unschooling...the "results".

a while back i posted that we were going to give unschooling a go for a month since orin & i were butting heads so much.

i honestly never thought myself the unschooling, type, but you know what?? i took a liking to it. granted we didn't completely give up our lesson books, but rather focused on our main lesson blocks (this helps *me* feel like we were "on schedule") & let life happen for the remainder of our day.

it went really well.

once again, we were able to appreciate time with each other & freedom, being masters of our days...the boys spend loads of time outside in the yard building forts, working in the garden, playing with our chicks...picking flowers, playing with friends, and otherwise enjoying themselves. i, too, reaped the benefits of not having to move from one thing/lesson to the next. i got to *be* with my children. we could again go on morning bike rides & nature walks without worrying about "the list" that was waiting for us when we got home.

i have been thinking about this, too...and i am curious. how do you keep the "magic" alive past 3rd & 4th grade?? especially with little ones in tow??

with our unschooling, life was one again the way is was when we started homeschooling...back when orin (now almost 10 year old) was 6.

i spend all of last summer planning out our grade 4 year...literally...cutting out what i could, figuring out our verses, our handwork, our recipes, etc...i spent time cutting our everything that we had already done. leaving only what i feel we needed to do this year. it all looked good on paper, but in real life, schooling a grade 4 child& a grade 1 child with both a 3 year old and a newborn/baby in the home is a bit rough.

i did the best i could & i have no regrets...well, except that i never got to spend time with my children!

i would talk to lance & tell him how i just wanted to *be* with them...

what kept happening is that when orin had a break, i was working with aydin, or when they both had a break i was nursing evyn or tending to ehren or making lunch or any number of other things that *had* to be done.

what was i doing wrong?? perhaps nothing...perhaps that is just life.