What you Need to Know about Homeschooling in Kansas

by Shelley Ryan

Complying with Kansas laws is simple

Kansas law requires that all “non-accredited private schools,” i.e., homeschools, register once with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). You do not have to give the names of your children. Registration can be done online and takes less than five minutes: (Kansas State Department of Education) You will not receive a response from the KSDE as its only role is to keep a record of homeschool registrations. The KSDE does not “approve” homeschools.

Kansas law requires you to “hold classes for a period of time which is substantially equivalent to the time public schools are in session.” This means you must provide 1,116 hours per year of instructional time. You do not need to follow the public school calendar. You can take vacations when you want; you can “hold class” in the evenings, on the weekends, or during the summer. You are not required to keep a record of your instructional hours. You decide what counts as “instructional time.”

Kansas law requires that all classes be taught by a “competent instructor.” It does not specify what constitutes competency. You do not need a teaching degree. You do not need a college degree. If you have a desire to help your child learn and a willingness to learn right along with them, you are probably “competent.”

You do not need anyone's permission to start homeschooling

You do not need the permission of your child's teacher, the school principal, the superintendent, or the State Department of Education. If you've decided to homeschool your child, no one can stand in your way.

You can start homeschooling today!

If you have decided you want to homeschool your child, you need not wait until the end of the semester or the school year to withdraw your child from school. Register your homeschool with the state, then write a short letter to your child's principal stating that you are withdrawing your child from school and enrolling them in your homeschool. That's it! You can begin!

You don't have to use traditional materials or methods to homeschool your kids.

Some homeschoolers do re-create school around their kitchen tables, with textbooks, worksheets, tests, and grades. Others find that this approach doesn't work for them. Children learn in a variety of ways and from a variety of materials. Your children might learn just as much -- if not more -- from museum trips, hikes, videos, online courses, family reading time, library trips, or travel. You are free to use any of these resources, and more.

Homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive

You don't need to purchase expensive prepared curricula in order to homeschool. Many families homeschool with little more than a library card! Free online resources are abundant and garage sales are a good source of used books. For those who do want to use a prepared curriculum, used copies are readily available from a variety of sources. But take your time evaluating materials so you spend your money wisely. While you evaluate your options, rely on the public library and on non-traditional methods and materials for your children's learning.

Don't worry about socialization

Homeschool groups are active in most parts of the state. If you join one, your child will have ample opportunities to socialize with other homeschoolers. Scouts, 4-H, Campfire, Parks and Rec activities, town sports leagues and neighborhood children will provide other opportunities for socializing. Some homeschooling parents say their children are so busy with social activities that there is little time left for school! Nearly all homeschooling parents are glad they are nearby to help their children develop appropriate social skills rather than leaving them to fend for themselves on the school playground.

You can homeschool all the way through high school

Many resources are available to help you homeschool your high schooler. Some parents purchase high school textbooks and work through them with their high schooler. Others use online courses or enroll their children in a nearby community college. Still others use real life experiences -- paid or volunteer work, travel, community service projects, e.g., -- as a way to help their children learn those things they can't learn from books. Most children who have been homeschooled will be skilled independent learners by the time they reach their teens; your high schooler may need little direct instruction from you. When you're done, you issue a diploma.

Your child can get into college

All Kansas regents institutions welcome homeschoolers. Those schools automatically admit Kansas homeschoolers who have passed the GED or who have earned a "C" average in 24 hours of community college coursework. Admissions committees at the regents schools also admit a limited number of additional students after an individualized review of their credentials. Admission to community colleges is open to any student who has passed the GED or who the admissions committee has determined will be able to benefit from the courses in which the person wishes to enroll. Most private and out-of-state public schools -- including the most elite schools in the country -- have procedures in place for evaluating the applications of homeschoolers. Admissions committees nationwide know that homeschooled kids are curious, self-motivated, and focused on their goals. Being a homeschooled kid likely will be an asset, not a liability, in college admissions.



Legal disclaimer: The content herein is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. If you desire legal advice, you should seek the services of a licensed attorney.

Unschooling Voices

Unschooling Voices #8

There were two (always optional) questions for this edition.

(#1) Use the letters U-N-S-C-H-O-O-L to write about unschooling. Use what ever method you want, for example you can use each letter like "U is for...N is for.."or you can have each letter start a new sentence or paragraph or try writing an acronym.

(#2) A topic that comes up on the unschooling e-mail groups a lot is TV/computer/video games and how hard it is for parents to let go of control in those areas. What has been your experience?

Unschooling Voices is a collection of blog entries, usually centered on a certain theme each month. I usually find a lot of great reading there and thought I'd share the link.

The question for next month's edition is "How has unschooling changed YOU? Yes, it’s about the kids, but is it ONLY about the kids? I sometimes think unschooling has changed me more than them. What are your thoughts?"

YEA ~ Young Explorers' Academy

Interview with Stephanie Stagner

I’ve been reading Stephanie’s blog for ages and have long been intrigued by the Young Explorer’s Academy, a co-op she started that has been growing by leaps and bounds. I asked Stephanie to share with us about starting YEA and perhaps provide some lessons and inspiration for others who are considering similar projects.

Tracy/KSHomeschool.net: Tell us why you started YEA. What was your goal?

Stephanie: Last Summer, I was sitting at the computer browsing homeschooling websites. More and more, I found myself reading about co-ops and enrichment classes. I’m in a local homeschooling group, but they only offer park play days. That just didn’t feel like enough for my kids. They had been asking me for some time if they could take classes so I started looking into local co-ops. I was very disappointed in what I found. All of them were affiliated with churches and most required a signed "statement of faith" to participate. The lists of rules and regulations were endless and the classes were expensive. This wasn’t what I was envisioning. I wanted something open and free – more in sync with an unschooling lifestyle.

I began to think, "Why can’t I do this?" I could have a few families come to my house each week and we could play games and do "learning center" type activities. That night I posted to my local homeschool group and proposed the idea. I volunteered to set up and organize any endeavor (famous last words). When I woke up the next morning and checked my inbox, I was very surprised to have over 50 emails in support of my little idea.

I quickly realized that this was a bigger project than I could handle myself. There was no way I could host that many people at my house. I shared the problem with the group, and one of them offered the use of his church free of charge. It wasn’t a huge building, but it was fine for what we needed.

After several days of emailing and discussion, I set a date for a facilitator meeting and then crossed my fingers that I would have a good turn-out. Ten mothers showed up that first day. (They are still with us and I consider them crucial in the development and growth of YEA.) I opened up the meeting by telling everyone MY vision for the co-op. I clearly knew what I wanted; I just needed help putting it all together.

T: What did you want? How did you envision your co-op working?

S: The number one thing is that I didn’t want it to be like school. I wanted to offer educational and fun classes for the kids, but no child would be forced to sit in a class if they became bored or needed mom. I also really wanted to keep it affordable. All the classes were to be free, or nearly so. All the mothers needed to be involved as class facilitators or by helping out with the little ones. If you fulfilled that requirement, your kids could take as many classes as they wanted to. Crazy idea, right?

Apparently not. Everyone was very positive. We bounced around ideas, got a schedule put together, and discussed money issues. We decided to meet once a week, from 10:30-1:00 with a 30 minute lunch break.

T: Tell us how that time is structured.

