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I received a free product and am being compensated for my time writing this post. As with anything on The Sparrow’s Home, my thoughts are my own.
I’ve been seeing the neatest things pop up on the blogs of unschooling families. When I see them, it can sometimes cause me to re-evaluate my own homeschooling philosophy. I’m definitely a bit of a free spirit, go-with-the-flow kind of gal. But I am also my mother’s daughter, and have a need for some organization and structure.
My boys are in high school now (my eldest graduates this year) and we are sold-out on our method of homeschooling high school. But I got to thinking…what if we had been unschoolers?
{Insert wavy arms and dream sequence music]
Unschool & Homeschool Learning
We would take lots of field trips
Hiking at parks, studying the nature we see, frequenting museums and local historical sites. Did you know that many science museums across the country are part of a network that lets members visit other museums for FREE! We’ve taken advantage of this several times. There are so many ways to go and “do” learning. How much more do we remember what we actually get to go and see, touch, and experience?! Yes, we’d definitely have a weekly field trip scheduled.
We would have ‘book basket’ time every day
Having a basket of books pertaining to whatever we’re studying would be a MUST. We would take time each day to peruse the books… together or independently. (When I taught 2nd grade, we used to have S.Q.U.I.R.T. once a week. Super Quiet UnInterrupted Reading Time.) Maybe we would do dictations or copywork from passages in the books, discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, or choose words to learn to spell. Unschoolers must utilize their local libraries like no one else!
We would make tons of crafts and projects
Creating games, models, lapbooks or smashbooks, and other creative projects can help students remember information better. I think it’s because it taps into different parts of the brain. They are planning, creating, having fun…making memories. This all works to solidify homeschool learning.
We would play games
Speaking of having fun…games are such a great way to learn. Certainly there are educational games. But even games that are ‘just for fun’ can be used to review, to practice, or teach various concepts. Games like Quest for Arete seek to combine the best of both worlds. It’s a game that gently introduces the concepts of the periodic table, but is not an ‘educational game’ in the traditional sense. However, I could see using aspects of the game to teach even more. For example, part of game play allows you to trade one element for certain other ones with similar properties in order to cast a “spell”. It would make a great study to learn the properties of the elements and see how the game has them grouped. Then, we could decide if we would group them similarly, etc.
Similar to Pokemon, it’s a deck building game. It’s set in medieval times (more study opportunity), and players take on the role of a sorcerer’s apprentice. Magical duals ensue until one apprentice is victorious.
You know, thinking about all these things I’d have done “if we unschooled”, I realized…we did these things! Field trips, lots of books, projects, games… check, check, check and check! Maybe not every week, but we did them. Whether you homeschool, unschool, public, private or charter school… we are all educating our kids, filling our homes with learning.
Are you interested in a game that combines chemistry and magic?
The Quest for Arete Starter Set is a two player deck building experience which includes: 2 Basic Decks, 2 Play Mats, 1 Sand Timer, 2 Expansion Decks, Complete Rules, 4 Character Cards. A total of 200 cards! And you can order expansion packs like the Armorer’s Pack, the Alchemist Pack, or the Sorcerer’s Pack. The game is intended for ages 12 and up, but the manufacturer suggests that younger kids can play and enjoy with an older ‘mentor sorcerer’.
Quest for Arete: In the Real World, This is Magic
Connect with the makers of Arete on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Love that perspective – no matter how you school, you can incorporate all of the “right” things! Thanks, Susan!
I’m glad you stopped by. It’s not about one way being the right way, but about making a conscious choice, not just going with the flow. And yes, doing the ‘right’ things at home no matter what you choose!
It’s not too late to unschool. In fact for your eldest that is graduating this is the best time to unschool, prepare him to think for himself, teach himself, and explore. Love so many of these ideas!
We didn’t start homeschooling until my boys were in later elementary school. There was a lot of “undoing” to be done with how they looked at school and learning. I’m convinced that if we’d have started earlier, it would have looked a lot like unschooling. Having said that, I will add that I am a self-declared curriculum junkie. I LOVE IT! There are so many fantastic resources out there! What I love so much about homeschooling is being able to pick and choose what works with each child.
I would just set up a small chem lab for my kids in the kitchen. To let them see how these things work. Or, explain (while doing) the changes to an egg as we boil it.
Lots of museums,books, trips, and discussions.
Because I (nor my spouse) would not be on to homeschool. Because of time and financial considerations, because we wanted our kids to have the social experience (both the positive and the negative; lessons learned from both), etc.
I tell people all the time that even before we decided to officially ‘homeschool’ we were schooling at home. Most parents are! Filling your home with learning is what it’s all about. I remember my dad teaching us while he was cleaning fish at the cabin in the summers…here’s the heart, here’s the eyeball, let’s see what’s in the stomach. I’m confident I remember far more about those learning experiences than I do any lab I did at school.