Times are changing fast and so are the words being used. I currently have two girls in college and none of these keywords in the below video became an issue for us, but maybe they will as my girls proceed towards their higher college degrees. So I'm posting this video for those of you who may actually come across these keywords and would like to know what they mean for your future college student. Enjoy!

Whether you tuned into President Obama's Back to School Speech or not, here is a cute parody of it done by an unschooler who would love some positive feed back.   Please check out the link.  If you like it, please feel free to laugh and forward and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...Let him know you enjoyed the read.

Recently, a new homeschooler asked these questions. Here are my answers:

1.? How many days and hours per week do you spend preparing materials for the week?

That will depend on how you choose to homeschool.

a) School-in-box will take the least as the plans are already laid out.
b) Preparing your own material will take more time unless you use the tons of online ideas and lessons someone else has gathered and posted.

I've used both of the above before we moved into Unschooling =) Unschooling goes about education in a completely different way so it would be extremely hard to calculate the hours spent. My spouse and I are always looking for interesting things that we think our son will like. My son is greatly into Biology (focusing mainly on cats and dogs) so I've found all types of great books, documentaries, and hands on exposure for him. He gets to explore the topic as deep as he likes which has lead to him exploring way beyond the age/grade level normally designed for a child his age.

Prior to moving into unschooling, homeschooling took approximately 1/4 of the time to accomplish the daily work then the amount of time the school had required. Looking back, it became apparent that there was a lot of wasted time in the schools of lining kids up and taking turns for things like bathroom breaks and water fountain breaks.

With Unschooling, learning happens all the time. It's more of an ebb and flow of information and discovery. If something is intriguing, there's no reason to stop because it's time to switch topics or subjects. (This also applies to homeschooling, too.)

This has more to do with what is happening locally and within driving distance. I signed up for all types of alerts so we get notification when the museams are having special events, when the parks are having special events, when the county is hosting interesting classes we may want to explore, etc...

This is so open ended. You can buy a membership to the local Science Center and that usually gains you entry to all the museums. A membership to your local Zoo is also a good investment. Other trips can vary.

As one mom stated, the cost per tuition far exceeds the cost of homeschooling material. Tons of great material is free from the Library and internet. For us, our main expense is books, books, and more books. I have readers who LOVE books so I'm always looking to keep the house stocked.

There are tons of ways to save money or you can buy new and spend more. One of the best investments I've made is the complete Life of Fred Series. As your child is still young, you can sign up for the Scholastic Book Fair and save lots of money on attending one of their warehouse sales. I've known families that spend a fortune and families that don't.

Yahoo Groups has been an excellent resource and is free. There are also tons of homeschooling parents who blog and post tons of lesson plans, ideas and free links. One of the first I was told about is the www.homeschoolblogger.com site. I found so much great information there when I first started this journey.

When I first started homeschooling, I started wondering how it would all end.  Would my son one day wish to return to the system? Would I homeschool him right through high school?  Would he choose Early College?  As I had older girls, I was already aware of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program but I wasn't sure how it worked for homeschoolers.

It's been four years now since I pulled my son home and I have learned a bunch.  The local colleges are growing and the state of homeschooling is growing, too.  I have searched the local college's website many, many, times, as I myself use to be one of their students, so between my spouse's education, my education, and now my children's education, we have been giving them some business over the years. =)  It is nice to see that they have now created and updated their site with information just for homeschoolers.

For those that are curious what my local State College requires for Early College, please click here.

Unschooling.  Oh, how I've come to love saying 'Unschooling' and even better then the sound of the word, is the actual living of a Radical Unschooling life! I've come to love the shock effect when people ask me which school my son attends and I reply, "Oh, he doesn't go to school. We unschool."

I've grown so use to the blank stare, the confused expressions, the need to translate the term 'unschooling' into something that they can wrap their head around. Oh sure, it would be much easier to simply say we homeschool. After all, unschooling is considered one form of homeschooling, but for those who have actually looked into the different forms, they will tell you that unschooling is nothing like doing school at home.

