Blog Topic: Unschooling

How Do Homeschooling Parents Know Their Children Are Learning?

article by Jan Hunt, M.Sc.
published in the October 2001 issue of Home Rules, the OFTP members' newsletter

The assumption that homeschooling parents somehow lack awareness of their children’s progress, and therefore require formal evaluation of that progress, is related to the fact that homeschoolers function beyond the arena of the schools, and our philosophies and methods are not always well-understood. How do homeschooling parents know their children are learning? The answer to…

Tags: Home Rules
Topics: How People Learn, Personal Stories, Testing & Assessment, Unschooling

Learning to Tell Time the Unschooling Way

article by Miranda Hughes
published in the August 1999 issue of Home Rules, the OFTP members' newsletter

Most parents who are new to homeschooling, probably put in more hours than are necessary, making it more like school than it needs to be. Since my children have never been to school, this has made it easier to steer clear of unnecessary structure. I have just continued with the sort of life we led…

Tags: Home Rules
Topics: Personal Stories, Unschooling

A Day In The Life of an Unschooling Family

by Catherine Pillinger
published in the June 1999 issue of Home Rules, the OFTP members' newsletter

My husband Jim and I have 5 children (yes, they are ALL ours) 4 of whom learn at home, one started high school in grade 9. We have come to believe learning is more effective when it is self-directed, and so we try our very best not to inflict uninvited teaching upon our children. They…

Tags: Home Rules
Topics: Unschooling

Schooling and Unschooling at Home

article by Terry Stafford
published in the October 1998 issue of Home Rules, the OFTP members' newsletter

Basically, homeschooling refers to doing school at home. That is, reproducing the teaching methods of school, but doing it at home. Now, this can be done in many different ways along the scale between homeschooling and unschooling. Some people carry it to the extreme of setting the alarm and being at the kitchen table (or…

Tags: Home Rules
Topics: Unschooling