The Carnival of Unschooled Life
Go to life, not school.
There is a void in the Blog Carnival atmosphere, and I have decided to fill it! The Expanding Life is now also the home of The Carnival of Unschooled Life.
Here are some general facts about the carnival:
- The carnival will appear on the first day of each month.
- One post per blog may be submitted to an edition of the carnival.
- The post submitted may be an old one or one written especially for the carnival.
- Posts may be rejected for not being relevant to the carnival’s philosophy and/or categories.
- The philosophy of the carnival is as follows:
- The categories for submissions are:
Unschooling is a way of life in which a family lives without grades, without textbooks (unless somebody reads them because they just really love them), without semesters, without gold stars, and without “teaching.”
Unschooling is a way of life in which parents accept that their children will learn what they need to know without going to school. A child may grow older and choose to attend college or some other school, but — unlike the public school system or “school-at-home” homeschooling — unschooling is not a way of life that is focused on preparing a child for that end.
Sandra Dodd’s Radical Unschooling web site is a great place to learn more about unschooling.
- Life at Home. Homes where unschooling happens reflect the interest of the people who live there, often more so than do other homes. For example, the home of an unschooled writer might contains hundreds of notebooks — because that person, unencumbered by homework, can write as much as she pleases. Tell the carnival about your home.
- Out in the World. Unschoolers don’t keep a 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. school schedule, so they can go outside, hop on a bus, take a drive, or sit in the park any time of day they choose. Many things are learned out in the world. Tell the carnival about your adventures.
- Inspirations. People such as Sandra Dodd, Rue Kream, John Holt, and many, many others have paved the way for unschoolers. Many of us have favorite quotes, essays, and books that inspire us to live this life on the road less taken. Sometimes, we even come up with inspiring ideas ourselves. Tell the carnival about what inspires you.
- Dark Nights of the Soul. Nobody’s perfect, so sometimes we wonder whether the road less taken will lead to a dead end or, even worse, a cliff. I know it’s happened to me, so I assume it’s happened to you. Tell the carnival about some unschooling-related worry that’s kept you awake at night.
- Encounters of the School-y Kind. Once again, it’s something we’ve all experienced. Some of us have even said we homeschool when in actuality we unschool — just to avoid the questions that an admission of unschooling will prompt. Perhaps by sharing our awkward situations, we can all build the courage to be unabashed unschoolers. Tell the carnival the worst thing a school-y person ever said to you.
- Beginnings. Some of us have unschooled from the start. Others came to it as a natural outgrowth of homeschooling. Every story is unique, as is every child. Tell the carnival why you unschool.
- Passages. If your unschooled children are grown, you probably have many thoughts about the experience of living an unschooled life. Whatever you child is doing now and how he feels about it have been profoundly influenced by the choice to unschool. Tell the carnival about what the passage from childhood to adulthood was like for your unschooler, and for you.
- Miscellaneous. Unschoolers are open to things that don’t fit into categories. Tell the carnival something you feel is worth sharing but is “none of the above.”
The Carnival of Unschooled Life will post its first edition here at The Expanding Life on August 1, 2009. Please send your entries here.
And remember,
What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children’s growth in the world is not that it is a better school than the schools but that it isn’t a school at all. ” –John Holt, Teach Your Own
Stumble Upon It!
The Expanding Life 
I’m Starting a Blog Carnival! « The Expanding Life said,
June 17, 2009 @ 3:24 pm
[…] The Carnival of Unschooled Life […]
Adversarian said,
June 21, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
[…] As a bonus: Did you know there’s now an unschooling blog carnival? First one is coming soon. Check it out! […]
Rana said,
June 22, 2009 @ 12:55 am
This is great. I have been looking for an unschooling blog carnival. Can’t wait to see whats in it.
Call for Blog Carnival Submissions « The Expanding Life said,
May 21, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
[…] The Carnival of Unschooled Life […]
Desperately Seeking Posts! « The Expanding Life said,
September 28, 2010 @ 1:48 pm
[…] The Carnival of Unschooled Life […]
Pattie said,
November 1, 2010 @ 8:02 pm
I’m living on a remote island in the Philippines. Been home schooling my 2 boys since we moved here 10 years ago. My eldest has gone into the public school system this year and my second one is struggling on his own. With the changes in our lives suddenly, I find our shift into an unschooling approach…
I have yet a lot to learn and wish to understand more… I feel a bit at a loss on this crossroad of my life.
sgaissert said,
November 1, 2010 @ 9:30 pm
Pattie, the absolute best resource I can point you to, in my opinion, is http://sandradodd.com/unschooling.html. Also,please check out the blogs in the carnival. We all have a lot to learn and understand. I hope that you find a sense of community here in the unschooling blogosphere. Another place to learn and understand: http://groups.google.com/group/unschoolingdiscussion
All my best wishes, Susan
Happy Child Guide said,
April 6, 2011 @ 2:29 pm
Unschooling is a challenge to both parents and children. Several years ago, I visited a family with two unschooling children — a boy and a girl; both are intelligent with pleasant personality. The mom has paid much attention to teach them knowledge as well as their psychological health. She told me that food is very important for kid’s brain development, I agree. But I didn’t ask her what kind specific food for her children.
Recently, I found a website sending free report for brain food that can help to overcome children misbehavior. I think that it will help in children brain development. Raising a happy, healthy and intelligent child is the most important and basic job of being a parent.
sgaissert said,
April 6, 2011 @ 3:41 pm
Thank you for your comment. I think raising a child is always a challenge, and I agree that’s it is an important one. : )