With unschooling, there are no tests, no grades, no curriculum, no grade levels, no need to read till the child desires to do so. The same concept applies to writing, math, science, social studies, English,....you get the point. There is absolutely no rules towards much of anything. Nope! Nada. Children are left to move at their own natural pace, be it a slow one, an average one, a fast one, or completely unique to the child. The later tends to be the more accurate way most seem to go in the unschooling world.

No, the previous paragraph doesn't mean we neglect our children. Please don't even bother following that thought path as from my observations, I would say that the oposite is true. Unschooling parents are very involved with their children and helping them learn everything! This is a hard concept to grasp so I like to describe it as how a loving mom helps her baby grow. She supplies interesting experiences, and learning opportunities. She points out a bird, and will draw her child's attention to it while saying 'bird' (or for some of us, 'Look at the Blue Jay'). Nobody ever questions all the wonderful ways new parents help their baby grow into a curious toddler then on to a smart young child...then that same curious and smart child reaches the age of five and most parents will bundle them up and send them away for most of their day. For unschoolers? Well, unschoolers aren't in such a hurry, unschoolers tend to be able to wait to bundle up their children till the child is ready to leave the nest on their own.

For some, college will be a choice they choose to pursue, but after what I've written above, many readers are probably wondering,"Just how can an unschooler get into college?" Well? The answer is, EASY!

I currently have two children in college. One started at age 17 and the other at age 16. My 11yo is also elgible but he would rather wait till he is taller. He figures he might go at age 15. Do I worry how they will do? Absolutely not. They all are and will do well. There are many reasons they will do well. The most important one being that they are there by their own choice. Having a choice and being responsible for yourself is very empowering. Unschoolers tend to be very empowered individuals.

They have faith in themselves that they can learn anything they want to learn. Most unschoolers are very knowledgable as they have been learning and living and exploring for years! College isn't just a first taste of freedom so failing doesn't tend to happen. So as I was looking for good links to back up my story here, I came across files and files of great information on how to get your unschooler into college. There is advise on how to prepare for the SAT or ACT. There is advise on how to translate an unschooling life into 'schoolese' therefore creating a transcript outlining a life of learning. But as I reveiwed these links, which I will include at the bottom for you to puruse, I thought what is it that you are REALLY asking?

Sure, sure, local community colleges let everyone in. The actual knowledge level doesn't matter. What if your child wishes to go to a high end college? Say Princeton University? Well, I know what I've read, but you don't want to hear second hand rumor. Lets go to Princetown and see what they want. If you click here, you will be taken to their Applying for Admission page.

Here is a snippet from that page: "As you prepare your application, help us to appreciate your talents, academic accomplishments and personal achievements. We'll ask for your transcript and recommendations, and we will want to know more than just the statistics in your file. Tell us your story. Show us what’s special about you. Tell us how you would seize the academic and non-academic opportunities at Princeton and contribute to the Princeton community. Above all, please write in a style that reflects your own voice."

Hmmmm.....sounds like the unique life learning of an Unschooler would fit rather well for what they are looking for.

Here are more links for those that would like ideas on how to prepare transcripts and other information on how to help an Unschooler get into college:

Sandra Dodd has a wonderful collection of articles on this topic. Click here.

Joyce Fetteroll also has a wonderful information page here.

Oh my goodness! Many of my friends know the story of how we came to become Unschoolers. Many have read the stories of my children and shed tears for them. And along with the tears, they have shared the joys with them that homeschooling/unschooling/escape from the system has brought with it. When we realized that the standard route wasn't going to work, I was frantic on what we were going to do. I will admit to wondering just what was wrong with us that we were so different that the standard route that seemed to work for so many, failed so miserably for us. I thought we were alone in this,too. Well, thanks to many connections online, I have since learned that this is a nation wide problem. Children all over this country are suffering. Many have loving parents who like me, have chosen to rescue their children from this torture we call school. To this day, I'm in awe of the parents I've met who had the wisdom to spare their children from this experience. Currently, two blogs are gathering more information. If you would like to contribute, The Stone Age Techie is doing a survey on 'Why do you homeschool'. Click on this button to take the survey:

 Then head on over to A Chance to Shine.  I love that they are taking their story and sharing it so that maybe, another parent will find it and save their child from the suffering. I know it would have been a huge comfort to me a few years back. Make sure to read their Stupid Discipline section. They are accepting stories so if you have one, please contribute.