Product Description
To Unschoolers, Learning Is As Natural As Breathing
Did you know that a growing percentage of home schoolers are becoming unschoolers? The unschooling movement is founded on the principle that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curiosities and interests. Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindful living and exploration is absorbed more easily and enthusiastically. Learning is a natural, inborn impulse, and the world is rich with lessons to be learned and puzzles to be solved.
Successful unschooling parents know how to stimulate and direct their children's learning impulse. Once you read this book, so will you!
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Amazon.com Review
Unschooling, a homeschooling method based on the belief that kids learn best when allowed to pursue their natural curiosities and interests, is practiced by 10 to 15 percent of the estimated 1.5 million homeschoolers in the United States. There is no curriculum or master plan for allowing children to decide when, what, and how they will learn, but veteran homeschooler Mary Griffith comes as close as you can get in this slim manual. Written in a conversational, salon-style manner, The Unschooling Handbook is liberally peppered with anecdotes and practical advice from unschoolers, identified by their first names and home states. The book also includes resources such as one teenager's sample "transcript," a typical weekly log of a third-grader's activities, and helpful lists of magazines, online mailing lists, Web sites, and catalogs. Griffith, a board member of the Homeschool Association of California (and the author of The Homeschooling Handbook), names Margaret Mead and Thomas Edison as two examples of those who have profited from unschooled childhoods, and further claims that research validates support for this controversial form of education. The "evidence" she cites, however, is predominantly theoretical writings from noted educators about the benefits of child-centered learning. The handbook suffers from a mild case of the Lake Wobegone syndrome--every unschooled children is seen as an above-average self-starter on the verge of genius--yet despite this overly rosy approach, the book is a well-organized guide for homeschoolers and other families contemplating the "un" life. --Jodi Mailander Farrell
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 unschooling
This book really opened my eyes to the failing schooling system in this country. My children both 9 and 10 struggle with reading and have been all their life. It is so hard as a parent to watch your children suffer and struggle so much. Hopefully what I am learning about unschooling will help me with them at home. I still have to keep them in the public school system because their father is the principal at their school. I will keep trying to gather as much information as I possible can to make reading more fun for them. I really do see how the school system takes our family time away and that is shameful, the amount of homework these kids get, and some of the stuff that is taught. The No Child Left Behind Act has damaged our educational system. All my kids are taught is how to take tests. They even have thrown out papers that they got bad grades on, I am certainly doing things different in my home. God Bless to those of you who homeschool your children. This book was even good for me to read, as I too struggled in school and was just a average student and there is nothing wrong with that, because the tech schools and trade schools is where you really learn, and through apprenticeships. This is a must read for all parents, then we can push our system for REFORM, because we need it badly.
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 every parent should have this book!
This book will lift the burden of homeschooling off of you! Great read, and very de-stressing! Every parent should have this book, even if you don't homeschool.
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This book helped us to have the courage to Unschool! ( pugmommy7 )
Since our daughters were babies;I knew I wanted to homeschool.
I have used an unschooling approach until the age of 5 when I had to make a real choice(due to my state regulations). This book helped me find myself as an unschooler, and have the courage to teach and learn with my kids our own way. The resource sections are wonderful as well!
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Useful For Any Homeschoolers Interested in Experiential Learning ( cmh99 )
I'm not an "unschooler" but I was intrigued by the book's subtitle. I'm a big fan of experiential learning so I thought that the book might have some useful resources for hands-on exploration. In fact, it does have a number of good ideas for the various subjects in chapters 5-9 and for that reason, I'm glad that I decided to read it.
I noticed that a lot of what Ms. Griffith touts as benefits of "unschooling" are not specific to that particular approach but rather are benefits of homeschooling in general. Things like tailoring learning to the specific needs of each child, having a home environment conducive to exploration and experimentation, using authentic assessments such as portfolios rather than traditional grades and tests, interacting with people of many different ages rather than being segregated with their chronological peers, etc. The "day in the life of an unschooler" examples didn't really sound a whole lot different than what most homeschoolers I know do except for the hour or two of formal lessons.
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Very Persuasive
I am a parent of two who are not close to school age, but I have been looking into alternative education methods for the future, such as the Montessori method. This was recommended to me by Amazon, and I decided to read it because I thought the concept was interesting, to use the world around you as an educational resource. Let me tell you, I was blown away. This book presents the concept of unschooling in a very persuasive manner. It really got me thinking. This is not an instructional guide (which would be completely against the concept of unschooling whatsoever) so if you're looking at reading this to get a better idea of how to unschool, you'll waste your time. This is more of an encouraging resource for those who are currently unschooling, going to unschool, or considering it. The book has alot of testimony from parents and their children who are unschooling, and alot of other resources if you want to know more about what works in tandem with the unschooling philosophy. This book is also like an FAQ in regards to unschoolers (or potential unschoolers) biggest fears, "How will I teach them higher level maths?" "What about socialization?" "Will my children actually WANT to learn on their own??" I like this book because it didn't slam other teaching methods or throw a bunch of biased facts in my face (I admit a few of the testimonials kinda come off "a little Holier than thou" in regards to traditional schooling though) I would say that this book is very reassuring and comforting to have if you are considering this method of teaching. It's like a personal cheerleader. I loved it. I plan on discussing this method with my husband to see what he thinks, but I'll tell you that my heart is all for this method of teaching. This book will really make you sit back and rethink about education methods.
Also, keep in mind that this book was written in like 1998, so some of the resources provided to the reader may probably be outdated, but anyone who's remotely internet savy will probably figure this out anyway and know how to get more info on unschooling on the internet.
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