Is School Math a Waste of Time?

How long does it take a ten year old who’s done almost no curriculum to “catch up” with her schooled peers? Turns out: not long.

Photo Journal

Another quick post, because I took a picture this morning, and then took a few more. So for you today I have: a photo journal of unschooling on January 11th: This morning, L asked to do yoga, which means following along Cosmic Kids on YouTube. G and F and even the baby joined in. They […]

This Week in Unschooling

This is unschooling this week: Recently I really got into the soundtrack of the Broadway musical Hamilton, and after lamenting that I wish I could just see the storyline so I’d understand better what was going on when I listened, my husband Brad found this this video, and we watched the whole thing. Since then, […]

Observe, Act, Observe, Reevaluate

I was talking to a friend the other day about changes that have been in the works in our local school system. I didn’t know this, but apparently for a few years now the elementary schools have been working under a new grading system, where they don’t rank the children by numbers or letters. Instead, […]

My Kids Don’t Have Chores, Here’s Why:

So in general I am a laissez faire type of mom. I started out that way beginning with my first pregnancy and have become even more so as time goes on and I see with hindsight how many things were not worth the worry I put into them. One of the things I don’t […]

I Was Unschooled and I Didn’t Know It

The weird thing about unschooling is that the name is kind of terribly misrepresentative–unschooling isn’t about school at all. It’s about believing that learning happens naturally, all the time, and that if natural learning is fostered, then it continues unrepressed forever. So “unschooling” isn’t just a thing that children do in lieu of school. It’s […]

Public School/Homeschool/Unschool

My homeschooling friend posted this article today by Ann Karako who has taught public school as well as homeschooled her own kids. I loved it so much I wanted to write a response as an unschooler and talk about why unschooling takes all her great points and brings them even farther! The article compares public […]

Life in the Theatre

It’s been a busy few weeks, participating in the week-long camp for the homeschool play, and starting performances of the community theatre show. E and G had fun stretching themselves and making friends during the homeschool production, but they have been most excited to perform in the real serious money making adult participation community show. […]

Unschooling with Public School

I have been wrestling the past few days with a philosophical paradox. It started when E complained to me about a couple schooled cohorts of hers who like to quiz her on some of the dubiously useful trivia they picked up in school. She didn’t have the answer, and she doesn’t have trivia of her […]

Why I Won’t Let the Schools Teach my Kids about Food

Over the course of the year 2018, three friends from my immediate circles have announced that they are getting or have gotten weight loss surgery. My friend who’s having hers done soon said to me, “everyone’s having it done these days. It’s so common, really there’s no reason not to!” Despite the willingness of so […]