Thinking of trying unschooling the rest of the year

[Stella]

Thanks guys! I am feeling more confident about this now. And thanks for all of the compliments! They really are very self directed learners and I think it would be good at least for this spring to see where they take that. They have such a fun time learning and Zach and I both really have a fun time sharing that with them.

I think he and I tend to be pretty self directed learners too. It's like we can't even help ourselves, we feel stagnant if we aren't learning something and trying new things.

[JaneV2.0]

I love the idea of unschooling. It would have worked best for me, given a willing mentor or two. There are few more valuable gifts you can give a child than fostering a love of learning.

[Amaranth]

Sounds like a great strategy. The only thing I can think of that might help is if they brainstorm a month or two ahead on things they might want to learn/read about. That way you could have some library books on hand in the event you wind up needing to rest more than expected and aren't able to get out and get things at a particular time.

This also might be a fun time to do some fantasy planning on topics that interest them. For example:
1) You (daughter) are now a mom of a 12 year old girl. She is having a birthday and you are helping plan her party. What will her party be like?
2) You (daughter) and daughter's husband want to build a small green house for their family. What is it like?
3) You (daughter) now college age and 5 of her friends are planning a bicycling tour through France for a month. Where do you go? What do you see? What do you do? What sort of foods/dishes do you especially want to try?
4) You (daughter) are opening a tapas restaurant. What's on your summer menu?

It can also be fun to pick a versatile substance like bamboo and brainstorm all the things you can make with it. For bamboo, I understand there are 5000+ different types of things that have been made out of bamboo.

And any of these make great family discussions and can be added to over time.

[rosarugosa]

I like what Anne Lee said too though, about adding some structure and discipline to the project "because that is the way the world works." Because she is right, that is the way the world works.

[sweetana3]

The right kids given the most educational freedom do some amazing things. Two girls homeschooled in the country in Indiana ended up with one at the Air Force Academy already with an extensive background in the Civil Air Patrol and the other is a world class female weightlifter. Who would ever think that their investigations and interests would propel them to these places? They are fantastic people.

Exposure to ideas, options, and mentors can lead them to fantastic places.

[Jemima]

I think this is a great idea! Your kids will learn practical applications for the three R's, which is something that, sadly, doesn't happen in public schools.