Best toys/craft supplies:
Die cut machine (Sizzix Big Kick – look for the 40% off coupon in your Sunday paper for Joann's or Michaels)
Glue stick trick -- use
old phone books when you are doing glue projects – can get glue on the phone
book page, then rip it out and have a new clean surface
Wiki Sticks (great for airplane trips, as they stick to the backs of seats or windows)
Wiki Sticks (great for airplane trips, as they stick to the backs of seats or windows)
Puzzles – especially like the GeoPuzzles – also read a great post by Sandra Dodd about how if
you buy used puzzled and they’re missing a few pieces, so what? They're still fun!
Of course, board and card games, but there are just too many to list here...
Jan Hunt's Parenting Cards (pick a sample card -- “Children like kittens.”)
Of course, board and card games, but there are just too many to list here...
Jan Hunt's Parenting Cards (pick a sample card -- “Children like kittens.”)
Toys don’t have to cost a
lot…Wired magazine – top 5 toys of all time:
string
stick
box
tube
dirt
Some of our favorite books are:
Jan Hunt’s The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart.
As Peggy O’Mara (from Mothering Magazine) says in the introduction “We ask how we can maintain order and harmony in the household without control, without punishment. As Jan will so aptly teach, the household based on empathy, compassion and cooperation will have an inherent discipline that does not have to be enforced by punishment. It is enforced by love.”
If you have littles, I can’t recommend this one enough: Things to do With Toddlers and Twos (and More TTDWTAT). They’re written by Karen Miller, originally published in the early 80s. Tons of inexpensive ideas for sensory learning using things most people have around their houses.
string
stick
box
tube
dirt
Some of our favorite books are:
Jan Hunt’s The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart.
As Peggy O’Mara (from Mothering Magazine) says in the introduction “We ask how we can maintain order and harmony in the household without control, without punishment. As Jan will so aptly teach, the household based on empathy, compassion and cooperation will have an inherent discipline that does not have to be enforced by punishment. It is enforced by love.”
If you have littles, I can’t recommend this one enough: Things to do With Toddlers and Twos (and More TTDWTAT). They’re written by Karen Miller, originally published in the early 80s. Tons of inexpensive ideas for sensory learning using things most people have around their houses.
If you have slightly older kids, 101 Places You Gotta See Before You’re 12
is a great resource for discovering the world around us. Instead of listing specific places, it asks
kids to visit places like a battlefield, backstage of a theater, an old folks
home.
Sandra Dodd’s books (Moving
a Puddle, which is a collection of essays, and the Big Book of
Unschooling) and webpages. I
especially like her Just Add Light and Stir blog – as it
has very short daily reminders of ways to move towards unschooling, and a more peaceful
family life. I also like that she has
quotes from lots of other experienced unschoolers, so you get to hear how
different families have dealt with a variety of topics.
Another favorite book is Rue Kream’s Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooled Life. The question & answer format of the book
makes it a really handy reference guide when you’re thinking about (or your
in-laws are bugging you about) such questions as: How do you ensure that your kids eat
properly? Or Do you just let your kids do whatever they want? Or Aren’t you afraid there will be gaps in
your kids’ knowledge?
Freedom Not License by A.S.
Neill (who founded the Summerhill free school) is a little dated, but also has
a Q&A format that makes it easy to find info on specific questions. I love his concept that children (and we
all!) should be able to make our own choices as long as they don’t negatively
impact others around them. His example
is that at his school a child is free to go to lessons or stay away from them
because that’s his own affair, but he’s not allowed to play a trumpet while
others want to study or sleep.
It ties in nicely with the idea that unschooling is not unparenting – it actually means being very involved with our kids and partnering with them. To me, the concept of freedom, not license doesn’t mean that we let our kids run wild and do anything they want to do, but we help them learn how the world works, allowing them as much freedom as possible while not infringing on the rights of others.
Of course, read anything you
can by John Holt – though if you’re just starting out I’d recommend Learning
All the Time. It’s short! And it covers
topics new unschoolers are frequently concerned about – such as how kids learn
to read and write.
The book Imagine (Jonah Lehrer) I haven’t read his book yet, but I recently heard the author speaking about how ideas don't just magically happen, they come from making connections between things that haven't been there before. With this in mind, I talked about using everyday objects or toys in new ways:
Playmobile with Playdough
Canoe as wading pool
Canoe as clubhouse
Cooler as hot tub
Fishing pole as kite flyer
Umbrella, parachute and paddles as tent
Spelling with kapla blocks
Beds for jumping
The book Imagine (Jonah Lehrer) I haven’t read his book yet, but I recently heard the author speaking about how ideas don't just magically happen, they come from making connections between things that haven't been there before. With this in mind, I talked about using everyday objects or toys in new ways:
Playmobile with Playdough
Canoe as wading pool
Canoe as clubhouse
Cooler as hot tub
Fishing pole as kite flyer
Umbrella, parachute and paddles as tent
Spelling with kapla blocks
Beds for jumping
Finally, a quote from The
Tao of Parenting by William Martin.
It says:
It has been said by experts,
“You must be consistent,
or your children will be confused.”
“You must be consistent,
or your children will be confused.”
Nonsense.
Who among us is consistent?
Circumstances are always changing.
Children become confused
When parents become rigid,
Holding rules above love.
Be consistently flexible.
Be consistently flexible.
Hold tight only to compassion.