Today, each of my girls was interested in something different. My little dream-surfer (notice she’s wearing her Hurley shirt) asked this morning, “How do surfers stay balanced?”
This led to an all-day exploration of how balance works, including eyes and muscle receptors and especially inner ears. What started as a general question about her dream life involved exploring anatomy, science, and reading. She wrote in her notebook as she went, so spelling and writing came into play, as well.
I think she now knows more about the inner ear than I ever did. (I learned things I never knew, too!)
My six-year-old asked me where metal came from, and what started as a simple question led to an introduction of many new concepts for all of the kids, including elements and the periodic table (here’s a good one for kids!). It’s wonderful to study and learn in a way that doesn’t end with a bell and doesn’t segment each little piece of learning into a different subject.
Children are the best learners in the world, and they naturally want to understand. Unschooling doesn’t prepare them for the world…it is the world.
Just found your blog and can’t wait to dig deeper into it. I’ve been thinking about unschooling for a year and haven’t taken the plunge. I see my kids learning all the time without school books!
“it is the world.” amen!
I’m just starting to explore unschooling, I was
Homeschooled and am no stranger to many
Of the concepts but am wondering what
Resources you keep on hand to be able to
Delve so deeply into whatever the child is interested in at that moment? Frequent library trips? My children are dis interested
If we use the Internet for looking up answers
And it seems so ” hands off” to just look up am answer. I will keep exploring your blog to see what I can find.
Hi Annie,
Good question. The more I see their interest in something, the more I accumulate materials that will help them. One daughter is very interested in building and construction, so we ordered her some tools and a kit with wood pieces and nails. Another is very interested in art, so I have really good supplies and books lying around, etc.
Frequent library trips are good. Even better for us is frequent, hands-on experience with whatever it is that they are interested in. If you have a kid who is bug crazy, take him out on hikes where you know there will be lots of bugs and let him have time to look. If you have a kid who is interested in space, watch space movies, stay up late looking through telescopes, etc. :) It is tricky, but it gets easier with time. :) Good luck!