Zone

My family has no problem getting in the zone when working on a project or studying an interest.  My daughter can write and draw for  hours enjoying the process of all her hard work.  My son can fish for days without complaint constantly reassessing what is working and what he needs to change.  I just love that they have found this ability and have the days, months, years to spend in these passions.  

Always learning.

Xray

Caring for our dog, Scout, has led us to so many lessons and life learning.  We got Scout from a local breeder when the kids were 4 & 6  years old, so she has always been apart of their lives.  

Scout loves bird hunting, camping, and being with her family.  She is everyone's dog.  Hunts with my husband and son, runs each day with me, tucks my son into bed each night (leaving his bed only once he has fallen asleep), and enjoys all my daughter's training ideas and homemade treats.  

A few years ago on a bird hunt in the snow with my husband and son, she stepped into a badger hole and hurt her back leg.  The next day when she wouldn't put any weight on it we took her to the vet.  He performed and exam and x-ray then informed us it was fractured.  We cared for her diligently for weeks, sitting with her carrying her outside to potty, and keeping the leg wrapped.  

This was the first X-ray, we experienced so the kids also were interested in the body and bones, how they break, and how they repair.  So between caring for Scout, we dove into the human body. Exploring diagrams, games, and puzzles that demonstrated how the bones work together in your body.  

Always learning.  

Wild & Young

When my kids were young, they were wild.  Like make other people uncomfortable wild.  The fact was they were not rule followers and neither were they interested in walking a traditional path.  As a mom, these times were often tough since we were pushed out of groups, not invited to events or just given the evil eye.  Keep in mind when my kids were young, "first time obedience" was a big deal and kid's choices and feeling were not considered in typical families.  Walking a different path (with my kids climbing the trees), was challenging, yet looking back I find it rewarding.  

A highlight is now when I see some of the same moms who left us out or steered clear of my kids, they have questions about my wild ones.  They want to know how they are so passionate and interested in their areas of study, how they are so motivated and not distracted by social media peer influences.  These inquiries always point back to what am I doing that they are not with their teens to get this behavior.  

Honestly, I attribute it to relationship, valuing opinions and choices, and letting them have a childhood where they could run wild challenging the boundaries and rules arbitrarily set by others.  

Virus

This CoronaVirus-19 has changed our lives.  It took our days that felt great to boredom and disconnection.  We worked to find a normal in the quarantine, but honestly it has been a challenge!

Unfair

Life is not fair.  At any given time I feel like one of my kids is rocking unschooling, while the other is zoning out.  Or maybe it is me being bored without an interest of my own while the kids are excitedly pursuing their passion! Good thing life is unfair because that allows for ups and downs. 

Seeing the Thread

I enjoy seeing the thread of interest that works through our lives.  I have always been interested in education, learning more and sharing it.  Another thread is health.  In the past, I have investigated  vitamins and supplements, healthy eating and cooking, essential oils, herbs, and now homeopathy.  I love discussing these things with others who share the interest.

My daughter loves creating from chalk to legos, from cakes to pillowcases.  My son loves nature and the outdoors which includes fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, maps, tracking, survival gear, boats, and kayaks.  

Allowing each person to lean into their unique thread that God provided is fascinating. 

Rotate

When facing a challenge or a situation, a rotation in view or direction is needed.  I love that unschooling allows us this option.  When one perspective is not serving us, we just rotate and change it up to fit our needs.  

Quit

Quit.  Yes, sometimes I see the need to quit.  

If we aren't enjoying a book-quit.  
If an activity is no longer working for us-quit.  
If we are not getting something-quit.
If we no longer enjoy a program-quit.

Yes, my kids and myself know the value of preserving and many times they stick with a challenging task longer than I do.

Podcast for That

You can use podcasts to homeschool!  I love, love, love podcasts.  One teen in my home feels the same way.  Gobbling up podcast after podcast in his areas of interest.  My other teen is on the fence as far as podcast listening in her free time.  

I have found that as my kids have grown that brining in outside expert material to read or listen to then discuss is necessary.  This is where a few good podcasts come into play.  (pun intended)  Here are several podcasts we use randomly as needed in our weeks and months.  The list is ever growing and evolving.  

