"The mind will be free, or it will be dead."
Grace Llewellyn - The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education

Unschooling

What is unschooling?

Unschooling, in my estimation, is something that is totally unlike compulsory public schooling. If you think about it, compulsory schooling takes up a large part of a child's life and also dictates to the child (and the child's parents) what the child must study. In a great sense, the school tells your child how and what to think.

Unschooling is unlike school. The unschooled child has a say in how he spends his day and what he learns. If you provide a child with a wholesome and safe environment to live in, give him the means to open doors for himself in the real world--life skills, libraries, classes, books, and apprenticeships, and encourage the child to pursue with passion the crafts and fields of study he loves, the child will grow into a truly educated, self-motivated and wholly fulfilled person. When I think of unschooling, I think of a child having the universe as his classroom and having the freedom and time to explore it.

I did not always believe in unschooling, but it was only because I did not understand it. I pictured kids running wild. Not so! Over the past couple of years, my own family had to revert to unschooling by default. I have always been laid back, but a medical crisis caused me to have to give the reins over to my teenaged son. I am amazed at the responsibility he feels towards his own life and education. He is learning more and more about some of the great fiction writers of all time: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and others. He said just yesterday that he could spend the whole day in the library. He's truly been on my back lately about getting him more algebra resources. Anyway, I have certainly come to see the benefits of unschooling. As we discover more unschooling resources, we will definitely list them on this page for you.

Unschooling Resources

Family Unschoolers Network
Grace Llewellyn - She wrote The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School & Get a Real Life & Education.
John Holt and Growing Without Schooling (GWS)
Not Back To School Camp Community
Unschooling.com
Natural Child-what Is Unschooling?

Visit the unschooling section of The Healthy Homeschool store.

Unit Study Might Fit Into Your Unschool

Sometimes we build entire units around a great book or DVD!

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