Unschooling Handbook: Book Club Discussion

I really love this idea of unschooling. Of course, it makes the whole homeschool co-op thing less feasible. I still think we should work something out where we share the responsibility of teaching sometimes, just so that we moms can get an occasional break! Maybe weekly field trips where only half the moms go, and the other half get to stay home and take a long bubble bath:)
Also, I think it would be good to create a database of skills, so if someone's kid is really into learning about microfinance, or building a table, or ancient civilizations, or creating a stock portfolio or WHATEVER then we know who to go to. And we could definitely swap things like that, like just have it be an open agreement where we'll teach each other's kids things that are in our areas of expertise.
And what I keep thinking about with this unschooling this is that basically you're just preparing them for life. Regular school prepares them for tests, prepares them for more school, but it doesn't necessarily prepare them for life. So, we have the chance to really show our kids how all that "school stuff" actually relates to the real world and they can learn it in context. Which makes me think that I'd like to make visiting places of employment, shadowing professionals, doing mini-internships, interviewing people, lots of volunteering etc. a big part of my kids education. What better way to help them see the relevancy of statistics and economics that have them spend a week shadowing or doing a mini-internship at a non-profit?
As for record-keeping, I'm kind of an organizational geek, so I definitely want to keep records for my own kids. And what better way than.... a BLOG! My favorite:) When the kids get older I think they should just blog what they're doing and that will serve as a great record and reminder later when they want to put together a more formal portfolio. I'd also like to have each kid do an end-of-year (or season or 6 months or whatever time period they decide on) portfolio project and presentation. It could take any form really, but would show what they had learned and accomplished and would be something concrete.
I'm only about halfway through the book, but I'm sure I'll have more thoughts before I finish it. What are you thinking so far?

Commune Idea

So, I'm trying to think of how all of us commune mamas could make a little $$ on the commune...
How about I become a midwife and the rest could be doulas, and we could have a little midwife/doula practice? Or.... we could become yoga instructors with a studio on the commune property, or do guided hikes (I need/want to learn what all the flora/fauna/fowl of the area are!). Or we could have a raw/organic store where we sell the excess of what we grow, and also have big barrels full of raw wheat and seeds and dried fruits and pastas and nuts and everyone has to bring their own container/bag and pay by weight. We could sell little blankets or crocheted stuff you make, too. And we could let people come visit/experience the commune for a small fee.......

The Unschooling Handbook

Christi's already reading this, so I'm joining her. I also picked up John Holt's Teach Your Own; I heard he's good. If anyone else wants to join in and read these so we can all swap ideas and impressions, jump right in!

Welcome Chris and Carlie!

I added Chris and Carlie as authors to the blog so they can add their brilliant ideas to the mix.


PS And they're getting married in less than a month; hooray!

Traditional Neighborhood Developments

There are a lot of good ideas we can take from the TND movement. I added a link on the sidebar to a list of Traditional Neighborhood Developments. I especially like the idea of walkability and having a network of trails throughout the community. I envision a circle of homes with driveways on the back of the houses so they all face center with just a walking path around the inside. So much prettier and friendlier. And with that arrangement people's property would be wedge shaped with plenty of room for pastures, gardens, orchards etc. at the back of the house, but with the houses still close enough to benefit from good old fashioned watching out for each other and each other's kids.

Book Club?

There are so many exciting books about unschooling, homesteading, intentional communities etc. While we're in this period before we actually embark on our adventure, it would be great if we could fill our minds with as much good info and exciting ideas as possible before we actually set out to create a community and unschool our kids. What do you guys think about picking a book a month that we can all check out of our local library, peruse and then swap feedback about?

Home/co-op/un-school CHARTER School

I had the idea the other day that if we called our loosely organized group of homeschooling parents a "Charter School" that we could get funding for the school. And I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the rules about what makes something a school are pretty loose. And I think Obama is making it even easier for charter schools to be formed. So, just something to keep in the back of our minds and do a little research on when the time comes...
It'd be pretty rad to have actual funding; think of all the amazing field trips we could take!
A few links:
US Charter Schools
How to Start a Charter School
Another How To
Financial Advice for Starting a CS
FAQ About Charter Schools
More FAQ
States Ranked by CS Friendliness