Enjoy and Bless

So what is unschooling? My short answer when I’m out and about is that my kids learn what they want, how they want. 

What does that mean more specifically? I don’t have a set curriculum for them. They are free to learn about whatever interests them through whatever resources we can find: books, the internet, documentaries, museums, video games, real life experiences, etc. In unschooling, there is no prescribed content. 

Also, learning isn’t restricted to certain hours of the day because we view all of life as an unending opportunity to learn. We’re learning when we sit at the dinner table discussing our days. We’re learning when we go to the grocery store deciding what to have for lunch and comparing prices (and always pushing mom along so she doesn’t go crazy buying random things we don’t need). We’re learning when we read a good book for fun or research a question that pops into our head or sit on the front porch watching the birds come and go. In unschooling, there are no prescribed hours. 

I don’t view myself as their teacher but rather more of a curator or guide. I try to provide a rich feast of resources and ideas and books and experiences. And then I watch to see how the kids respond. Sometimes they light up in an unexpected way and we follow that excitement further. Sometimes they don’t care for a particular topic or experience and we move on. Rather than being their teacher, I’m a student of their unique wiring. If I see a strength or passion in them, I do what I can to feed and support those areas.

Unschooling goes by other names, as well. The most common is probably self-directed learning. I’ve also heard interest-led learning, natural learning, or life learning, among others. ChatGPT helped me out remembering these terms and introduced me to the concept of Open Learning which is related but distinct and offers an opportunity for me to clarify something about my three children: my 11 year old and 9 year old have always been homeschooled, but as a student of my youngest, I realized fairly early on that he needs more structure to his days than I am designed to provide. 

Thankfully, it’s not too hard to find daycare/preschool environments that allow plenty of freedom to play without prescribed lessons, and when he reached “school age” God generously led us to a unique micro school in someone else’s home that provides more rhythm and structure than we follow in our home while also preserving the freedom to learn at his own pace. His environment matches more of an Open Learning approach to education: he is attending a school with fixed hours and routines and a teacher guiding his day, yet he still has a great deal of freedom to learn and play at his own pace with lots of flexibility and choices. 

Unschooling, self-directed learning, open learning can look different for each family and child. That’s really a foundational part of this approach to education. It’s recognizing that everyone has a unique design with distinct strengths and learning styles, and these alternative approaches to education make room for each person to learn at their own pace according to their own unique wiring. 

I should add here that there are some specific subjects that we are legally required to cover in our homeschool. But I will get into more of those details in my next episode. 

Thanks for reading!