Why We Do What We Do

I have been having a lot of unschooling conversations this week. Seems like everywhere I turn, someone is asking me about unschooling - about what we do as unschoolers. I think some people are thrown off by the term "unschool." Isn't unschooling a little radical? In a word, yes. It really is radical compared to what most children do each day in a regular school environment. But it works. My sons are flourishing in an unschooling environment - an environment where they are allowed to learn rather than being forced to ingest facts. For us, unschooling is more than just an educational system. It's more than just lining up all kinds of projects and activities based upon interest. It is more than just hands-on activities. Yes, we do all of these things from time to time - depending upon what Taliesin and Nathanael are interested that day or week or month. But unschooling really is a lifestyle. It is different from day to day. No two days are the same. I mean, sure, we have weeks where they want to work on a unit study or spend a few days sewing (which reminds me, I have a post coming up very soon of some of Taliesin's newest projects) or read the same books over and over and over. But each day is truly a new adventure, limited only by the imagination of two little boys who love to learn and explore.

Kandy