Unschooling is not really hard to explain….  First Unschooling is when kids decide what they want to learn, how they want to learn it and I as a parent I direct them to find the answers they seek.  This has nothing to do with discipline, or letting your kids run wild and act like crazy people.  This is an approach that lets the kids be in-charge of they’re learning process.

Kids are small adults who all have different interest, different desires, some test badly, some can’t sit still, some kids read great, some read very badly.  Kids are not all the same and this process allows a child to learn at their own pass, ask questions, do research and find out about the world around them.  I do not use a traditional lesson plans, a particular curriculum, take test, do a lot of workbook sheet or big projects.  Now with that in mind everyone is different, and some do incorporate different teaching methods into their school day.

These are a list of several things we incorporate into our everyday lives and that we use currently or have tried in the past.

• Khan academy – Math – follow math at your own pace – start with 1+1 and work you way up to higher learning.
• The Magic School Bus – Science – we signed up to get a packet once a month and kids love it.
• writing journal – Writing journal are great for kids to get their thoughts on paper.  We do creative writing and right now I don’t even check my kids work, I just want them to write and enjoy it!
• Lego technic toys – Lego are great for boys and girls, my kids love legos.  We go through stages where they play with them for weeks then don’t touch them for months.  They teach math skills, creativity, architecture and heck they are just fun.
•  iPad apps – There are so many educational iPad apps it will blow your mind. I have mostly educational apps on their iPads because they may be playing all day on the device but at least they are learning something.

Here are some more posts I have written to help you find out more about unschooling….

• What is Unschooling – Unschooling explained a little more in detail
• How to homeschool in summer – Summer activities you can do during the summer
• Summer activities – more summer activities we did during the summer
• Natural Learning – another name for Unschooling – how we Unschool
• 10 steps to Unschool – This will get you started on your homeschool journey
• How homeschool with computers – We love our iPad and is a huge part of our homeschool curriculum
• Unschooling – Fun School – We love to learn – see how we make it fun throughout the day
• School at Disney World – How to homeschool at the happiest place on earth

Here are some books about Unschooling…

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Here are some blogs that also talk about Unschooling…

• Unschooler and yes I can write – blog about an adult unschooler
• Un-schooled – bog on skipping school and learning outside the box
• The Free Child Project – The Freechild Project defines unschooling as the process of learning through life, without formalized or institutionalized classrooms or schoolwork
• Radio free school/Natural Born Learners – Tantrum space for people who eschew factory learning in favour of ‘open source learning.’ Open season on all things we might bump up against. This blog was started by un-schoolers at radio free school, a weekly radio show by, for, and about, home based learners.
• Radical Unschooling – Sandra Todd website  who thinks and writes and speaks about unschooling.
• Unschooling.com – Supporting, Celebrating and Loving the Life that is Unschooling – and Homeschool Magazine
• John Holt article describing unschooling – The man who coined ‘Unschooling’
• Unschooling: How Good Morning America got it all wrong – article explaining Unschooling in Healthy Living
• Encyclopedia Defination of Unschooling – definition of Wikipedia of Unschooling
• Sir Ken Robinson – He was on Ted talks about how the school system has failed us.
• 5 steps to Unschooling – Home Education Magazine