S: We have either four 30-minute or two 60-minute class sessions. (We still use this schedule, but are probably going to change it a bit next year to better meet our needs.) We also scheduled a couple of parties. I posted to my local group again asking for facilitator volunteers. We ended up with 16 committed families (and gained a few more before the session was up).

Scheduling everyone’s classes was a nightmare the first year. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, and I didn’t ask for help. This year, one of our moms offered to develop a website for us. We use that for scheduling now. It’s much easier.

T: So once you got started, did it all work out exactly as you had hoped?

S: The first few weeks of YEA were spent working out the bugs. Things come up that you never plan for. We quickly realized that we needed to delegate cleaning responsibilities. We also needed a few rules, like no running inside and no going outside without an adult. One of the moms made STOP signs that we hang on doors that kids aren’t supposed to open. By the end, though, all was working well.

We took a month off at Christmas to reevaluate and take a much needed break. One thing we realized was that we were quickly outgrowing our location and we needed to address that detail right away. Luckily, another member offered up her church. It is much larger and better set up to accommodate us. They didn’t ask for any money, but we decided to charge every family a $5 fee which we donated to the church.

Over the break, I went back to local group and solicited members again. The response was huge. I had to turn people away. We really want to keep our membership at around 30 families. That helps foster a sense of community and family. Plus, it’s all our facility can comfortably hold. We had such a huge response that we have now branched off from our original local group. We had to start our own Yahoo group along with the web page. We got a lot of fresh new class ideas and we have a field trip or party every month. I felt pretty confident starting up again after the break, but it’s inevitable that when you are working this closely with a large group of people, problems will arise.

T: Such as?

S: A few of our current members are unhappy with the lack of "serious" classes. Academics were never intended to be our main focus, but next year we are going to restructure our schedule to allow for more ongoing classes, themes, and we are adding preschool centers.

Another thing we have learned is that complete democracy, unfortunately, doesn’t work. Many issues turn into arguments fairly quickly. Because I got tired of always being the bad guy, we decided to form a committee. I’m on it as well as five others who share similar visions for the co-op. Everyone is welcome to state their ideas and opinions, but the committee has the final say. This is very necessary when you have such a diverse group of people. We aren’t just an unschooling co-op, everyone is welcome. And this means that we try to accommodate families with a wide range of values.

T: How about expense? Have you been able to maintain free classes in exchange for participation?

S: We are having some money issues. Mainly because the nature of many classes means supplies are sometimes needed. We were never clear when we started who was going to be responsible for buying specific supplies. This is going to be solved by charging everyone a small supply fee next year.

T: Give us an example of some classes YEA has offered.

S: There are so many, I don't know where to start! At the beginning of the session we have a brainstorm session where all of the moms offer class ideas. Then we poll the kids to see what they would like to take. We have some sort of a cooking class every week, many arts and crafts classes, and music and movement for the younger kids. We have also offered Spanish and are hoping to offer French next year. This session we have had a science experiment class each week, and some beginning DNA classes. As you can see it's very eclectic.

T: What has been most popular with the kids? Is there anything they ask for again?

S: The cooking classes are by far the most popular. The smaller kids also like playdough studio and any painting classes.

T: Tell us what happens when a child really has no interest in being involved in the classes. I’m thinking, in particular, of situations with siblings where one child might really enjoy the activities being offered, but a second child is less of a joiner. Have you had this experience and how do you accommodate the whole family?

S: A child is never required to participate. We have a "breakroom" area filled with art supplies, toys, and games. It's supervised at all times by at least two moms. That's where the kids go if they don't want to participate or if they decide halfway through a class that it isn't what they want to do. It's also where a child goes if his mom is facilitating a class and he has nothing scheduled. Many of the smaller kids spend their whole day in there.

T: Will you break for the summer?

S: This summer, instead of regular classes, we’re going to have “The Summer of Field Trip Fun.” Basically, each family that wants to participate is going to be responsible for planning a field trip for the group. I think we’re going to have a group camp out as well.

T: Looking back now at all the time and energy you have spent in getting YEA started, has it been worth it? Is it filling the need?

S: It is so worth it! This is the best thing I have done for my kids since I started homeschooling. They look forward to going to class each week so they can see their friends.

I would have to say that YEA is still evolving. We’ve got a ways to go before we get it just right, if we ever do. I (as well as several members) have big plans for the future of our little co-op. We’d really like to buy our own building, but that’s way in the future. For now we are happy to be giving our kids this opportunity to learn and play together.

T: I know there are many mothers in situations like ours who have considered starting something like this on their own. Any words of wisdom or encouragement?

S: Just do it!! It's a lot of work, but it is so fulfilling. On that note, don't try and do everything yourself. Find several other moms who share the same vision as you and work as a team. And on co-op day, put dinner in the crockpot because you will be too tired to cook when you get home..ha ha..

Help Pick the Eight Wonders of Kansas!

Eight Wonders? Yes! Maybe everyone else is choosing the Seven Wonders of their region but we're doing eight in Kansas! Help us decide the top Eight Wonders of Kansas! Will the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria, the Davis Memorial in Hiawatha, the Garden of Eden in Lucas, the Chalk Pyramids in Gove County, or the murals in the state capitol be on your list? See below for criteria and then e-mail your input to 8wonders@kansassampler.org!

Visit the Kansas Sampler Foundation for more information.

A 1980 Interview with John Holt

From Mother Earth News

Why did a man who was at one time a conservative, traditional schoolteacher come to advocate keeping one's children out of school?

The World Needs More Rebels Like Einstein

How nonconformity, not rote learning, unlocked his genius. by Walter Isaacson

Albert Einstein, as every kid knows, was a smart guy. But as we discover when we get older, smart gets you only so far. It's worth remembering, especially now, that what made Einstein special was his impertinence, his nonconformity, and his distaste for dogma.

I really enjoyed this article and thought others might enjoy it, as well.

Kansas Authors Club Sponsors Youth Writing Contest

For all Kansas Students, Grades 1-12

Write poems and stories on any subject. No entry fee. Submission dates for 2007 are April 2, 2007 through June 15, 2007.

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There is a contest for adults, as well. Contest opens April 1, 2007 & closes June 18, 2007, postmarked.

Rethinking Education Conference

11th International Conference on Rethinking Education

Thursday, August 30 - Monday, September 3, 2007

Irving, Texas

Join hundreds of unschooling families from around the globe as we rethink the meanings of education, learning and parenting. Rethinking Education supports attachment parenting, unconditional love, support for each person's unique journey of life experience, freedom with responsibility, unschooling and you. YOU are the vital ingredient at this conference, as we come together and revel in the magic and mystery of kindred spirits and each other's rich diversity, as we challenge ourselves to trust the extraordinary process of living and learning, the wondrous ability to improve the ways we communicate, discovering new ways of listening to one another, giving full support to our dreams, no matter how wild or ordinary, large or small.

Science and Computer Camp - Hesston, KS

Weeklong science and computer camp scheduled May 14-18

Faculty members from the science and computer departments at Hesston College will host its third annual science and computer camp for high school homeschooled students May 14-18.

Details can be found here.

Kansas in National Geographic Magazine

The April 2007 issue of National Geographic features some beautiful photos and a story on the Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills.

Topeka Area ~ Ballroom Dance Opportunity

Jenn of the Topeka Area Homeschool Network has found an instructor who will teach Ballroom Dance classes during the day. She is willing to organize a class if there is enough interest.

