Unschoolers...PLEASE respond!

[poleidopy]

I know this has probably been asked a zillion times before...
Could you please describe to me a normal day or week of unschooling? When should i start? How do i start?
DS is 18mos old and I feel like I don't *teach* him anything. I mean, he knows some animals and their sounds (that I didn't teach him! :hunh ) and he knows his body parts (I didn't teach him but a few of those.) So how do I start? I try to teach him colors when we do laundry & stuff...I guess I don't have enough confidence that he will learn what he *needs* to learn. So when & how did you start unschooling? :shrug

[Aerynne]

We unschool. As a result, dd has lots of random knowledge that has been just what she's interested in. She knows most colors (even weird things like khaki), the names of all the chess pieces (don't ask me why. She wanted to learn them so I taught them to her. :shrug), animal sounds, body parts, and can recognize the letters M, N, and O. (I had no intention of teaching her letters this early, but she pointed to them and wanted to know what they were). She also knows some songs. Probably some other stuff but I can't think of what. She's 21 months. Typical day? Gosh, we just play together. And I clean the house and we go to the grocery store. And nurse and nurse and nurse. We play with blocks and color and read books, all just pretty much based on what we feel like. The only thing that is consistent is that she has a nap every afternoon. Wednesday mornings we get together with friends to sing and dance. That's just a recent thing- this week was our first week. I guess the thing with unschooling is you're already doing it. Kids just pick up stuff naturally because they want to learn.

[Kasi]

To me, unschooling is using teachable moments through your day. There really isn't a set way or schedule to do it. You are probably teaching your ds much more than you realize without having to "teach" per se. Young children learn from their experiences, not direct instruction...what they see, hear, touch, smell, taste.

Here are some examples I consider "unschooling" a young child...

All of my children learned to count to 5 by the time they were 2yo, and thereafter to 10, etc. As I washed their hair at bathtime, I counted the number times I poured the cup of water over their head. It wasn't until ds#3 that I realized I had been doing this all along, when he was counting & corresponding on his own. This not only taught them the numerical order, but also the one-to-one correspondence. And odd way to teach to count, but it grew from their through our other daily experiences.

I taught colors through all of our play and conversations. Reinforced new pronunciations & sounds as my children would try to say a new word. We talked about every new thing they found. We read constantly...both picture books and books I would just read-aloud to them.

Building with blocks is a great opportunity to count, talk about shapes, build fine motor skills, and learn cause & effect...what goes up, must come down. Scribbling with crayons was both writing and art...it developed fine motor skills needed later for learning to write manuscript, but also allowed them to experiment with shape & color and to tell stories as they drew.

As my children grew older, they cooked with me. They learned math, fractions, sequencing--(what comes first in a recipe, what comes last), chemistry, etc.

There are so many things that can teach your toddler so much through daily play and experiences; you truly don't need to stress about "teaching" him right now.

:)

[arymanth]

Could you please describe to me a normal day or week of unschooling? When should i start? How do i start?

LOL it sounds like you have already started! My kids are all much older... from 7 to 17yo.... but we are also expecting a baby (any day now!) so I'm actually looking at this from both perspectives. For me, "unschooling" is more about facilitating learning rather than teaching. I don't "teach" my kids things, but I do share things with them. We watch PBS specials together. (my 7yo loves "This Old House" and my 12yo is really into Nova and Mystery) We listen to books on tape together (We listen to everything from Jane Austen and Tolkien to just fun things like Hank the Cowdog and A Series of Unfortunate Events) We go on "adventures" together.... nature trails, cave exploring, historic places (reenactments are so fun!) and such. I share things that I enjoy with them... we listen to all kinds of music together... from Elvis to Mozart... and have a wonderful time dancing and singing to the music. I am teaching my 17yo and 9yo to play the guitar... as I teach myself. I'm showing them how to cook... and we look for fun science experiments to do with food on the computer. (the Exploratorium has some great pages along these lines) I'm learning how to garden... and whatever I learn I share with my kids... as much as they are interested in knowing. If we find something interesting that I don't know about, we go look it up. (bugs, plants, clouds, etc.) I've been learning German, and my 7yo DD has picked up a great deal just playing word games with me. (enough that I can read storybooks in German and she can understand them!) My 14yo wants to learn to sew so he can design his own clothes, so I'm showing him what I know, and I'm trying to learn more so I can help him do what he would like to do. I've showed the older boys our bills and let them see how I do our finances so they will know what it is like to live on a budget... and so they understand how much money we have... and do not have... to spend. Most especially I am excited about having this new baby because it will give me the opportunity to show them how to be a parent... not just changing diapers and such, but things like patience... how to show compassion and gentleness to little ones. They already know more about things like breastfeeding than most adults I know. LOL