Modern Mentor: inspiring and motivational

Helping Writers Become Authors:  writing

SciFri:  Science in current topics of interest

Throughline: businesses and ideas

How I Built This:  product development

Up First:  current events


Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Observe

I am a curious observer of everyone in our family.  Just ask anyone of them.  I am always looking at their interest with a curious eye. One thing I am notorious for is "booking people" as my daughter puts it.  I like to find the perfect book for each person in my life related to their passions and interests.  Christmas Eve is where I really focus on shining.  Everyone get a new book and chocolate to enjoy before bed.  
But during this quarantine for COVID-19, I am ordering books both physical and digital to maintain that desire to stay in the interest and passion when we are limited on what we can do outside our home.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Nest

Nest makes me think of my home environment.  When I was studying education (earning my degrees), the educational environment was key.  If you pause for a moment, you probably remember the cozy classrooms where it was more like a home with a reading nook or loft, bean bag chairs, and games set-up in a corner.  Well, that is important at home as well.  I enjoy nesting for our learning pursuits.  Related games and puzzles are out, books and DVDs are accessible, but most importantly technology and physical work space and needs are provided.  Each kid has a phone with needed apps, our TV upstairs has Netflix, amazon prime, YouTube, and xbox, carving tools, sewing materials, art supplies, paper, and favorite pens/markers are on hand.  This helps make learning fun and allows it to happen without much oversight.

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Myself

I am experienced in all things education. I earned my bachelors degree in education and then my masters degree in reading education. I spent 5 years teaching in a super low income school and then 5 years teaching in a high income school. Let’s just say each has problems. A move across the country brought me to homeschooling which I self-educated on all the methods. My son at 6 years old brought me to unschooling which I now advocate as the best way to raise kids through my blog and podcast. My love for teaching brought me leading yoga at our neighborhood yoga studio (when we aren’t on quarantine). My desire to further my education has me investigating, reading, and attending virtual study groups on homeopathy and healthy eating.


My family is into an outdoor lifestyle. We hunt, fish, camp, and hike together. My son and husband competitively bass fish. My daughter and I enjoy baking, crocheting, knitting, and sewing. Both kids (12 & 14) are entrepreneurs so I have experience in helping them set up businesses. My daughter just created an LLC for her baking.

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Lists

Lists are just visual reminders in our game room to help everyone remember goals they set for themselves.  This whiteboard holding our lists also cues inspiration for forgotten activities.

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Kayak

My son LOVES fishing so much but as a younger teen with little income, he was forced to mostly pond fish unless his dad was available to take the boat out.  This all changed with he met the nephew of a friend who competitively bass fishes out of a kayak.  After picking this young man's brain for a couple hours, my son was in research mode.  He found a kayak that would work to see how he liked it, then sold that kayak and his dirt bike to get a better one for fishing.  So much self education has happened from this one event.  Budgeting, product research, shopping for deals, electronics (using, installing, and interpreting data), seasonal changes in fishing and environments, hooking up the trailer to my car, wiring lights for trailer, navigating to destinations, reading and deciphering rules and regulations... The list could go on and on.  I am so thankful that this boy who has always been obsessed with fish, can guide himself down his path finding mentors along the way.

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Jealous

If I am being completely honest, I get jealous sometimes.  Yes, I said it.  Not jealous of other moms and their free time.  I am jealous that my kids get a childhood where each get to discover who they are, what they are passionate about, and time to explore those things.  My childhood days were filled with school, participation in at least one activity at all times, piano lessons, and play groups of friends I didn't always like.  So while I may be jealous, I am more than grateful that my husband and I were able to step out of the traditional model and are able to provide this enriching childhood for both kids.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Interactive

There is nothing like interactive games that get your brain engaged.  I love incorporating a game or 2 or 4 into our day.  The critical thinking and logic skills built and used are not able to be replicated by anything else.  Real people in real time competing or working together to win.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Hike

Outside has a way of calming all of us.  Even on cold, rainy days, it is beneficial for my son to hike around different ponds to fish.  Sometimes he does this alone and sometimes with a friend.  On more welcoming days, my daughter and I will join him on the trail, hiking around until we are ready to rest and read.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Goals

Goals!  Of course, goals are part of unschooling.  I like to take time each month to discuss goals each kid has for themselves and goals we have collectively.

