4Real Forums: Unschooling with an age span?

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Topic: Unschooling with an age span?

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Willa
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Joined: Jan 28 2005
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Posted: May 01 2005 at 12:18pm \| IP Logged

Julie already answered some of my questions about this, and maybe it overlaps Richelle's question about the unschooling "routine." But how do you work out the logistics of unschooling with several children who are far enough apart in age so that you mostly can't work with them all at the same time?

Also, say that one kid is interested in rockets while another is interested in Greek myths, and so on down the line for 5 or so kids. How do you avoid being overwhelmed with all the preparation and facilitating. Do you make it a priority to teach the kids how to find out and devise things for themselves?

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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
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cathhomeschool
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Texas Bluebonnets

Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
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Posted: May 04 2005 at 10:35pm \| IP Logged

I'd like to know the answer to this question too! Do you just let the older ones "fend for themselves" by checking out/researching their own library books while you focus on helping the littles? I guess to do that you must make it a priority to teach the kids how to find information on their own? ...I guess that's part of what we're all trying to do as "CM" homeschoolers anyway, right? -- nurture their God given love of learning while helping them acquire the skills needed to seek out and quench that love?

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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)

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juliecinci
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Joined: Feb 20 2005
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Posted: May 05 2005 at 10:10am \| IP Logged

One of the beauties of unschooling is that it isn't just "child-led" but self-instructed. My 15 yr old likes Grace Llewellyn's word: "auto-didact" (self instructed).

In our house, there is an ebb and flow of group and individual interests. But for those areas that require more help, we do set up times to do things together. I find that since I don't have a curriculum to "get through" i have more time to support interests and to participate with them, not less.

So we might play a board game all of us, or I might read a book outloud for all in the room to hear (while one is on the X box, one on the computer, one drawing and one sitting next to me).

If someone needs special support, I sit at the table with that one.

Library books help, the Internet helps, a good home library is essential, games, card decks, art supplies, yarn and needles, cooking equipment... all that kind of stuff is necessary and helps.

Because they are happy, I find they need me less.

Julie

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Julie
Homeschooling five for fourteen years

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