Email tahn@prodigy.net for more details. She would like to schedule a class for April or May.

Another Great Wolf Lodge Opportunity

If you missed our Third Annual Area Homeschoolers Great Wolf Lodge Get-Away and can't wait to join us in February of 2008, they are having specials for homeschoolers through the months of April and May.

$109/Night (includes up to 4 waterpark passes)

Sunday - Thursday on Family Suites

Additional Charge for Friday and Saturdays

Mention Promotional Code KHOME at the time of reservation.

Offer Valid only at Great Wolf Lodge, Kansas City, KS, 4/1-5/31/07. Valid only on Family Suites. Offer is based on 4 guests. Rate is based on per night plus tax, based upon availability. Limited to the first 50 rooms sold per date. Holidays and black out dates may apply. May not be combined with any other discounts or promotional offers. Subject to change at any time without notice. Must mention promo code KHOME at time of reservations. Offer expires 5/31/07.

Contact 1.800.608.WOLF of visit www.greatwolf.com to make reservations.

Homeschoolers find University Doors Open

Thanks to Shelley R. for the link.

An associated press article talking about universities adjusting to make admissions policies more friendly for homeschoolers.

"Some private colleges have eagerly recruited those students for years and tailored application processes to include them. Homeschoolers still face challenges when applying to many public universities, but their chances of being considered are improving."

Have Kids - Will Travel

Please note that I am not endorsing this site, but it was recently brought to my attention and it certainly sparked my interest.

I would say the point of the website is primarily to market the book, but they offer a free newsletter and their archives are available online, as well.

Have Kids - Will Travel

In a class of their own

Article in the February 28, 2007 issue of The Harvard Crimson.

While I, personally, hate to think of the pressure these kids were put under to even get to Harvard, this article provides an interesting look into the lives of some of our "top" homeschoolers.

Home School Day at Worlds of Fun

Coming in August

Friday, August 24, 2007

Home School Instructors and Students, schedule thrills and family fun into your lesson plans for Friday, August 24, 2007. Home School Day at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun offers great discounts on admission tickets and a meal option. Home School Day is the perfect opportunity to experience 235 acres of the region's greatest collection of wet and dry attractions.

Click here for details and pricing. (pdf file)

Third Annual Area Homeschoolers GWL Get-Away

KSHomeschool.net organized the gathering with
a total of 140+ attendees from across the state of Kansas.

We met new friends from:
Baldwin • Blue Springs • Dodge City • Edwardsville • Emporia • Gardner • Hutchinson
Kansas City KS • Lawrence • Lecompton • Lenexa • Manhattan • Osage City • Shawnee
Smithville MO • Spearville • Tonganoxie • Topeka • Wichita

"The 2007 trip to Great Wolf Lodge was really fun. We went to the arcade and went on the yellow slide many times. My friend Jennifer had never been to the Great Wolf Lodge so we went on all the slides. Me and my friends spent a lot of time in the hot tub." ~ Evie






"We just got home and are all happy and TIRED! We made new friends and got to spend time with old ones. We can't wait till next year!!" ~Claudia












"The kids had a blast making friends and wearing out the waterpark. I really enjoyed meeting such a wide variety of families and hearing brief histories of your homeschooling experiences. I went to meet perfect strangers, and left with a few new friends." ~Meg






"It was so nice meeting all of you finally! We had a great time, thanks for organizing this. We will definitely come back." ~ Stephanie


This is the closest we came to a group photo. I am sorry that my camera did not have the power to do such large group justice.

School? Not

An interview with Valerie Fitzenreiter, author of The Unprocessed Child, and her daughter, Laurie.

School? Not

Home School Days at Union Station

February 20-23, 2007
Special Rates for Union Station
General Admission: $6/person
Theater Admission: $3.50/Extreme Screen $5/Theatre for Young America
Dead Sea Scrolls: $10.95/person (Advanced reservations strongly recommended)

Current Extreme Screen Movies
Sharks 3D & Mystery of the Nile

Traveling Exhibit, Dead Sea Scrolls
February 8 - May 13

30 W. Pershing Road
Kansas City, MO
816-460-2020
unionstation.org

YOU can Contribute to Kansas Homeschool Network

• Send us your Show & Tell. Anything goes!
  
  
• Tell us something about the latest homeschooling book you have read.
  
  
• Make sure your homeschool group is listed in our directory.
  
  
• Contribute your own article or essay to the website.
  
  
• Send us the link to your blog or family website.
  
  
• Share our address with other homeschoolers who might appreciate the Kansas Area Homeschool Network community.
  
  
• Bookmark our blog to keep up on Kansas activities and homeschooling news.
  
  
• Better yet, volunteer to help us keep the blog current and updated! Email Tracy at goobmom23 AT yahoo DOT com for details.
  
  
• Send us your thoughts, suggestions, comments... we'd love to hear from you!
  

Catching up with Unschooling in the News

'Unschool' parents: Kids can be own best teachers

Many educators fear free-form style leaves learning incomplete
from Tennesean.com 1/28/07

And a sidebar, Exact number who unschool hard to know


Unschooling Appeals to Some
from ThePilot.com 1/16/07

Territorial Kansas Online

1854-1861

A Virtual Repository for Territorial Kansas History

"Explore the turbulent times of "Bleeding Kansas." Hundreds of personal letters, diaries, photos, and maps bring to life the settling of Kansas during the fierce debate over slavery."

LEARNING | The whole community is a classroom for area students: Homeschoolers aren't homebound

A recent article from the Kansas City Star.

No core subjects, no imposed curricula? You must be unschooled

Apparently unschooling is the news to be written about these days. This article in the Sacramento Bee was published on January 11, 2007.

Forced to defend an unusual educational practice, unschoolers take great care as to how they describe it. Buchanan hedges a bit when asked if she's an unschooler. She does put books in front of her children from time to time, which is anathema to orthodox unschoolers.

I can't imagine that any unschooler would actually say the act of putting books in front of their children is so repugnant. Forcing them to read the books or giving them quizzes about what they learn from the books -- that's another story. Perhaps I am reading too literally.

Kansas Communities on the Web

If you are looking for information about a specific town in Kansas, this website seems to be a good place to start.

You Have to Trust that the Child will Learn

This article posted at The Natural Child Project was first published in The Chicago Sun-Times in December 2006.

Overall, this is a very positive article on unschooling. Even though the focus of the article is on a high-achieving unschooler who has gained early admittance into Princeton, the author writes, "But just like traditional schoolers, not all unschoolers want college."

Thanks to Nancy for the link.

Schools kill Creativity

Well worth 20 minutes of your time, this commentary on education, by Sir Ken Robinson, talks about creativity and the need to rethink the standard operating mode of public schools.

Click Here to view Video.

Fifth Annual Spring Contest for Young Writers

an invitation from Dorothy Masters, This and That Columnist

Pen me a poem, write me a story, fiction or non-fiction, use the computer or write by hand. You pick the subject, it is your work! Any writing talent you care to share with me will work for my contest in the spring. If the younger children would like to enter, tell your story in picture form.

I will ask members of the Kansas Authors Club to help judge the entries to award engraved medals for your effort. Sharpen up your wit and show your best writing talent with poetry, prose or art work. If there is any interest, I will ask my editors to print the prize winners again this year, but I need to hear if anyone does or does not want their work printed. If you want it printed in a local paper in my weekly column, write me a note, sign your name and have your parents sign to give me permission to print your work. Send a comment to me and the editor of your paper if the general public enjoys reading the children’s work in your local paper.

