An Unschooling Schedule?

 I think of unschooling as allowing your child/children to follow their own interests. 

Here is a question. If a parent plans out a day (or month) like I did in my previous post, can I consider myself an unschooler? Perhaps not. Who cares really. Another question. How will your child know what their interests are if you do not expose them to many different things? I don't think they can. Of course, they will find something that interests them, but many other possible interests are left unexplored.

This is why I created a monthly plan for my family. We learn about various predetermined topics and if something interests any of the kids, we can explore the topic further.

I think true unschooling, where one really pursues their own passions with complete freedom, would be better suited for the older child that has already come into contact with a wide variety of subjects, issues, etc.

I would always say about my daughter Naia that "she is not interested in reading" or "she doesn't like to read." Well today I sat her down with our Phonics Pathways book. She was slumped over, moaning and groaning. I said "come on, let's just do one page." She hesitated at first, but after finally sounding out a word on her own she got a huge grin on her face. 

Now can this possibly be a bad thing? To nudge our children just a bit? Perhaps they will discover a new passion that they never knew they had.

So is unschooling about parents helping their children to discover themselves? Can a plan help with this? I think in the case of our family, it can.

In the end, I don't think it matters exactly what we do or what we choose to call ourselves. I think what matters is that we homeschool. That we keep our kids home, together, with their families. I think what matters is that someone who truly loves and cares for a child raises that child. I am not saying that some teachers do not love their students but of course no one loves a child like their parent. 

So I always go back to my truths...

 All you need is less. Not only is this true of STUFF but it is true for curriculum as well. Library books are all we really need. We do use Horizons Phonics and Math, but I am not going to buy the Phonics from here on out. We like the Math and will stick with it. All of my kids enjoy it and ask me to help them with it nearly every day.

So, in summary, less of everything is best. Except library books. More is always better!

Involving kids in as much as possible is always the best route. I do not mean going overboard with classes and activities, but simply showing the kids how to do things around the house. Cooking, cleaning, gardening, fixing things. If Grandpa can help out with power tools and carpentry, great! 

Don't just read about rockets, build them!

Which leads me to the next picture. If you don't know how to do something, do it! This can be intimidating, but it works!

And most importantly, let the kids be kids! Let them play.

Get them outside!

It can be tough for us city dwellers to get somewhere worth exploring, but we have to do it. As much as I love my home and I love spending time there, my backyard sucks. Unschoolers on acreage have got it made. Unschoolers in the city have to work. I also have to keep reminding myself to find a balance. Spending beaucoup bucks on precious gas to get to that awesome creek is not something we can afford to do every day or even every week.

Home is still where the heart is.

In the end, what do I want for my kids?

I want them to discover who they are. I want them to be proud of who they are. I want them to do what they love and to not give a rat's ass what anyone else thinks. I want them to LIVE.

Oh! And I want to do all of this with them.