Hi everyone!

Hope you had a terrific week! Last week, right here on the porch I mentioned that I wanted to highlight some unschoolers.

Today, I would like to introduce you to Belinda. Belinda posted a wonderfully insightful article on her blog awhile back, and she has given me permission to share it with you here. 

How do you answer a question that invokes LOTS of different responses?

I guess I could begin by explaining what unschooling is to ME:

My definition - Unschooling is:

Allowing my children (and myself) the freedom to learn what they want to know when they need to know it.

Creating a home that is child-friendly and an environment that encourages exploration, reading, experimenting, free play, learning, thinking, relaxing, exercising, etc.

Being available to my children throughout the day for guidance and support.

Living with my children and modeling (by example) acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.

Most of all......listening for the Lord's voice as He leads us on the paths He has planned for us. Not my own agenda or "schedule" for the day but to keep my eyes open and my ears attentive to His promptings and nudges as we go through the natural flow of our day.

Read the rest here! But don't get sidetracked....after you read the whole thing, come back to the porch, ok?

  
I would like to have some more unschoolers join us here so that my readers can get a different perspective on unschooling. Just as all types of homeschooling families are different, unschoolers are not cut from the same cloth either.

We aren't really unschoolers -- but very relaxed homeschoolers who try to use literature as much as possible.

We are finishing up our last two weeks of Tapestry of Grace, which we use quite loosely. Next week is our last week. We were going to go on a field trip to a nature center yesterday, but it rained. :-(

I'm making plans for some fun summer lessons. I've never done that before, but I'm hoping a bit of direction to each day will limit the bickering and "I'm bored" type comments. Although, my children don't usually complain of boredom unless they're just mad I won't let them do what they really want to do. :-/ They're incredibly creative and inventive most of the time -- although I still can't figure out why they'd rather play with pencils (as people) or people cut out of magazines instead of the felt dolls or dollhouse dolls we have.

We're looking forward to our library's summer reading program. It's always a summer highlight. :-)

April

Thank you April, for sharing! Sometimes unschoolers are really just very eclectic -- meaning, they pick and choose what they like to use from many different sources.  But whatever you might call your method, thanks for telling us about it! 

Yes, kids sometimes get bored if they have a different agenda. I know my kids have other plans many times, and I have to re-train myself to allow them more freedom. Who says homeschooling is only for the kids? I learn more than they do, I am certain!

And here is Michelle, from www.homeschoolblogger.com/eyecorn

What We Do....

We are very eclectic/relaxed/borderline unschooling. DS 14 does VideoTextAlgebra and we read the books in Jim Stobaugh's literature program. However, he is given ALOT of time to pursue interests. In the last 2 months he earned money to download Adobe Photoshop and found free tutorials online. He now has a little graphic making business going and has had to learn money management. He opened a checking account at the credit union (He had to learn the difference between a bank and a credit union.) and he has to keep watch on his monthly statement. He also has a debit card with the account. His other interest is robotics. After his FIRST robotics team finished up their season in Atlanta at the Natl. Championships, we bought a book on Amazon that is a course teaching the AutoCad program the team used during the season. We have an educator's license that expires in the summer (but will renew next Jan. when the robotics season starts up again.) So, to get this course in before the license expires, he's been working through the book on his own. DD6 is very hands-on with a short attention span when a book is put in front of her! We do a variety of activities. Most recently, I purchased 15 blank books from MillerPads, she has been making storybooks and "zoo books". She has to write her own stories, but this is not a problem, as she works at her own pace. Her science has been a variety of projects outside. She has built and painted 3 birdhouses. All have different birds nesting in them now. She keeps track of them. Plus, she has planted her own flower area - some with seeds we started inside and others we put in the ground (her experiment was to see which seeds grew faster.)

Whew, just a bit of what we do. I've tried so hard to follow a set schedule and lesson plan, it's just so hard for our DCs' learning styles.


Wow, now there are some great ideas for you! Congrats on the robotics team and congrats to you for being such a neato mom! 

And last but not least,

here is Letitia over at homeschoolblogger.com/sandbetweenmytoes:

You can add us to the catagory of very, very relaxed/unschoolers, however, I am not qualified to be much of an example to others, as I am just learning. It seems interesting, I suppose, that I am having to learn how to unschool!
As I have watched other people talk about how their school year is winding down, it's been interesting at my internal reaction of, "It's really cool not to live that way." I know as my younger ones get older, there will be a time when we will have more of a "school year" in certain things, but for now, I'm enjoying the freedom to do what we want.
We've had warm days for quite a while, so my girls have been catching catepillars, and identifying them and watching birds. Our neglected bird feeder just got a refill, too. We will be planting our small garden tomorrow, hopefully. Last week they caught a frog, and he now has a little aquarium home with his supply of crickets. This totally grosses Mom out (!), but they are loving it for a while. We love reading-outside-weather. We sit on the porch swing and read, getting interrupted by butterflies, caterpillars, and birdsong. They are having a ball playing outside on a new disk swing and dressing up pretending something quite involved and dramatic. : ) Dad is building them a new humongous fort/play set/swing set. It will have swings, a slide, a fireman's pole, climbing wall, bridge between 2 "playhouses". In August, we hope to take a trip to Williamsburg. Marissa, especially, is very excited. She loves colonial times, and we hope a combination of us and Gram are going to get them colonial dresses made (see your blog for the funny on that one!). Board games are a constant source of learning in our home, too, so that will continue through the summer, as well. Okay, I'm too long winded, but that's a glimpse at some of the things we'll be doing this summer.
I am very excited to see who your example unschoolers are.
Letitia  

Your home sounds so much like us Letitia. We really "bloom" in the spring, so much learning going on just by observing nature!!

I'd like to send you a fun sticker I made, just send me your address!