Any child is eligible through high school level including home schooled children. Entries must be in my hands by March 1, 2007.

Be sure and put your name and address on your work so I can notify you of the winners. Keep a copy of entries; your work may not be returned to you because the vast amount of entries..

Send to: Dorothy Masters
13842 High-way K- 31
Harveyville, Kansas 66431

Telephone 1-785-589-2552
Email: masters1936@earthlink.net

The subject is wide open, let you imagination soar and tell a great story or spell out a life lesson. Good human interest stories cover many topics and a wide range of ideas. Your pets make wonderful stories to share. There is no limit as to number of words; it is the thought content that matters.

There will be a new category this year because of Burlingame Rodeo Days in May. The Rodeo Days Planners have asked me to add a category to my youth writing contest to promote some interest about the Burlingame Community with the writing of many historical points of the area. Mr. James Nelson has agreed to teach a workshop on how to do Historical Research. More about that class will follow, be thinking about what aspect of the history you would like to research.
For historical facts, consider interviewing your parents, grandparents and older friends to collect their stories and memories of significant persons, places or events in Burlingame and the surrounding area; they are great resources of the past.

The Kansas Collection

Online, searchable.

The Kansas Collection

"The voices of the past are heard again in KanColl, through nearly-lost books, letters, diaries, photographs, and other materials."

Grammar & Spelling

unschooling in action

People often ask how unschooling looks or how it happens. It may sound intriguing, but how DO kids learn things like grammar and spelling. Here are some examples of unschooling in action. If you have an example you would like to share, please send an email to goobmom23 AT yahoo DOT com.

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My 10-year-old had been exchanging emails with a friend. They’d been on for much of the afternoon – apparently having a sort of running conversation through email.

My daughter mentioned that she always tries to write using capitals and periods in the correct places. She said, "I notice when my friend writes to me, she doesn't do that at all. She never uses capitals and she misspells a lot of stuff." I told her that I thought the girl was using a lot of "internet writing" which was really more of a new language that was evolving. She said, "Like LOL and OMG?" So we talked about that type of writing and what she thought about it. I admitted that I was probably a bit of a language snob. I've adopted some of it -- the smiley face and LOL most specifically, but I told her I still prefer the standard (pre-Internet) way of writing. She thought she did too. She said a lot of the shortcut writing is hard to read, hard to understand, and we discussed how it was a lot like learning a foreign language.

Then she told me that she thought the spell check on yahoo email worked better than the one on Microsoft Word. We pulled up Word and I showed her how she hadn't been using the full-blown spell check. She just right clicks on words the computer underlines in red as she is typing. I had her type three sentences, told her not to worry about the spelling, just to type them. The second sentence she typed entirely correct without help. That's why I had her type a third. I showed her the "spelling and grammar" check function then. It helped her correct a couple of words she struggled with. One of the things she had typed was “a elepant.” The spell/grammar tool suggested "an" instead, so we talked about the use of “a” vs. “an”. I can guarantee that the information stuck because I’ve seen her use a/an correctly since then. Oh, and she was tickled that she was so close to the correct spelling of elephant and told me that she knew the "ph" for "f" sound but had forgotten.

Then she asked me about something she had come across while working on a story she has been writing. She said that when she wrote, "Jake, me and Mom went to the store," the computer would correct her and suggest that "I" should be used. She asked if that was right because it sounded wrong to her. So I showed her that the way to figure it out was to say each individually... Jake went to the store, Me went to the store, Mom went to the store. She agreed immediately that "I went to the store" sounded better, but still felt that it sounded too stuffy when she used all three people going -- she wanted to use "me." We also talked about the ordering of the subjects in a sentence like this and what was grammatically correct compared to what was politely correct. (Jake, Mom and I...)

She asked if it was a style thing that you could do either way. I told her that this was a case where I would argue that it was not a style thing. However, I agreed that you can always decide to break a grammar rule if you want to, but that this was one I wouldn't break. Then we talked about using I as the subject of a sentence and me as the object. This got a little deeper and I'm not sure it was entirely clear to her, but she was satisfied for the time being.

THIS was such a satisfying experience. We really had some connecting time and it was so cool hearing her ask these questions and knowing how she is putting this knowledge to use. She is improving in leaps and bounds with her writing skills. She's asking the questions and getting the answers and putting it together in a way that makes sense to her.

I also got to read her story. It is now almost two pages long (single spaced) and I can’t tell you how exciting it is to watch something like this unfold. I’ve been typing stories as my kids dictate them for years. Each time I get to read what she has written, we discuss first if she wants my editing assistance or if she just wants me to read it for story. This time, it was just to read the story. It was wonderful. The coolest thing is that she loves the story, too, and she’s enjoying the process of writing it.

-Tracy S.

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I was reading a book to the kids and the kids asked, "what's this?" and were pointing to a comma and "what's that?" and were pointing to an asterisk, so I got to explain what they were for and why. I was writing a story for Jade on the computer and she asked why I wrote it the way I did. Her story has lots of dialogue. So I explained what the quotes were for. The thing that was really cool to me is that her writing had such active voice. She has listened to so many books she just knows intuitively that a good story is very active. We've been having some fun with "spelling" sort of. Jade and I are playing lots of hangman. It's a game for her but it's helping her see patterns to words. Corbin plays along too but he goes to find words for me to guess.

- Samantha S.

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Today in the car, my son, age 6, said, "Mom! That sign said zoo -- only it had one 'o' instead of two and the 'z' was sideways." We had to look at the sign again. It said, "No" as in "no parking on this side of street." I think perhaps he was just really hoping for a zoo trip.

-Tracy S.

January 8 Deadline for Great Wolf Lodge Gathering

The Kansas Homeschool Network invites you to attend the

Third Annual Area Homeschoolers
Great Wolf Lodge Get-Away

February 27-28, 2007

Great Wolf - Kansas City

You MUST make reservations by January 8, 2007, to guarantee a spot!

Use Group Code 6A522A when making reservations online.

or call 1-800-608-9653 and reference our group name:

Kansas Area Homeschool Network

Email Tracy at kshomeschool dot net for details on room rates, reservation requirements, or questions. If you prefer rooms that aren't listed for our coupon code, contact Tracy for information on other options.

Pre-check in starts at 1pm on the 27th. You can receive your waterpark passes at this time and begin swimming. Guest room check-in begins at 4pm. Check-out on the 28th is 11am, but you are free to use the waterpark the entire day on Wednesday.

Alternative Form of Homeschooling Embraces Child Directed Learning

If you can ignore the idiotic comment from the "expert" at the end, this is one of the best articles on unschooling that I have seen.

Article from the Post-Tribune.

"It's an awareness that learning is always happening because it's part of living."
--Jane Van Stelle Haded

Cloudday

"Tomorrow is Cloudday."

"Cloudday?" I said.

"Yes. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Cloudday.
If there is Sunday there has to be Cloudday."

Ezzie & his momma, Steph

Richard Feynman on Education

This is an old article from the Growing Without Schooling archives. Thanks to Jane on the unschoolkansas discussion list for bringing it to our attention.

