How do people do it?

651 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by pjs, Aug 25, 2009

greenthumb3

Discussion Starter · Aug 25, 2009

I think I am too lazy to NOT unschool! ("Lazy" being used here loosely)

How do people do it? Wake up, have devotional or family meditation time, eat breakfast together, take a walk or play outside and
then sit for lessons for 3-4 hours for lunch, and then do it all again the next couple of days??? I can't imagine.

BUT, my kids are young (6, 4 and 2) and I am pregnant, so there are those factors. Maybe if they were older and if I had more energy and desire to do things on a regular basis. I just guess our "regular basis" looks different from day to day! And I can't imagine my kids sitting while I dole things out in bits and pieces. They are much more project-oriented, will follow something only until they lose interest and are only interested if they start it themselves. I feel that's pretty darn normal, but it's my sitch so I can't imagine it any other way.

I just have to take my hat off to the Moms and Dads who do this other kind of homeschooling. I don't think I could! (not to mention weekly outside activities, like music lessons and sports and playgroups and co-ops) My oldest is doing soccer through the city's program next month, and I am starting a once a week playgroup with my 4 year old, but we are pretty low-key, if one compares.

Things the boys do: one counter in our kitchen I keep stocked with a puzzle and some board games, magnetic and foam letters and numbers, markers and paper and their favorite "books" to draw in. They just take things and use them on the nearby table when the mood strikes them. They self-start, I just keep the buffet stocked.

I rotate the items out when it seems they've gotten their fill with them and put new things down that I think they may be drawn to. Sometimes I'll sit down and play a board game with them or read them a story, but many times they are on their own, and this has worked well for us all, so I can get the toddler going or start laundry, get dressed, etc. Then, there are always the ever-present bins of Legos and Bionicles they have around for any-old-time. Today, they pulled out musical instruments and dress-ups and had a ball.

I trust how they are learning just what they need, but it still feels weird sometimes b/c I am the only person IRL I KNOW who does things this way, amidst my family that HS and my good friends. I do things by intuition and by the reading I've done about this way of learning (it's how we've always done things, actually) and I do feel comfortable with it. It is just strange to be the only one, and it does make me question if what we are doing is "normal".

One of my friend's kids are learning Latin and were both reading at 4 and I am trying to remind myself that kids don't always need regularly structured lessons in order to learn what they need. That just works for them. Only SOME days do I wonder if I am crazy. It is strange to be the only one.

I am happy to just ramble on these topics aloud, but if anyone wants to come along, pick up a piece of my ramblings and spout off on that, I am happy to hear it. Perspective and experiences are always appreciated.

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SagMom

· #2 · Aug 25, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenthumb3

I think I am too lazy to NOT unschool!

I have said this about myself too--but I think it's not really laziness. It's more like unschooling takes a different kind of energy than formal homeschooling. *I* would find the structure and schedule and planning and "getting" my kids to do work exhausting. Others have said to me that doing things our way would be exhausting to them.

: I often say, it's a good thing we don't "do school" because I don't know how we'd fit it into our days.

Quote:

BUT, my kids are young (6, 4 and 2) and I am pregnant, so there are those factors.

hmmm, my kids are older and I'm not pregnant and I still can't imagine my kids sitting down while I dole out lessons.

Are there any hsing groups in your area where you can maybe meet other unschoolers? For the longest time, I didn't know ANYONE who worked the way we did. I knew it wasn't "normal" and I often felt weird, but I also knew it was really good for my kids, so that kept me going.

When I finally DID meet other unschoolers, it was pretty cool to make those connections. Of course, even amoung the unschoolers I know, our lives are far from carbon copies of each other's, but it's still nice to know there are others out there doing things with the same mindset.

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pjs

· #3 · Aug 25, 2009

My kids are 7,5, and 2 and I am pregnant. We are very classical in nature but it has been our experience that the routine provided by sitting down to do lessons gives the kids structure during their day that makes them way more manageable. I think for us once the routine is established, it just kind of goes on its own. Everyone knows what to expect when and that seems to keep their interests/behavior from going to extremes. I'm not good at maintaining a loose structure at all (it's kind of all or nothing as far as my personality goes) and things always go to hell in a handbasket if I'm not on top of directing how our day goes. We have plenty of room to follow the kids' interests and I try and make some of our learning not in the context of school (like doing an art project that relates to what we're studying just as something to do in the afternoon). It seems like this thread is more for unschooling support, but since you asked how people do it, I thought I'd throw it out there that it can be done and though being responsible for your child's education (no matter how you accomplish that) is hard, for us once we find our groove, we're good to go.

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