John Holt is the educational reformer who coined the term "unschooling." He believed that Children do not need to be coerced into Learning, they will do so naturally if they are given the freedom to follow their own interests while being provided with a rich assortment of resources to use. This is because children's innate curiosity prompts them to learn what they need to know when they need to know it. For instance, think of all of the things that you learned how to do before you ever went to school. You reached numerous milestones, including walking and talking. It has even been said that children learn more in their first five years than they do during the rest of their lives since preschoolers don't separate learning from life.

Unschooling is simply a lifelong continuation of the more casual style of preschool education, in which children simply live and learn as they go. This style of learning completely integrates school and life. Children lead in this style of education and thus they have complete freedom to choose what they will study, when, and for how long. As a parent your "job" is to simply nurture your child's love for learning and foster the boundless curiosity that comes so naturally. Of course, there are many things that you can do to encourage their natural curiosity. Mostly, you simply need to develop an awareness of the learning opportunities that present themselves. By simply going with the flow, you'll eventually discover that you've actually covered everything that they need to know. So, spend lots of time with your child(ren) and give them lots of love, and believe that the learning will come. It will!


=^..^= Reverend Brenda Hoffman
Independent Executive
Discover a way to increase your health and/or income!
E-mail me for more info!
"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars." - Les Brown (American Songwriter, 1912-2001)