Some thoughts from well-known physicist Richard Feynman, interviewed in U.S. News & World Report, 3/18/85:

…There’s a great deal of intimidation by intellectuals in this country of less intellectual people. It comes in the form of pompous studies and pompous words to describe ideas that are fairly simple or have very little content. If someone says they do not understand one of these ideas, they’re put down, which must be hard for those who don’t have too much confidence in their own intelligence. People think that all the experts know what they are doing.
But most experts, whether in the stock market, education, sociology or some parts of psychology, don’t know more than the average person. They may act as though they are engaged in real science. They do studies, follow certain methods and have results. They follow all the apparent precepts and forms of scientific investigation, but they’re missing something essential.

…Take educational theory. How do you know that people in schools of education don’t know anything about how to educate children - not that anyone else knows, either? Well, are the schools improving? Have educational systems gotten better as the years have gone on? It’s very easy to see that the witch doctors are not curing most diseases.

…I sometimes feel that it would be much better not to educate our children in such subjects as mathematics and science. If we left youngsters alone, there would be a better chance that, by accident, the kids would find a good book - or an old textbook - or a television program that would excite them. But when youngsters go to school, they learn that these subjects are dull, horrible and impossible to understand. When I went to school, I didn’t learn that math and science were dull because I knew before I got there that they were interesting. All I saw was that they were dull in school. But I knew better….
I once sat in a committee in California that chose new schoolbooks for the state… The books said things that were useless, mixed up, ambiguous, confusing and partially incorrect. How anybody could learn science from these books, I don’t know.

What happens often is that state bodies decide what ought to be in the curriculum on the basis of what so-called experts think. This has a tremendous influence on publishers, who want their books to cover every single item on the suggested list. Publishers try very hard to follow what states want, and in the end, the books are poor. They don’t try to make subjects easier to understand. They try to make it easier to know what to do to pass the test and please the teacher. They’re involved in making sure that certain items are understood by children so that they can go on to the next course, which is designed in exactly the same way.
Someday people will look back at our age and they’ll think: "My goodness, how they tortured their children! Year after year they wen to these schools every day for hours. yet look how easy it is to teach. But they didn’t know how to do it back then…"

Kansas Kaleidoscope

A Kansas history magazine written for young readers. Published 5 times a year and the price is right, too. $7.00! Back issues are available on the website.

When DROPOUT isn’t a bad word:

Some local teens are thriving by setting their own schedules and learning by doing

Unschool Article from The Patriot Ledger, Boston.

To See in February ~ Dead Sea Scrolls

from the website:
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Union Station is proud to present the only Midwest stop for this monumental exhibition, including some scrolls never before displayed in the United States.

Experience the most remarkable archeological discovery of the last century: the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament. Explore the history and significance of the scrolls and discover the mystery of how they were created more than 2000 years ago. In addition to the scrolls, this exhibition will also feature a multitude of artifacts from Qumran, where the scrolls were discovered, as well as other artifacts from the region.

This Day in Kansas History

The Kansas Historical Society has a calendar of historical events of interest to Kansans.

Click here for December's Calendar.

Robots at Union Station

from the website:
ROBOTS: The Interactive Exhibition
Now thru Jan. 7, 2007

Tuesday - Sunday


Take an educational, fun and exciting journey through a mechanical world.

ROBOTS: The Interactive Exhibition captures the imagination and excitement of the hit animated film Robots and translates it into an entertaining and educational experience for the whole family. See how robots can make our lives better today and in the future. Learn how the movie was created, play interactive games, and build your own robot!

Read more.

New Carousel Animals/Contest - Kansas City Zoo

From the Kansas City Zoo Website:
New Carousel Animals/Contest

Endangered Species Carousel to Open Spring 2007
Every paid visitor in November and December receives a ticket to ride the carousel in 2007. Guess the weight of the animal (three winners) and receive a season rides pass for the carousel, good for all of 2007.

The Zoo will unveil a new carousel in May 2007. It will feature 36 hand-carved wooden animals, all endangered species.

See pictures on the website.

Homeschooling on Dr. Phil this Friday

The Great School Debate will be on Dr. Phil this Friday, November 24.

Links to some interesting articles regarding the show here.

If you watch, let us know what you think.

Museum of World Treasures - Wichita

My kids and I recently visited the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita. It was an extremely positive experience and I highly recommend it. We were thrilled with the wide variety of items on display, but especially impressed by the fact that you could really get up close and examine so many of the items on display.

I can probably say more with pictures than in words:

An Egyptian Mummy

A big cat of some sort.

Rubbing the Buddah's Belly

If you are in Wichita, don't miss this museum. It's worth a road trip if you are looking for something to do.

Native American Heritage Museum

The Native American Heritage Museum State Historic Site presents "Moccasins to Tees: Native Art Then and Now"

This special exhibit is on display through November 30, 2006 at the Museum, 1737 Elgin Road, 3 miles east of Highland, Kansas.

Exhibit Ends: November 30, 2006

Contact Information:
Suzette McCord-Rogers
785 442-3304
nahm@kshs.org

Explore Kansas

If you are looking for things to do and see in Kansas, The Kansas Explorers Club is a great place to start. The website has some interesting lists, including Kansas Firsts, Oldests, Largests, and others. Spend some time browsing; I can guarantee you'll learn something you didn't know. Then get in your car and spend some time exploring!

http://explorekansas.org/

Participate!!!

Participate!!! Thoze Amazing Crazy Dayz has a lovely blog entry titled This is How We Learn. I am inviting each of you to tell me how learning happens in your family. Submit a link to your own blog entry, or email your entry to me to be published in a collection here. Submissions MUST be made to tracy@kshomeschool.net by December 5th to qualify. Put "This is How We Learn" in the subject line and be sure to include your contact information (will not be published). There will be a drawing for those that enter for a prize yet to be determined.

An Unschooling Perspective on Screen Time

by Ann Vetter

You don't have to go far to hear dire warnings about the possible harm that can be caused by too much screen time. That's the nouveau term that encompasses television, computer, and video games. We are warned that they stifle imagination, dull kids' brains, and disrupt learning. You can find plenty of fodder for this point of view, so I thought I would offer another perspective.

I really believe that most people see at least some value in these activities. Otherwise we wouldn't own them. It's the fear that a child will become obsessed that drives this issue; that, if allowed, they will do nothing but watch TV and play video games all day. It is the very restrictions we are encouraged to employ to prevent this from happening that, in fact, make the worry true.

When children have trouble separating themselves from something like TV, video games, books, or anything really... it is because these items were restricted, thus putting a high priority or value on the activity. Don't misunderstand; if your kid is really doing nothing but fill-in-the-blank, it is a parent's job to connect. It might be time for a conversation that starts with, “I notice you have really been into ________, lately.” The point is to find out what need your kid is fulfilling. Kids don't fixate on an activity unless it is meeting a need. If they really are dwelling on an activity out of boredom, making a positive suggestion is a million times better than a restriction.

I’ve often thought that if I can’t use my wits and charm to convince my kid that some real life outing or project with me is not worth turning the TV off for a while, then I ought to consider finding a new gig. I can say things like, “Hey, you want to try out that new recipe with me?” or “Do you want to check out this new website I found?” Yes, it sometimes requires that I drop my own agenda and spend time focusing on theirs. Of course, the other part is knowing when to shut up and leave them alone. This is part of what makes unschooling special, the interaction and the relationships.

