This is our 3rd year homeschooling (DD1 would be in 2nd grade) and from the very beginning I knew we would be super relaxed without anything academic for at least a year or two. I've know about "unschooling" since day one but hesitated to classify us as US'ers because it seemed like my kids were so young & labels are weird...but I've identified with this way of learning & of life the whole time.
I still kept thinking, though, that 7 seemed like a good age to start "teaching" something so until then I continued to let my kids play & learn & question & explore without structure. DD1 turned 7 this past May and we both decided that this fall we would start doing some organized school time. Nothing crazy, maybe an hour a day of random stuff I have around the house. I have a math curriculum & bought a History Pocket & also have a science book & some little grammar books. We survived the schedule for about a week before slacking off. Haha! Every time I pulled out a workbook & gave her a pencil it felt so weird. Not that kids don't learn that way but I knew she was learning grammar by emailing her friends more than she was by filling in the blanks. And I knew she was learning about science & the world & history just by talking & reading & going on vacation & frequenting the library, etc.
We tried to get a looser schedule going again but then my FIL died & we were out of town & life just got all discombobulated. By this time we were weeks into the "school year" and had done about 5 hours of work! Ack. What's the point?? And my sweet daughter is always so agreeable but when she started protesting doing work, I put a halt to it immediately.
I don't really know why I'm telling you all my story but here I am, relating more with my unschooling peers and trusting that my kids will be ok without the curricula. I have quite a few friends who are very structured homeschoolers & even though I'm impressed by their kids' ability to count by 6's (classical education!?), I'm not convinced that my kids need that or even want that. It feels good!
So we live.
I still kept thinking, though, that 7 seemed like a good age to start "teaching" something so until then I continued to let my kids play & learn & question & explore without structure. DD1 turned 7 this past May and we both decided that this fall we would start doing some organized school time. Nothing crazy, maybe an hour a day of random stuff I have around the house. I have a math curriculum & bought a History Pocket & also have a science book & some little grammar books. We survived the schedule for about a week before slacking off. Haha! Every time I pulled out a workbook & gave her a pencil it felt so weird. Not that kids don't learn that way but I knew she was learning grammar by emailing her friends more than she was by filling in the blanks. And I knew she was learning about science & the world & history just by talking & reading & going on vacation & frequenting the library, etc.
We tried to get a looser schedule going again but then my FIL died & we were out of town & life just got all discombobulated. By this time we were weeks into the "school year" and had done about 5 hours of work! Ack. What's the point?? And my sweet daughter is always so agreeable but when she started protesting doing work, I put a halt to it immediately.
I don't really know why I'm telling you all my story but here I am, relating more with my unschooling peers and trusting that my kids will be ok without the curricula. I have quite a few friends who are very structured homeschoolers & even though I'm impressed by their kids' ability to count by 6's (classical education!?), I'm not convinced that my kids need that or even want that. It feels good!
So we live.