So you see, unschooling, at least in our house... looks pretty much like "living". :grin

It really does sound like you're already "unschooling"... just interacting with your child, sharing what you know and just enjoying being with him is the best thing you can do for him.

Stephanie

[AttachedMamma]

It really does sound like you're already "unschooling"... just interacting with your child, sharing what you know and just enjoying being with him is the best thing you can do for him.

Stephanie


:tu It amazes me, but DD turned 5 in the fall and when I think of all she knows without a formal education it's wonderful. She has a very good vocabulary, knows numbers, colors, animals and is starting to learn to read and write. Here are some of the things we did DD's 1st 4 years:

Reading, reading reading-I love to read, so does DH, so naturally we read to DD a lot
playing cards (matching games, crazy apes, etc.)
playing board games
giving her toys that she can build--leggoes, blocks, etc.
Baking, cooking w/DD around me, sorting the utensils
Playing w/her at Children's museums
Counting and sorting dried beans
Kindermusik
Play, play, play
No flash cards or Baby mozart stuff! :td

Honestly, all the stuff she learned was b/c she was at my side all the time and I just told her what I was doing, told her the names of things, etc. If we were driving past a farm w/cows I'd say something like, "Oh, look at the cows--moo." Not canned or anything, just thinking out loud. :giggle Children are like little sponges and they will learn by living w/you, interacting w/you and watching you daily. Please don't worry about your 18 mo old. Except for reading, snuggling and general playing, we didn't do any of the other things on my list until DD was 2 or so. Play is very important to a young child and that's all they really need. Oh--and I would recommend no TV until at least 3 yrs old or later. And if you never it turn it on ever, that's fine too!

We're more of an eclectic HSer but we'll probably do some worksheets next year. For now, this is what we do:
Monday - down day after the weekend. maybe the park
Tues - bible study (she has hers and I have mine at the same church for about 2 hrs in the morning)
Wed - storytime at the library or some activity at the the rec center
Thurs - HSing PE (soccer, basketball, etc.)
Fri - She has an imagination/drama class for 1.5 hrs in the morning

Except for cooking, cleaning or running errands, the rest of the time she's either coloring, painting, out at the park together, playing games (she likes checkers lately), playing w/dolls, singing/dancing around the house in her ballet outfit, playing w/cars, working on her LeapPad together, using her connect-the-dots book, reading together,etc. We're pretty loose right now.

Cindi

[Chris3jam]

Well, we're unschoolers. Have you read anything, like John Holt? Raymond Moore? Anything like that? I remember reading John Holt, and thinking, that just SO makes sense -- learning through living. :tu :D

[motherbhaer]

For me, "unschooling" is more about facilitating learning rather than teaching. I don't "teach" my kids things, but I do share things with them.

I have to agree. I'm not a "teacher" I'm a mom and a facilitator. I live my life and include my kids in everything I do. I have an 11 yob and a 7 yog and they both amaze me everyday with what they know that I didn't "teach" them.

Each of our days looks different. One day we might experiment with making steam and rain with a pan of ice and a teapot (because somebody asked "Why does it rain?"); then go to the grocery store and decide what products are really the best value; then come home and cook dinner together and watch something neat on PBS or Nanny 911 and discuss why her answers would be ignored in our house. Another day we might meet friends at the park. Another day ds might play the PSII and computer games or build a detailed building or town with Legos. My dd might spend the morning making cards for family members and write notes to me about how I should let her go to the movies with a friend. We might listen to music and dance or go to the local science museum or amusement park or the beach to add to our shell collection.

Live life together and answer questions; or ask questions yourself and share the answers. Life is learning!

You might want to check out sandradodd.com too.

