Carnival of Unschooled Life—June 2010 Edition

June 1, 2010 · Filed under Blog Carnivals, Unschooling · Tagged Blog Carnivals, Unschooling

Go to life, not school.

It feels like summer where I live, and summer feels like freedom. When I was a child, summer meant the freedom to be outside, all day long, doing whatever came to mind: playing kick ball, drawing in the dirt with a stick, riding my bike, or sitting on the couch reading a library book while eating grapes that were deliciously cold because my mother kept them in the fridge in a big metal bowl.

Me. Summer. 1967.

That freedom I had then is what I want for children now. That freedom is what I love about unschooling. It’s more than not sitting at a desk every day, whether you want to or not. It’s more than not learning what you’re told to learn. It’s the freedom of knowing that the drawing stick and the bike and the endless bowl of grapes are always there, that the kick ball game can always be started up—even if those things turn into other things, like writing poetry or building a computer.

I want children to have the freedom to create their own environment and live in it the way I lived outside in the summer. Endless summer, for every child. The posts displayed in this carnival reflect that attitude, and I’m proud to present them here.

Life at Home

Angela and her children spent some time in the “home and garden” section, where Angela worked on Weeding Out Expectations, at Camp Wolff.

Also learning in the backyard, Cristina presents Behavior MODification at Home Spun Juggling.

Out in the World

Nikki presents A Nature Walk in Winter at Our Journey in Him.

Pamela discovers Gated Leisure at Blah, Blah, Blog.

Inspirations

Dancing Babies and World Peace comes from Laura at Laura Grace Weldon.

Jeff Sabo presents “Great” Expectations at Just a Bald Man.

Karen at The Stone Age Techie offers Through Children’s Eyes.

Rana declares I am my children’s partner at Free to learn an lovin it.

Dark Nights of the Soul

Ronnie shares a dream in Make a joyful light at Blog of the Zombie Princess.

Encounters of the School-y Kind

Wrapping the point in silk also comes from Blog of the Zombie Princess.

Beginnings

The question How did we begin Unschooling? is answered by Rana at Free to learn an lovin it.

Passages

Let me give you an update on the “learning to drive” experience in our family. Stephanie has been going out with her dad, driving in neighborhoods, on local busy roads, and, just briefly, on the nearby expressways! I think she’ll be ready for her road test in the fall. I’m even getting used to seeing her behind the wheel. The transition from passenger to driver is progressing nicely. And isn’t that what child-raising is about? Getting your child to the point where she can drive her own car? Drive her own life? Get to where she wants to go all by herself? This is just the latest expression of that underlying goal.

Miscellaneous

Mandy presents Education versus Indoctrination at Living Peacefully with Children.

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My deepest thanks to everyone who contributes and everyone who reads this for supporting The Carnival of Unschooled Life. Words are beams of light. Let’s continue to shine them on the things we believe in.

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The carnival will be going on summer vacation. It will return on September 1, 2010. I know that’s a long break, but please don’t forget about us. The Expanding Life will post a carnival reminder as September approaches, and submissions will be due by August 31, 2010.

To contribute a post, please use the carnival submission form.

Live, laugh, play, learn, talk, walk, hug, dance, sing, and shine—until we meet again.