December's goal list was crazy, yet motivating.  We were able to accomplish so much.  Other months, look like one or two focused goals.  Sometimes maybe one big goal that encompasses many steps to complete.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Flour

With this A-Z blogging challenge, my random word generator gave me FLOUR for F.  I thought for a moment that I may need to change this word, but then I remembered exactly how much flour we go through in our house on a regular basis.  

My daughter is a baker!  We joke that her love language is baking for others.  I can not keep flour in our house.  In fact, the morning of the day that I am writing this, I purchased a 10 lb sack of flour.  

Not only is this passion delicious, but it has helped her so much.  Baking is the best to develop a hands-on understanding of fractions and how they work.  It also allows for time and space to experiment in the kitchen with ingredients and tastes.  

So yes, flour for unschooling win.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Expert

3 Simple Steps to Becoming an Expert in Anything

1. Figure out what you're interested in. First you need to evaluate your current position. What do you know right now that you are close to being an expert in? ... 
2. Focus on one subject at a time. Get rid of your cluttered mind and focus on one subject at a time. ... 
3. Remember that practice makes perfect.

              from a simple google search

So I feel like this is a bit of what unschooling allows.  Each child (and parent) can become an expert on whatever they are currently interested in.  Often outsiders (those not actively working with kids) wonder how they will learn all the school subjects when focusing on one topic.  But I have found that no matter the subject kids go deep into subjects are introduced, explored, and mastered.  These subjects include math, writing, reading, spelling, science, history, but not in the way a textbook spoon feeds them.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Duty

Duty is defined as a moral or legal obligation or a responsibility.   

As far as unschooling goes as my children get older, I like to remind them their education is their responsibility (duty).  I am happy to help, provide supplies and opportunities, and guide as much as they need.  But ultimately, I don't believe in forced learning.  

Processing information just to regurgitate on a test only waste time and energy of all involved.  This is unless it is a necessary step to meet a goal which because it is moving you toward a goal it is not a waste of time or energy.  

Learning this self-responsibility as they choose topics, methods of learning, and set goals is a major benefit over top-down education that dominates many settings.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Criticism

The quickest way to kill joy and interest is criticism.  My personality type struggles with that inner critic always making me second guest my choices.  In times of stress, I can allow that critic a voice in my life.  Speaking critically to myself and those around me.  

Fortunately, I have developed the relationship with my kids so they recognize and call me on that criticism.  I also have created techniques to combat this default by focusing on the joy, the positives,  and the process.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Boom

One definition of BOOM is a period of great prosperity or rapid growth.  In unschooling, I see this happen.  A boom in learning happens often in this relaxed environment without academic pressure to perform and compete with peers.  

I have seen this boom of learning happen in two different ways, passionate dedication to learning more and after a break from the subject.  It is important to note that you must be open to learning happening and trusting that your child is doing his/her best.  

First, with a passionate dedication to the subject matter there is that rapid growth that can only happen through curious interest.  With this curiosity leading the learning, connections will continue to show themselves and further the learning.  Those connections can spur one on to further reading, viewing, and exploring.  

The other way is after a break.  I know that seems counter-intuitive, but I have seen booms in learning after a dedicated break.  Allowing my kids to release the stress of perfect handwriting, spelling, or memorizing math facts, to play games, draw/diagram, and read.  I was surprised to find vast improvements in these areas.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.

Always the Best

Age, that is.

I find that whatever the current age my kids are is the best.  Maybe this happens when your kids are two years apart and they move through stages together.  

Don't get me wrong, it is not always all unicorns and rainbows here.  I just really enjoy and appreciate each development.  I love seeing the people they are each becoming.  I also find pleasure in discovering that thread that binds each passion, interest, or strength in their individual lives.  

Just something to ponder, notice, and observe as you take the journey with your family on this unschooling path.