This fall starts our fifth year of homeschooling and our fourth year of unschooling. While we don’t organize our life in terms of a “school year” anymore, I know, especially for those new to homeschooling and unschooling, it can help you wrap your brain around everything going on. And many of the activities my kids are in also plan their schedule around the local school calendar.
One of the most frequently asked questions when people find out we homeschool and we don’t use a curriculum (gasp!) is, “What do your days look like?” Well, some days are really busy and some days we don’t have much to do. That’s actually one of our favorite parts of choosing to live this lifestyle. We all get to do the things we like, we rarely feel rushed, and we have time to rest and relax. Who wouldn’t want that?
Since the last time I wrote about how our days look (So What Do Unschoolers Do All Day?), both kids have kept some of the same activities and have also changed things up a bit.
Right now, my son (age 14) is taking Japanese lessons, a logic class, a speech and debate class, drum and bass lessons, plays soccer, and is in Boy Scouts as well as the Order of the Arrow (it’s like the Boy Scouts Honor Society). His classes and lessons are weekly, and his Boy Scout troop meets weekly as well as camps for one weekend per month. Soccer practice is two nights a week with games on Saturdays. Recently, he also started a pet sitting business and is taking care of a few dogs in our neighborhood while their owners are at work and/or traveling. In his down time, he watches YouTube videos (right now he is into learning about countries, languages, flags, gaming, science, history, national and international politics, and so much more!) and is building his audience on Twitch where he livestreams while he plays video games. He is getting a good following and is almost at the point where he can link his account to PayPal and people can send him donations (it’s a whole community vibe and I don’t totally understand it, but he is having a lot of fun!).
My daughter (age 13) currently takes gymnastics lessons, piano lessons, and is in Girl Scouts. She also decided to try The Keystone School online educational program this year and is studying Language Arts, History, Science, Math, and Health. Because she hasn’t done any formal math lessons for a few years she asked to get some extra help with that. So, she is also going to Mathnasium twice a week and is really enjoying it. Her piano lessons are weekly, her Girl Scout troop meets twice a month and once a month or so for additional activities and she goes to gymnastics twice a week. There is a homeschool art club she has done in the past that meets monthly and that should be starting soon as well. In her down time, she watches YouTube videos and experiments with hairstyles and makeup. Over the past few months she has become more interested in fashion and likes to go shopping around town and online.
In addition to their lessons and more structured activities, both kids spend a good amount of time hanging out with friends and/or talking to them online. There is a weekly teen hangout at our local library they go to sometimes as well.
As you can see, they keep busy (which keeps me busy running them around everywhere, lol!). For now, they both seem content with their chosen activities and schedules. Neither of them complains about being bored or about being too busy. So, we’ll keep on with these activities and lessons until they tell me they are ready for a change and want something different. That’s the great thing about homeschooling and especially unschooling; it’s okay to stop doing something or pick up something new at any time. Seriously, ANY time. It truly doesn’t matter when changes are made if they are made because they will serve the individual better.