“An imagination is the best education.”
Inspired by the teachings of John Holt, unschooling is a branch of homeschooling that promotes non structured, child-led learning.
There’s no set curriculum or schedule.
Learning is not the main objective of unschooling, it just happens as a side effect of living your life with passion and exploring our interests.
So, lets jump into it.
Even though we don’t strictly stick to this schedule every single week, here’s a great way for beginners to get a hang of the unschool life:
Monday: Library day. Let the child(ren) pick out books or movies on subjects that they’re genuinely interested in. The subjects of these books and/or movies will be your “curriculum” for the next week.
Tuesday: Art day. First, read the books. Then, let your child(ren) pick out an illustration from the book (or if the book has no illustrations, allow them to use their imaginations based on what they read) and let them draw the illustration on their own. You’ll be surprised with how focused they’ll become, examining the illustration down to every detail, and creating it in their own way. Let them do this as many times as they’d like, as it truly sparks their creative side. You can also make this into a paint project by using watercolors or washable paint.
Wednesday: field trip day.
This ones any kid’s favorite.
Look around your area for educational places where you can turn a homeschool lesson into a fun day of play!
Most of these places (if not free already) may even offer homeschooling discounts or days just for homeschool kids.
Go checkout a museum, park, nature center, arcade, yoga studio (some offer kids classes), aquarium, local farm, or sign your child(ren) up for a FREE in-store diy workshop at home depot (find one near you).
Thursday: Reading and writing day.
Get those library books out again, and let your child(ren) practice writing words from them. If they don’t already read, teach them by sounding out each word and reading aloud to them. Additionally, I recommend creating your own worksheets for each book, but this isn’t necessary.
Friday: Project day! Find or create a fun science, art, nature, or writing project pertaining to the subjects of the library books. For example, if you’re learning about boat that week- try this fun baking soda powered boat by Science Sparks.
Informational unschooling resources:
Science Sparks, for all things science related including worksheets, fun facts, and tons of easy projects for kids.
Unschooling Mom2Mom has everything from webinars, to resources like local groups and legal requirements, as well as a monthly unschooling guide.
Naturalchild.org has the best book recommendations pertaining to unschooling, tons of print outs, posters, and greeting cards for kids to color themselves, and educational articles on babies, breastfeeding, gentle parenting, and child advocacy.
An Everyday Story is a great resource for learning more about the The Reggio EmiliaApproach, which is an innovative and inspiring approach to early childhood education that values the child as strong, capable and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge.
ABC Teach is my most recommended website for homeschooling worksheets, games, shapebooks, coloring pages, and so much more. You can even customize your own worksheets unique for your child(ren)’s needs and interests.
10 books I recommend on unschooling:
- Learning All the Time by John Holt
- Big Book of Unschooling
- Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting Off the Beaten Path
- The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide
- How Children Learn by John Holt
- The Unschooling Handbook
- The Conscious Parent (one of my personal favorites)
- Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas
- Do It Yourself: Unschooling Journal
- Fun-Schooling for Boys (another personal favorite)
