Unschooling Myself

I attended school from K-12th grade. Now that I homeschool I have to unschool myself. I have to remind myself from time to time that we are not doing or trying to mimic school, as we know it, at home. Homeschool should look different than "school". It is different. We are simply, learning. Unfortunately before I realized this I had already called homeschool, school. So, we do say still to this day "get your school work done", or "time to start school". It's a bad habit we just can't seem to break, but I'm working on it! :)

At the end of every school year I stock up on books-for myself. Lots and lots of homeschool books!

I try to get my hands on some new ones, or review some that I have read in the past.

They are sitting on my night stand, so I can flip through them before I go to bed.

I like to get my curriculum ordered and all ready to go by the beginning-late June. I usually go for the curriculum focused books first. Then, I read all the encouraging stories and advice giving type of books.

We do some of our subjects through the summer such as science, history, reading, p.e., music etc. Subjects that don't require book work or text books. Real life books work best for us. It's seems very natural and we never call it school because it's simply, just learning. Another reason why I try to get through the curriculum focused books first. I like to have a plan or plans. Like a Plan A, Plan B, C, D , E, F etc! You never know what your kids are gonna like or not like, so I've learned to be flexible!

I like to read all types of homeschooling books. Whether I agree or not with the method or style being presented it's nice to be familiar with whats out there and what others are doing. Reading a wide variety of homeschooling books reaffirms why I choose to do it one way and why we aren't doing it another. It gives me ideas about other styles so I can pick and choose what to incorporate and what to leave out.

So, right now I'm reading, or have finished reading:

When Home-schooling Gets Tough by Diana Johnson (She recommends reading this before it gets tough! Not when you're in the thick of it.)

Real-Life Homeschooling The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home by Rhonda Barfield

Home Learning Year by Year How to Design a Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp (I check this book out every year since I only focus on the years that we will be doing.)

Homeschooling The Teen Years Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13-18 Year Old by Cafi Cohen

100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy (I check this book out every year also.)


What kind of homeschooling books are you reading? I would love to know!

Take a look at what other homeschoolers are reading this summer on The Blog Cruise!