently to adults, and is very kind to small
children. He is
> also a very sweet and funny boy.
>
> To put all that in perspective: Julian is math-phobic and doesn't
know the
> multiplication tables. He panics every time he has to write a
paper, before he
> settles in and handles it. There are sharp metal rings scattered
about my house
> often, and they hurt almost as bad as Legos when you step on them.
When he
> has headphones on and sings along with a cd, he is no longer a
gifted singer,
> but he's still loud. He is very wary of age-peers he doesn't know
well, and they
> have to prove themselves before he'll relax with them. Sometimes he
quotes
> Monty Python...at length.
>
> I was wondering what happened to Vita and Ishmael, and I came up
with this:
> The Orfeo Duo - Bio
>
> Kathryn
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Wife2Vegman
> In a message dated 12/20/2003 1:26:25 AM EasternPerhaps. But as a brand new homeschooler who didn't
> Standard Time,
> [email protected] writes:
> These are really very lovely books, but could be
> intimidating for new
> unschoolers.**
>
have internet back in the early 1990s, I had to rely
on whatever I found at the public library.
John Holt, the Moores, and Nancy Wallace were the only
books I could find at all.
I never expected my children to turn out like Vita and
Ishmael. I did expect to be able to remove artificial
boundaries set by the school system and give them
freedom to become whatever they really desired.
I haven't been disappointed either. My daughter is an
artist, my son loves cooking and building and painting
his LOTR figures. My youngest is majoring in
cartoons, especially Ed Edd and Eddie.
I guess Nancy Wallace just made me realize the
potential of homeschooling. I re-read her books every
year or two to remind myself of that.
Thanks for posting the link to Vita and Ishmael's bio.
I'm glad to see they are successful and enjoying the
things they love the most.
wifetovegman
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/
zenmomma2kids
>>I loved the images of the kids creating and learning, and we hadall of these wonderful ideas of Julian writing operas and novels at
eight, like Vita and Ishmael in these books.
Didn't happen. Apparently Julian didn't get the memo. He wanted to
play with his Playstation.>>
Yes, but now you get to intimidate the rest of us with awesome tales
of Julian taking classes at Harvard at 14. <beg> Conor didn't get
THAT memo. lol He's still majoring in Playstation, swords and Anime.
Ain't it wonderful?
Life is good.
~Mary
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/20/2003 8:10:09 AM Central Standard Time,
unschooler@... writes:
seemed too super-achievement oriented for what we were doing all day -
playing with blocks, gluing, pushing around glitter piles with bulldozers. Now I
can see that my children are extraordinary too, just in different ways. I think
all children can achieve, succeed and be happy if they are so allowed.
As a frightened and self-doubting unschooler, though, some of these stories
can be intimidating.
Elizabeth in IL
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
unschooler@... writes:
> The difference isDavid Albert's writings about his children intimidated me at first too. They
> that they have been allowed to lead extraordinary lives.
seemed too super-achievement oriented for what we were doing all day -
playing with blocks, gluing, pushing around glitter piles with bulldozers. Now I
can see that my children are extraordinary too, just in different ways. I think
all children can achieve, succeed and be happy if they are so allowed.
As a frightened and self-doubting unschooler, though, some of these stories
can be intimidating.
Elizabeth in IL
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/20/03 6:02:33 AM, KathrynJB@... writes:
<< Sometimes he quotes
Monty Python...at length. >>
Kathryn, you accidentally had that on the list of negatives.
Sandra, who is getting a new copy of The Holy Grail for Christmas, because
her last one has walked
<< Sometimes he quotes
Monty Python...at length. >>
Kathryn, you accidentally had that on the list of negatives.
Sandra, who is getting a new copy of The Holy Grail for Christmas, because
her last one has walked