Terri

[DogwoodMama]

All you're supposed to do is play with him, and provide opportunities for him to play and explore his world. Honestly. :grin Oh, and read to him, as much as he is interested in it, which will vary from kid to kid.

I think you'd enjoy the book "Einstein never used flash cards : how our children really learn--and why they need to play more and memorize less," which summarizes developmental research to date and explains why play is so important.

[PurpleButterfly]

At 18 months old...play, read, snuggle, make messes together, engage in community exploration, have fun! :) Turn everyday things into natural learning opportunities..."look at those red tomatoes at the farmer's stand!"...."do you see that circle on the supermarket floor?"...."look at mama point to the orange square on this menu"..."let's clap five times when Daddy opens the refridgerater door!"....

Some books I really enjoyed with my toddler - most of them came from the library:

Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready
by June R. Oberlander

Baby Days
by Barbara Rowley

Baby Play and Learn
by Penny Warner

Toddler Play
by Gymboree

Fun With Mommy and Me: More Than 300 Together-Time Activities for You and Your Child, Birth to Age Five
by Cindy Bunin Nurik

[AttachedMamma]

Another thing--singing a lot! We love to sing in this house. Your DC are learning about numbers when you sing, "Over in the Meadow, in the sand and the sun lived an old mother toadie, and her little toadie one." (and it continues to 10). You just don't even realize all the stuff DC learn through ordinary, everyday things like singing. :heart

cindi

[Roses]

My boys are 2 1/2 & 6 years old. I'll just describe a typical weekday here (weekends are our "big project" weekends, where we do something exciting like yard work or clean the garage,lol).

Wake up (family bedroom), boys watch PBS or a movie (currently Scooby Doo cartoon is in) for an hour or so, or I or dh read books to them.
Breakfast (ds 6 just learned to make scrambled eggs)
Games (baby ds *loves* connect 4, even if he doesn't know what the goal is,lol) Twister, Chess, Cranium games (with your little ds that young, if he wouldn't eat them, he probably like to just play with the Connect 4 thing with you, it's exciting for them,lol)
Read books, do playdoh, draw
Lunch, sometimes I'll set the boys up with a little assembly line and they can put their lunch together
more games,or they help me or dh with laundry (even baby ds) or something. We love singing and dancing and the boys have been really into doing yoga lately. We do little scienc-y things sometimes. I can't wait for Spring when it's warm and we can get outside more!

and it keeps going like that, one day a week we go to the library after older ds has his swim lesson, we go to the children's museum a couple of times a month, and maybe 1-2 times a month we do a homeschool get together or visit with a friend. We are trying to take things easy more and actually BE home,lol. Sometimes my older ds wants to do his Math U See or Handwriting Without Tears (which usually includes a Lot of playing with the little rods & wooden letter pieces, by both boys), little ds colors or does playdoh or a foam shape thing when I'm helping older ds. I consider us unschooling. Every now and then I think, all we do is play, which is great for my baby ds, but is my older ds really learning?! But he is! That's what's great about it. And they play well together, older ds does Simon Says with him or they build a fort.

[hbmamma]

I know that my DH frets about "teaching" them - "what are we going to do about their education???" Well like many of the other mamas here, I let their play determine what/how they learn. My dd (4) is so interested in the planets that she can name them all and described at least one unique feature of each one. I couldn't teach her that if she wasn't totally interested in it. She loves to look at books about the solar system. I just encourage her to follow whatever she is interested in.
I've signed her up for gymnastics lessons (that's her official PE :giggle). We read a lot. She dresses up and acts out her stories, books, or Dora the Explorer episodes. It's just allowing them to be kids and encouraging the natural love of learning.
:soapbox I think that why so many people start to "hate" school is that they were never encouraged to learn the way that's most comfortable for them. Not all kids like unschooling, some kids crave structure, some kids learn hands on, while others can learn anything from a book. It's the beauty of homeschooling, you can form the "education" around how your child likes to learn, and with that impart the love of learning. :grin

[slingmamaof4]

I don't think I will be an unschooler, but I think that I have some unschooler tendancies. :giggle I, too, am amazed at what my 4 yr old has learned without me really making any effort to do a formal thing with her. She knew how to spell aloud her first name by two, and could write it by 3, could write her first and middle name at 3, recognized all of the letters at 22 mos, started reading short works like cat and such between 2 and 3. By 3 she knew all the phonics sounds. By 4 she was reading early readers and spelling lots of words. She can count to 100. She recognizes numbers up to...hmmm...actually I have no idea on that because like I said I haven't been formal teaching her any of this. She picks it up easily. She has a basic understanding of fractions (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3) from cooking with me.