When I hear people assume that their kids would do nothing but watch TV all day (or play video games, or whatever), it makes me sad. It usually comes from people who have never tried unschooling, or if they did, they didn't give their kids time to deschool before making a judgment. At the heart of this sentence, I hear, “My kid is an imbecile, incapable of making constructive choices. My child has no natural curiosity and will not learn unless forced to. The bottom line is, I don't trust my kid.” This is an unfair indictment for children, in general, but especially for kids that need to heal from one kind of trauma or another. (And I believe that school experiences can be very traumatic.)

I have witnessed movies spark a child’s imagination, inspire their writing, motivate them to read a book on a subject, act out their own version of the plot in an imaginative, lets-pretend sort of game. I have explained complex math concepts because my child needed them to get to the next level in a computer game they enjoy. I have watched their vocabulary expand as they ask me the meaning of words they see and hear on screen. Best of all, I spend time doing these things with them. I watch shows they like, play games they like, and we talk about them. We have conversations about topics that might otherwise have never come up.

By refusing to place restrictions on screen time, I am sending a message that I value what my children care about, their interests matter to me, and I am available to talk with them about anything. I see screen time as not just a great tool for learning, but also for building relationships. These items make our worlds bigger and more interesting, taking them away or limiting them only makes your child's world smaller and less fun.

I have often mused that if we worried about, limited, screened, controlled our children's reading habits like we do other things, we would be wondering how to get our kids' noses out of books. I would be exclaiming that all my daughter does is study wildlife and draw. She has her nose in a book for hours each day and sure, she creates these beautiful things, but surely she isn't old enough to process their meaning yet. Or I would worry that my son is simply spending too much time messing with that tool. Does he understand the basic principles of engineering? Isn't that activity too mature for him? Maybe I should redirect that interest to make sure they are learning other things, to make sure they’ve mastered the basics first, or to make sure they aren’t getting involved in something beyond their ability to master.

At the core of unschooling is the belief that my daughter can spend all day delving into how Morgan horses differ from Palominos. She can read any mystery novel she likes. She can crochet, write a story, visit with her big sister, watch TV, catch up on email, and all of those projects are equally worthy. My son can spend all day on a new project with his toys, finish a software adventure, or read a book with mom. All these things are of equal importance because they, my children, care about them. My job is to value those things with them, not to prioritize or judge them.

Most of all, my job is to open their world up so they can meet their needs in the many ways they will discover. I don’t want to make their world smaller, or less sparkly, by taking things away.



This article was published in the May/June 2007 issue of Live Free Learn Free.

Halloween Parade ~ 2006

pumpkins courtesy of Karen & Rebecca

Ghost Bride ~ Evie, age 10

Ancient Briton ~ Andrew, age 13

Darth Vader ~ Deven, age 8

Furry Winged Demon ~ Issac, age 9

Genie ~ Erinn, age 7

Gladiator from Pompeii ~ Kaman, age 5

Gypsy ~ Karen, age 12

Gypsy ~ Victoria, age 10

Pirate ~ Maddie, age 8

Pirate ~ Benjamin, age 6

Robin, of Teen Titans ~ Joshua, age 4-1/2

Witch ~ Alison, age 13

View the 2007 Halloween Parade

Kansas City Area ~ Things to Do

We have a nice collection of links for Kansas City area activites at the KSHomeschool.net website. Thank you, Tracie Drake.

Changing My Mind about Screen Time

by Tracy Million Simmons

Our local unschooling list has had some wonderful conversation, of late, regarding television and the role of “screen time” in an unschooling world. It’s been an excellent opportunity for personal reflection on two levels.

First, to recognize just how much my mindset about television has changed in the last few years. Second, to reflect on how much my mindset has changed, in general, in the 8 or 9 years since my first introduction to unschooling.

It wasn’t all that long ago that I was still sorting television programs by those that were quality and educational and those that were not. I was still falling for a bit of the “good mom” cultural message that goes something like… good moms don’t let their kids watch too much television, or better yet, any television at all. I limited the time my kids spent watching television. I avoided channels that were heavily commercialized. And I had good, solid excuses (involving one television, small space, “important” things needing to take priority) for staying on top of the television habit in our household… or so I thought.

Thankfully, I never stopped seeking input from experienced unschoolers. I didn’t necessarily consider television a “problem” in our house, but I kept bumping up against advice that was pointing me in another direction, and I must have never been fully comfortable with the way we handled TV watching, because I kept trying new things (new restrictions, guidelines, tactics for getting three kids through a day, happy with their TV options).

The answer, of course, was right in front of me all along. Unschooling was working for myself and my children in so many wonderful ways. The fact that I still felt a need to control the television and its contents was… well, complete silliness, one of those “rocks in my head” as I’ve come to think of them… a notion that remains, though all the evidence I have about trust and life learning and healthy relationships with people (my children in particular) show me that my “wisdom” on the matter is not sufficient to give me power to dictate television rights.

We still live in a small house. We still own only one television. We still have to share and to coordinate and to be considerate of four other people in the house. Yet, I can’t remember the last time we had any problem balancing television time with whatever else was going on in our world. Some days I still marvel that an entire day has passed and the television hasn’t been on for a single minute. The kids no longer worry about getting in their daily TV time, because it’s available to them at any time. I see now that I had raised the value of screen time by limiting it. Other days I marvel at the programs my children discover, or the pieces of information they pull from the shows they watch. I find myself stopping to see what they’ve found and my kids, better than I, seem to know when it’s a good day to just curl up with a blanket and the remote and snuggle in with a good movie.

Finally, I am free to have true discussions with them about my thoughts on television. I can express my amusements and my distastes. I can explain why I dislike particular kinds of television and I can listen to what attracts them. We only found this freedom when I was finally able to step back and treat them as equals, allowing them the same power to choose that I have. Trust with television programming and screen time should be no different than trust with anything else.

The whole email conversation on television has led me to think back to my early introduction to unschooling. I was just beginning my journey as a mother, but I already had a lot of ideas about the type of mother I wanted to be and the kind of relationship I wanted to have with my children. When I first read about unschooling, it was a little spark that just wouldn’t go out. It felt true and right, yet I approached it cautiously. It was so different, after all, from all the other advice that was out there.

My first experience on an email discussion list was with a group of unschoolers. They were radical and amazing, thoughtful and full of words and ideas that inspired me… and perhaps frightened me a bit, as well. Looking back, I must have been exhausting to them at times. I wish there was a way to contact each and every one of them, to let them know just how much I appreciate their continued conversation, their words of wisdom and their gentle shakes to help me empty all those “rocks” from my head.

Now I continue to frequent those lists and I encourage others to do the same. Sometimes it takes an outsider looking in to help you recognize just where you still carry rocks in your head. You may think you have it down, thinking you are unschooling in the finest fashion, and then someone asks a question or gives an answer that makes you stop and ponder your take on a particular topic all over again.

Keep asking questions. Keep listening to the answers. As parents, we have at least as much room to grow as our children do.

Family Science Discovery at Science City

Winter Discoveries include:

Fighter Pilot I - November 11

Fighter Pilot II - November 18

Dinos Alive! - December 2

Make your own Science Gifts I - December 9

Make your own Science Gifts II - December 16

Dr. Phil Show on Homeschooling

Anyone looking forward to the upcoming Dr. Phil Show on Homeschooling might want to read this.

Update: Still no air date for the Dr. Phill Show on homeschooling, but here is another article of interest. (Article has moved -- it was a more positive view of the Dr. Phil show -- will try to locate and repost link.)

