Unschooling Networking Blog

Tim from IL has kindly emailed us to let us know that this post from October 23, 2005, The Unschooling List has an outdated link.

The Unschooling List’s faq’s link is now at:
http://ulfaq.home.comcast.net/ULfaq.html

Link: Unschooling.com.

One of the most helpful things in homeschooling is connecting with other like-minded homeschoolers. Sometimes, this means in your town with a local support group. But if you don’t know any homeschoolers near you, or if they all have different educational priorities or preferred homeschooling styles, it can get feeling very lonely. We’d like to help you find other unschoolers. We understand how important and rewarding it is to find unschooling friends and mentors, because we’re unschoolers ourselves. We also know how to connect with unschoolers online, because we do it every day!

Link: Unschooling.com.

Unschooling support can be hard to come by. The cyber community offers a great deal of support and encouragement online, but being able to meet someone in the park is nice too.

The Unschooling.com website provides a list of support groups and individuals from across the nation. If you do not see your local group listed, please drop us a note at editor@unschooling.com. We’ll be happy to add you!

Link: Conference Calendar.

A listing of conferences from around the country, including a number of specifically unschooling-oriented events, at this calendar sponsored by Home Education Magazine. Find an unschooling conference to attend - or send HEM the information to list your group’s conference!

Link: The Unschooling List.

This is the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for the oldest unschooling email list on the Internet, active since August, 1995. Besides supporting an excellent discussion list, the list includes a marvelous collection of questions and answers, such as this one:

Is Unschooling Different from Homeschooling?

Yes, and no.

Unschooling is a specific form of homeschooling. Of course, many homeschoolers hate to be labeled. We all have more than a little bit of rebel in us or we wouldn’t be homeschooling! Homeschooling is simply trying to meet the needs of your family - so to label it and dissect it is distasteful. However, in an effort to allow like minded individuals to come together, the following attempt at clarification will be made.

Homeschoolers come in many different varieties. There are as many styles and methods as there are families who homeschool, because we all are homeschooling in order to meet our unique families unique needs. None of us is ‘doing’ homeschooling wrong if we are happy and functioning as a learning family.

Many homeschoolers choose to follow a structured curriculum approach similar to what they are familiar with in the schools they attended and that their children may have attended in earlier years. This approach is often referred to as “School-at-Home”

Many others follow a somewhat structured program but allow an amount of educational freedom for each child to peruse individual interests. This approach comes by many names, and fits comfortably in the middle. Everything from Charlotte Mason to Montessori to unit study fits well within this definition.

Many follow a child-initiated unstructured approach where the adult’s role is as a facilitator and the child’s role is as a guide. This last approach, this great leap of faith, is known as unschooling.

Click the link above to read more wisdom compiled from The Unschooling Discussion List (includes information about how to join the list).

Link: Live and Learn Conference.

The Live and Learn Unschooling Conference: Encouraging families to trust themselves to make good decisions and empowering them to find the support and information they need. This conference is a must attend. Meet other families on the same journey, listen to inspiring speakers and panelists and discover the art of unschooling in beautiful Fairview Heights, Illinois - just across the river from St. Louis. You’ll find all the information you need through the conference link above, or click below to continue reading the press release.

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