I don't actually have any idea where she learned a lot of this. Usually she just blows me away by doing something I had no idea she could do.

Reading has always been huge with us. I have read ot her every day since birth. Yes, since BIRTH. I read to her in the hosp from day 1.

And she did watch some tv. She liked Seasame Street when she was 18 mos a lot. I think that maybe where she learned some of the letters. :O

And I have to admit that she did have flashcards too. But we didn't use them as flashcards. They were set to us with some books. And they were Seasame Street cards. So I just gave them to her. She loved them. She took very good care of them even though was like 15 mos when I gave them to her. She would ask to play with them a lot. Sometimes she would ask me what a letter or number was and I would tell her, but for the most part she just played with them. Pretend they were money to buy things, say the names of the characters on them, count the number of balloons on a card....


When she was 3 she asked me how to spell our last name. It is not an easy last name to spell at all. Doesn't sound phonetically correct. It was in the middle of the week when she asked. Never mentioned it again for the rest of the week. But that Saturday we were on the way to Rebecca's (jadensmom) and she had brought a notebook, crayons, pencils, and books. She was looking at the books, coloring pic in the notebook, and then I heard her spell our last name aloud. I was like :eek :jawdrop. I had spelled our very tricky last name for her once and she picked it up.

I certainly don't expect her to learn things from learning them once, but she does learn so much just from playing and helping me cook and reading. Now she reads to me a lot as well. :grin

[UltraMother]

sandradodd.com for building up your confidence :tu

[cro]

The more I learn about unschooling, the more I realize this is what I've been doing all along. Our big things are singing and talking. I'll narrate everything I do, and try to use as many descriptive words as I can. Not just colors, but shapes, sounds, and textures. As the kids become verbal, I ask them questions about everything they're experiencing.

We basically take everyday activities and expand on them. Laundry becomes an exercise in sorting colors or matching socks. Baking cookies is an experiment. Grocery shopping is a feast for the senses. Today ds asked for milk. I asked him what color milk he wanted (ie. plain or chocolate). He said "purple!" Instead of trying to convince him that milk isn't purple, we pulled out the food coloring...

Just go with the flow, especially at this age. Live your life, but take everything just one step farther.

[Marmee]

We started out very "unschooling". Now that dd is almost seven, she asks for more structure. Not so much that I "teach" her something, but she will look through curriculum catalogs and book store stuff and say, "Could I get that, or I'd like to learn how to do this, etc." I think of unschooling as letting them take control over their learning rather than me dictating exactly how and when. I went to a David Albert event one time (he wrote "And the Skylark Sings with Me"), he talked a lot about how we facilitate learning. We open doors for them that need keys, etc. If your child shows an interest in something, you can do what you can to help them learn all they want to about it. My dd just asked to learn a language. I let her look at brochures and catalogs. She said, "Mom, could we learn latin together? It looks like if you know that you could learn even more languages." I know this sounds contrived, but she really has never been coerced to learn and it is very natural for her to ask for things like this. She goes to curriculum fairs and the used resource sale with me sometimes. She is very motivated to learn what she has had a hand in choosing. She reads very well, is working through the Miquon Math books at her own pace, and has a broad base of interests and hobbies. She knits, weaves, loves the computer, likes to help cook, and has a present fetish for the American Girl books and dolls. I remember reading her the Little House on the Prairie books (the first 4) when she was 3. She loved it! Her favorite movie then was "Anne of Green Gables", she used to say in her "baby voice", "I am Anne and I fell off the ridge pole." She used to limp around and pretend to be her, it was hilarious! I guess I am of the "prepared environment" persuasion. When you provide an atmosphere of love and learning, this is the result. Just share your interests with your children (mine being history and literature, if you couldn't tell!), and let them take off.