Update: To be aired the Friday after Thanksgiving: Nov. 24, 2006.

Third Time is a Charm

If you've been following, there have been a couple of aborted attempts at keeping a companion blog site for KSHomeschool.net. The main idea behind the blog is to keep a running list of area activities and events that might be of interest to homeschoolers. This will include everything from general places to go and things to see in Kansas, to notification of homeschool specific activities. As well, I will post notifications every time the website is updated and will attempt to link to articles in the news regarding homeschooling or other items of interest as I see fit.

If you come across something you think ought to be listed, please feel free to contact me. I welcome assistance.

The main attraction of the blog (aside from ease of updating on my part) is that you will have the option of subscribing to the blog via RSS feed. If you have a homepage, such as yahoo, for instance, you can add the feed from this blog to your contents page so that you will be able to see updates at the same time you are browsing your news items for the day or checking your stocks --- whatever. Subscription services such as bloglines are also handy if you are a multiple-blog watcher.

College Admissions for an Unschooler

submitted by Ann Vetter

My daughter is eighteen and I just went through the college admissions process with her. We have homeschooled since she was nine and unschooled since she was eleven. We found this about community colleges... all you have to do is enroll and pay. I did have to contrive a transcript for her, and we did have some fun with that, but it wasn't really used for anything. They just needed to have one on file.

For our state university, they required an ACT or SAT score. She wanted to try it, she did fine, could have been admitted, but decided she didn't want to start at such a large school. In fact, she has decided not to go to school at all for now.

Why?

Well, all these years as an unschooler she has played around with all sorts of audio equipment, wrote and recorded her own songs, volunteered in professional studios, and even worked for them part time on an as needed basis. It turns out that a lot of what she learned is much sought after by telecommunications companies. She heard of a job opening, applied, got hired, and is currently being trained by them for free. It is her aptitude and that she was able to explore her interests freely that helped her get a cool job, not college.

So will she ever go to college? Did unschooling perhaps keep her out of college?

My answer is, who cares? She's happy. BTW, she's making an amazing amount of money for an eighteen year old, more than many college grads start out making. The important thing is that she is doing something she enjoys and if later on she decides she would enjoy something else even more, she can pursue that. No doors are closed to her. I wonder if the communications company would have been as impressed with a science class as they were with the real world stuff that she had actually done???

I know one thing, I'm sure glad I didn't invest myself in prepping her for college when she was ten. I do wish I had know about unschooling from the start.

"...when I knew better, I did better"
~ Maya Angelo

Rambling about Strewing

by Justine Browning

I have been randomly reading Sandra Dodd's book. I haven't read it through, like one would read a novel. Rather, I'll find myself in an "unschooling lull" and pick it up for a little "motivation" and some fresh ideas. The other day, I was reading an article that she had written about using the dictionary. This made me think of how Mollie used to love looking words up in the dictionary. So I decided to take the dictionary out of the cabinet in the living room, and put it on the coffee table, just in case she might like to look at it and had just forgotten that it was around.While I was at it, I put out a few of the books I had picked up the last time we went to the library. Instead of just putting the books out, though, I opened them up to pages that I thought Mollie might see and be interested in. A pond book was opened to a few pages having to do with frogs. Sure enough, within only seconds of her plopping down on the couch to watch some TV, I heard her say, "oooo", and she leaned over and picked up the pond book with the frog pages and began to read. She asked a few questions and read it for a few minutes, and flipped through a few pages and set it back down. And, all this made me think of strewing....... (This is starting to sound like an "If you give a mouse a cookie" story:-))

You know, strewing plays a bigger part in our lives than I once realized. It encompasses so much more than placing things around. Even though it was really neat to watch how Mollie noticed the book last night that was on the table. I think that, as unschoolers, we almost have to look at life through "strewing" eyes. I mean, we are constantly on the look out for ways to "add" some new dimension or piece of the puzzle to our children's understanding of the world in which they live. We do this every time we invite them to help us with a project or task. We do this when we take a Sunday drive as a family to a neighboring little town for ice cream or dinner out. We do this when we run our errands, and do our shopping, all the while intentionally involving them in the processes of our lives and asking their input and answering their questions. We do this when we invite friends and relatives to come to our home and we sit around the table and listen to the stories of their lives. We arrange our lives and our world in such a way as to enable our children to be able get all that they need out of every moment.

When we moved into our home here, we were already unschooling, so many of the decisions we made regarding our new home, were made with unschooling in mind. We moved out of an area where it was very expensive to live to a less expensive area. We paid off bills and didn't take on too big a mortgage, so that we would have a little "extra" to do things with the kids. We still aren't rich, but it's not altogether impossible to take a weekend trip or purchase a cool toy. Some things still need to be "saved" for, but all in all, we have a little more flexibility to be able to "strew" a few more opportunities along our children's paths.We also looked at the layout of our home and chose it because it felt good for creating opportunities for unschooling for our family. I think this is different for every family. What works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. Initially, I dreamed of a large piece of property with farm animals, etc. But Tom, having done the farm thing when he was younger, didn't feel this would be a good match for our family. It turns out, I completely see the wisdom in his thinking and am grateful to him for sometimes being the voice of reason in our household.

Our home is simple with a little space for everyone. Our yard is perfectly suited for bird and squirrel watching because of all the trees. And not so big that every Saturday must be spent mowing lawns instead of doing local sight seeing, which is what our family would prefer to do.And, it's funny how, when you unschool, even decisions for furniture are so much more important. Because furniture now is not for looks. It's not about impressing the neighbor down the street. Your home doesn't have to look like it could be featured on the cover of a home decor magazine.No, furniture in an unschooling household must be so much more.When I choose a piece of furniture now, I find myself asking how this will foster togetherness for my family - which, I know is the foundation for all learning. And the most important thing to living.

I have come to realize that in times of just relating and talking and being together, my child's heart is so open to new ideas. That in times of fun and games, my child is relaxed and absorbs much more from her surroundings and the activities that she is engaged in. Our couches were chosen because they are comfy - that's mostly it. The kind you sit in with a good book or to enjoy a good movie. They are so comfy that they even make you want to hug or cuddle with the person sitting down next to you! Our coffee table is round. Why? Because it makes a great table for doing puzzles or playing games. And, it doesn't have any shelves underneath it because I wanted to be able to sit on the floor around it and have room for folded legs to fit.This works for me.

My other unschooling friends are all different. I am always amazed and delighted to see the creative ways of arranging house that others I know have come up with. Another thing I ask myself when choosing furniture, is if I will be comfortable with that piece of furniture being used in such a way that it may not maintain it's perfect look or be used in the manner for which it was originally designed. Tables filled with puzzles, toys, yarn, and books. Couches with pillows tossed on the floor to make room for a display of favorite stuffed animals. Appliances covered with magnets and the latest display of artistic pursuits. Rooms with floors and tables where messes can be made and left for a while. Shelves that Mollie can reach and access to whip up a creation that only she has dreamed. And of course, cabinets for storing games and toys and other fun stuff right in the living room, so they are easily accessible, yet I can still "tuck" them away if I start feeling a little too "cluttered". And it was inside this little cabinet that I found the dictionary...that I remembered as I read Sandra's book....which made me think of strewing ... and was the prompting for this rambling.

