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.