Answers to your
Questions
Is Unschooling Legal in Australia?
Unschooling is 100% legal in all parts of Australia , as long as you go through your states homeschool - registration process and meet the requirements. Unschooling is on most states homeschool registration guideline pamphlets - under " natural learning " - it is a recognised and acceptable learning philosophy.
What if my child is 7 and still can not read ?
The great thing about Unschooling is that children are free to learn formal subjects "english , maths" ect , at their own pace. So its okay if your 7 year old isn't reading yet. Truth is they do not need it this young , just trust when they are ready - it will come naturally.
Did you know at waldorf stiener schools they do not start to teach basic english skills until children are 8 years old.In a survey of 109 unschooled children it found that the average age of learning to read fluently was 8.4 years. “32% of children were reading before the age of 8. Nearly 50% of children learnt to read between the ages of 8 and 10. About 17% learnt to read after the age of 10.” (read more here)
Peter Gray also surveyed unschooling families on learning to read and found that of 21 children “two learned at age 4, seven learned at age 5 or 6, six learned at age 7 or 8, five learned at age 9 or 10, and one learned at age 11. None of these children has difficulty reading today.” - (read more here)
How do i tell my family and friends that we are going to Unschool ?
This seem very daunting to new Unschoolers - as a society we care so much about other people opinions, what i have learnt about be a unschooling family, is nothing matters, especially over opinionated people ! - that being said you can try this idea (this is what i personally done ) - if your not good at explain things in person like me!
you can create a Unschooling " information " folder with great unschooling resources, to show your family, with research, helpful information ect all about unschooling and natural learning !- this is also a great way to help them read and understand what unschooling is all about easier,! - ( you can print of different pages, and put them in a plastic sleeve folder ! - its also great to keep this information to help you along your unschool journey in the future.
What if there is learning gaps with my childs education ?
You have to remember there are always gaps even with children who go to school . One child might pickup a subject fast while another never understood it.The great thing about Unschooling is you learn with your curiosity and interests , not what everyone else things you should learn ! - remember it does not matter if your child ' doesnt know what the noun or verb meanings are , - they know the word , and if the time every comes as a grown adult and they for some reason are asked what a verb means , they can learn it then - ( unschooler learn as they go and learn as they require! ) - that being said if your unschooler doesnt know algebra - but later in life something comes along - or some type of work where they need to use algebra . then that is when they will learn algebra !
How will my child make friends if they are Unschooling ?
School is a myth that makes you think your child will only have friends if they go . This is false, most children at school rarely stay lifelong friends, alot of children at public schools find friends of the same age and who ever they share a class with . Unschooling children do not just stay at home all the time , - they are out their socialising amongst the real world , they make friends of all ages , from classes they attend (whether dance,art,soccer ect ) - from homeschool and unschooling groups , with the kids from the park who you become great friends with or the ones they meet riding their bike .Unschoolers who meet other kids whether from the above mentioned activities or from a completely different way will get each others numbers , or meet on social media to stay constantly in touch with each other and arrange hangouts! , - As unschooling parents you find other like minded parents to have meetups and playdates to.
How do Unschooling children learn ?
In todays world, we are very lucky everything we need or want to learn is at a touch of a finger, the school system lacks this, as the world is ever changing and the " formal school system: is stuck in time - teaching age old lesson plans - unschooling children are free to learn and explore things they have of interest and to learn modern and appropriate things they need for the new world. With unschooling one interest leads to another then another - thats how unschoolers learn .Accessing Technology, the web, social media and media content, toys ,books,art and crafts and gaming software are all great learning resources for unschoolers. Lets say your child likes playing roblox (gaming software ) - they are really passionate, their english reading and writing skills, improve - they need maths skills to play this game - that also advances, they ask you for help if they do not understand things or need help figuring it out, the get creative art skills designing , and creating virtual spaces ,they advance their tech and computering skills,they learn names and uses of so much real life things inside these virtual games.They search the web ( youtube ) for how to videos and watch others play . They may even learn how to create and edit their own youtube gaming Channel. Everything they learn today will support them into adulthood.so if you think your child just plays video games all day, think again! - so much learning is happening - let your child explore their interests , do not be afraid they will not learn , they will learn all that is necessary for them to get through their life comfortably and when that time is needed is up to them.
Do I have to go through the homeschool registration process? can I unschool illegally ?
By law you have to either send your child to a " formal school" or be a registered home educator with your state or territory. I know their are alot of people who homeschool / unschool under the "radar" as they see either the registration requirements to be a pain, or they either don't believe in the government system at all and would rather not have the hassles of dealing with them . unfortunately if you have sent your child to a school before they will be on a " system" with that state were once you stop sending your child to school, questions will be asked! That being said if your child has never entered a school system before or you move states "you can so called fly under the radar" ! - if you get dobbed in to the education department the worse they will do is make you register or a small fine apparently. But the benefits if say you are on a Centrelink income and are a registered homeschooler are huge as you are exempt from your mutual obligations requirements.