Experience vs. Being Taught

by Tracy Million Simmons

“Can’t you give me some brains?” asked the Scarecrow.

“You don’t need them. You learn something every day. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge.”
The Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum

“Pump your legs like this. Okay. Now forward. Now back. Now forward. Now back. Don’t lean so much. Now forward. Lean into it. This way. Now back again. There you’ve got it! Very good. No back. When the swing goes back, you lean forward. When the swing comes forward, you lean back.”
I was witnessing a “lesson” on how to swing – a well-meaning grandmother and a poor, befuddled, four-year old boy.

“I’m done,” the boy whined.

“You’re not done. You haven’t learned how to swing yet. How is grandma supposed to teach you how to swing if you don’t pay attention and practice? Now forward. Now back.”

Perhaps this is an extreme example, but whenever I step outside of my unschooling community (which I do often), I am always a bit surprised by the still prevalent attitude that children are empty vessels needing to be filled. How will they ever learn if we do not teach them?

“Let the boy swing,” I wanted to tell the grandmother. “Let him feel the wind in his face and experience the dizzying joy of falling through the air until the swing catches him and pulls him up again. His body will begin to understand the necessary motions. His legs will know what to do. Forward. Back. The experience is enough. He’s entirely capable.”

What should we do, as parents or grandparents, until that act of discovery takes place? Just push the darn swing! Swing with him. Find your own joy in the act of reaching your toes to the sky and tumbling back down again.
Children learn. There is no stopping them… and it doesn’t matter if the subject is as trivial as the act of swinging or as complicated as properly punctuating a written paragraph. Children will get further – more joyfully – if we allow them to discover for themselves rather than determining to fill them with the bounty of our own wisdom.

Unschooling families understand this. These are the beliefs that guide our journeys. Children are capable. Children are wise. Children are scientists and great thinkers, artists and inventors. Yet, fears crop up among us. Some days we may wonder if we could make things easier by just giving them a lesson or two.

I recently stumbled over spelling words.

Evie, my nine-year-old, enjoyed reading, but was reluctant to write independently. Maddie, my seven-year-old, who has taken a completely different approach to language and literature, was reading—somewhat—and writing—somewhat—and her wanna-do list was filled with items that required reading and writing at a level much higher than she possessed. There were days when I felt like a frazzled secretary stranded at the keyboard, typing furiously as my children dictated their letters, stories, emails, birthday lists…

Spelling words – tests.

The thought kept running through my head like a pesky critter. If I would TEACH them how to spell, we’d cross this hurdle faster and they’d be freer, right? They’d be able to pursue their interests even better if I could just give them this tool – spelling.

I explained my theory to them and they were open to it. For about two weeks we practiced almost daily. We made word lists and reviewed them. They practiced writing words, and even though I suggested 5-10 times each as I remembered doing in school, they usually opted for three times each and sometimes near the end of the list they opted for one time, or to quit altogether. But surely this was progress.

Maddie started opting out first. One day she decided she’d rather color than practice words. The next day she decided she’d take the test, but she didn’t want to practice the spelling any more. Evie experienced a surge in confidence at the beginning, she already knew how to spell a lot more than she had been giving herself credit for, but soon made it clear that this was a task she did not look forward to each day.

Then the holidays came along and distracted us.

One of my personal rituals for the New Year has long been creating a calendar/journal type book. It has pockets for special items I want to keep, areas to keep track of what I am reading or projects I am working on. The content changes year by year, but I always enjoy the very act of making the book – deciding exactly how I want each page to appear and choosing the papers to print it on.

The kids took an interest this year, and before long we were having calendar/journals bound at the print shop for all of us. We brought them home and we each absorbed ourselves in turning the pages of our very own books. The girls decorated their covers with new markers. Evie began filling in a page with her favorite television shows, the days of the week, times, and channels they were on. Maddie began a “secret” diary entry that had her running between her dad and me for the spellings of things.

We updated our calendars as a family – logging everything from dentist appointments to special date nights with mom and dad. In only one week, I was marveling at the hours my girls had spent writing, unprompted, and the joy the experience was bringing them.

Beyond the work in their calendar/journals, the girls have typed and sent emails, blogged and started “books” entirely on their own. There has not been a single spelling test in our house this year. Nobody has written lists of words for memorization and nobody has sorted words by the sounds of the vowels.

Yet, page after page of real and purposeful writing has taken place. We’ve had discussions on the use of quotation marks. We’ve examined sentence structure and the use of periods (which doesn’t mean Maddie has decided to use them just yet). I am still called upon to spell often, and my days at the keyboard aren’t over (Kaman, my five-year-old has “written” three superhero stories in three weeks, and he doesn’t believe in “short” stories). We’ve discussed the meaning of words, word origins, pronunciation, the structure of a dictionary, and spelling… of course. One experience leads them joyfully to another. Not only are they learning to write, their eyes are filled with a light and zeal that I never saw when we were doing the spelling lists.

In a recent email to her sister, Maddie wrote, “hi evie i love getting e mail do you love getting e mails love maddie ”

She didn’t ask me to spell a thing.


This article first appeared in the March/April 2006 issue of Live Free Learn Free.

How Unschooling Looks with Little Ones

by Tracy Million Simmons

This was part of a conversation involving new unschoolers with very young children. The questions being asked were “How much direction should be provided?” and the discussion centered on how unschooling “looks” in a household with young children. I had a three-year old and a six-month old at the time. (1999)

What do you do with your time? When children are young, they may not be so proficient at “directing” themselves, and they are fully welcome and expected to participate in MY activities. I’ll try for an example to clarify my position.

From the beginning I have been careful to include my children in my daily activities. As small babies, they nestled in a sling while I washed dishes or swept the floor. As they grew older, they sat right in the middle of the clean laundry as I folded it around them. When I was on the computer, they sat on my lap and as they grew older they held their hands over mine.

My daughter, now three, is starting to involve herself in her own activities, but she is still just as likely to be found helping me with mine. Even when doing her own thing, she is often mimicking something that I do or am doing. If I go to the garden, I invite her to come. Sometimes she helps me plant, sometimes she digs in the dirt on her own, and sometimes she ends up going back in the house to do other things. The key, for me, is that I don’t force her participation. I just remain active myself and she participates in the manner she chooses. I imagine as she gets older, she will do more of her own thing.

What I see a lot of people do is exclude their children from daily life tasks. They send them out to play so that they can clean house. They put the babies into playpens with mindless toys or sit them in front of the television for hours. I believe if you want a child to be self-directed, you must first model that behavior. Show your child how your day involves everything from the mundane to the fun and amusing. If you aren’t exploring anything yourself, now is the time to start.

Start with a trip to the library. Explore the stacks together. Check out a ton of books on anything and everything that looks interesting. Go sit in your yard and watch the ants. See if you can follow a trail from the hill to a food source. Take out some bread crumbs and watch the little buggers struggle to carry them away. See how long it takes your child to come see what it is you are doing. Show interest when she does similar things.

When I start trying to describe my approach, people often stop me and say, “but I was asking about unschooling.” I don’t define schooling apart from life. I don’t separate chores from play. I don’t categorize mundane tasks as separate from learning opportunities. They are all one to me, and I believe in being interactive with children in every aspect of my day. Until your child begins to focus on their own passions, share your own. And once they do begin to focus, let them do it at their own speed, their own way. Don’t expect them to fulfill your expectations – let them create their own.