Whenever I tell someone that our kids are homeschooled, I'm asked about my curriculum. It's a valid question but a hard one to answer.
When I first started homeschooling, I felt clueless.
There were so many questions that had me concerned about my capabilities and qualifications.
What books should I buy?
How do I structure a school day and create a schedule?
Do I need a schoolroom?
It all seemed daunting.
And then, I was introduced to unschooling. Unschooling is a method of homeschooling that permits the student's interest and curiosity to blaze the academic path. This style so far has spoken to me the most. It could be because allowing my kid's interests to lead took the pressure off me.
Selfish! Or is it? First, I want to talk about my own experience in school to lay a better foundation and how I was led to unschool.
Growing up, I never felt like school was a place to explore personal interests, and when opportunities did arise, I was restricted in my exploration. Band class was a perfect example. I wanted to play the saxophone because I fell in love with the instrument when I visited House on the Rock on a previous field trip. I enjoyed the sound, and it just looked fun. I was told I couldn't play it because there were too many saxophone players in the band already, so I settled for the clarinet. I taught myself in about 20 minutes, and my mom played it as a kid, too, which was interesting. The first song I taught myself to play was Lion Sleeps Tonight. Eight sax players dropped out the following year, so I asked to switch instruments. The answer was still no, and this time they had no reason. I ended up renting an alto sax and teaching myself to play in about 1 hour because the clarinet had similar fingering. I explained to my band teacher that I worked on my own time to learn the sax and could play with the band, but the answer was still no. It was ridiculous!
I went on to play the clarinet for 8 years because I loved the band so much that it didn't matter what I played. I still wanted to play the sax, so I bought one a few years after high school to practice worship music. I never did play it on a Sunday, but I did get pretty decent at playing the keyboard. Eventually, I sold the sax.
Needless to say, I want my kids to be passionate about education for life. Learning happens intrinsically when a person can freely explore the world around them, and the curriculum creates itself. Traditional schooling destroys passion for life. At least, it did for me. My experience growing up draws me to the world of unschooling because I want my children to enjoy learning better than I did. I want them to live inquisitive lives and study interests without the shackles of common-day academics.
So, what do we use?
We operate our school with an eclectic blend of resources that the boys gravitate to, and I buy math, writing, and reading materials. I also purchase flash cards for sight words, and we read out loud on all subjects. Watson loves history books right now, and he loves stories about Abraham Lincoln. Wyatt enjoys story time and wearing costumes with his brother. We subscribe to educational channels on YouTube. We don't have a set schedule and do more of a loose block schedule with 2 or 3 subjects a day. Some days, we might only do art. It just depends.
Today looked like this:
-Breakfast
-Chores -Watson hung 12 shirts in his closet and filled the cool mist humidifier in his room.
-Board games- I let them play together and make their own rules. The games were a bit above their age range, so I let them have fun. Connect 4, Candyland, Trouble, and Dominos. Watson knew Candyland, but Wyatt wanted to do his own thing. 😊
-Attempted reading history books out loud, but it wasn't working, so I dropped them.
-Noon- I started the grill, and my mom and dad came to hang out and make lunch. We had a salad and venison steaks.
-After lunch, Watson had a guitar lesson with grandpa and worked on his E chord.
-Time for a walk. Watson wanted to ride his bike. I saw a bunch of candy wrappers on the corner the night before when we were out trick or treating, so we grabbed a bag and picked up some trash while venturing around the block.
-Visit grandma Judy and Aunt Julie for candy and to visit. We didn't make it over to trick or treat the night before, so the boys dressed up again to visit great grandma.
-Dinner
-Sight word flashcards while snuggling on the couch
-Bedtime
Today was one of the best days. We covered a plethora of subjects, had lots of fun, and spent a lot of time with our family. Days like this are why we chose to homeschool.
Would you Unschool?
For sure!
No way!
Other- Please elaborate in the comments
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