In this post I briefly answer the question: “What is Unschooling?”. Most people who personally know me, know that I homeschool my children. They have been homeschooled their entire short childhood. I started out homeschooling when my now almost 8 year old was about 18 months old. I didn’t see many options as far as school for him and I got interested in teaching him myself. As he grew older and I realized how smart he was I knew I couldn’t put him in a traditional classroom because he wouldn’t be challenged. Private education was steep, so I continued to provide a private education at home. As my family expanded to three children and they grew older, I saw my kids bored with doing repetitive worksheets and following a general curriculum. As soon as they were done with their “school work” they went on to focus on what they were really interested in. This is where unschooling came into the picture and where real learning began.
What is unschooling? Unschooling is a completely personal customized educational experience. It is holistic, child led, life learning. Unschooling does not follow a set curriculum. This does not mean children don’t learn basic reading, writing, spelling, math, etc. Those subjects are just taught surrounding the interests at the time. We buy and borrow books from the library, we visit museums, study nature, do experiments, and explore our surroundings. There are books around at all times on varying subjects that my children just pick up and read because they want to. This is real life learning and will be retained for years to come. There is no studying and cramming to pass a test in unschooling, then forgetting the materials later. Unschooling never stops. There is always something to learn and anything can be turned into a lesson. We don’t take summer breaks or have set school hours because learning can be found in everything at anytime. Unschooling may not be for every family or every child, but it is how my children thrive.
Want to put some unschooling to practice in your home? Find out what your children’s real interests are. What do they love? What makes them excited about learning? Then explore with them!
Did you like my post “What is Unschooling?”. Leave a comment or find me on Instagram and Twitter @mommyweek #mommyweek or on Facebook.
Ashley ❤
3 comments
Edina
October 23, 2013 at 10:18 pmI really thought about homeschooling for my son. However, I decided to send him to a montessori private school which is very similar to the type of education you describe. I think if I had more then one child I would have done if. I decided against it because my son is very sociable and he likes being around other children rather than being on his own or with one or two kids.
Do you have homeschooling groups where they go out on day trips with other kids ? I think home schooling is the way forward though. Especially if you can create a classroom where two or three families come together to teach their kids. I was considering it strongly but my son is musically gifted so I think he might be going to a stage school at later stage. I commend you, you should do more posts on this subject with lesson ideas and plans for those who are interested in doing it themselves.
Ashley
October 24, 2013 at 1:43 pmThank you for commenting, Edina! It’s a common misconception that homeschooled children spend a lot of time at “home” or just with their families. If you take a look at my Instagram photos @mommyweek you will be able to see some of the activities we participate in. We love what we do!
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