Government approved samples for my unschooled daughter at the bottom.
Hi there for those who don't know me I'm Skye-lee a unschool mom to three wildlings living on a small island out in the ocean. Alot of people think we are crazy because my children do not go to school, they do not do lessons, curriculums or studies at home either, as we follow a natural learning philosophy ,that some people call unschooling. See we believe, also many other unschoolers believe that children shouldn't all be required to learn the exact same thing, at the exact same time, each child is unique, we all have different interests and curiosities that we should follow and learn from instead.
I believe just like many other unschoolers that we shouldn't force children into learning pointless things that really have no use in their adulthood, if they are not interested in it, and we believe that if the time came and they did become interested in it or say, needed it in their adulthood, they would follow their natural born instinct that everyone has and that is curiosity, they will seek out information on that topic and be able to learn all that they require, by self-research, a quick google search, a how to video, a online lesson or coming to someone for answers or to help with resources just like all of us do as adults.
In life as adults we are constantly googling things like how do I. , what does ..... mean , or even things like , how many ounces in a cup, what time is it in USA ( this was me tonight) Im always asking google things, and so are my children and so are millions of others around the world, check out the top questions asked by people all over the world to google for this year here , some are hilarious, but see no matter what you're interested in, we seek out information through google, YouTube, asking others who are experts in the field, we even turn to TikTok and social media, we buy books on the topic, enrol in courses to gain certificates, have hands on experiences, BECAUSE WE ARE CURIOUS, WE WANT, actually no WE NEED to learn more about it, it's a natural human process, and we stunt that process when we send children to school and make them learn things they are not passionate about, they learn things they only memorise for a short time and long forget or don't need when they are adults.
How do kids become curious? They either see or hear about it, from everyday life!
Just imagine you , yourself scrolling on Instagram and here pops up something about unschooling... hmm you start thinking what is unschooling?, then you begin to deep dive and research to find out more on the topic, then that might lead of, and you start researching famous people who were unschooled ,what deschooling means, and so on, you get the point? Well this is your curiosity! When we become curious our brain wants to learn more about it, and you end up learning so much that entwines into something else, Cris crosses many subjects and by the time your done your like an expert on that topic.😉 and guess what our curiosities always change, and thats just like kids.
The only lesson a child should ever follow,is that of their own curiosity-BarefootChild
But it's not just curiosity that unschoolers use to learn, they also use daily life, the things we see or do that come up just living our ordinary days ( what most people would do on like a weekend, when there not thinking about school)- that's how we live every day, and so much happens, from chores, cooking, shopping, online gaming, seeing things on tv, or youtube shorts, going on outings or events, coming across things on our adventures that spark conversations and so much more, learning is everywhere its in everything we do.
One of the most important things I think with unschooling is to have open conversations with your children, ask them questions and get their opinions, if they have a question, answer it with respect and patience and with as much detail as you know ( if im ever unsure of something they ask, I always do a quick google search on my phone)so I can help resolve their answer and further their learning for that particular curiosity, just have fun, laugh, dont take life to serious, our family are always cracking a wild joke,or having weird conversations ,even tho I am their mother, I am also their friend, build confidence in your child by letting them know they are respected and seen as a young adult not as a young child, once you let go of the mindset that school and "school like" activities should not exist in your child's learning, (its always great to start with deschooling) then your child will begin to find confidence and know they have your trust to follow their own learning path.Which in return will help them seek out information and knowledge and become capable self direct learners who love to learn, instead of being forced to learn.
Unschooling is legal in Australia ,(as your allowed to teach your child with whatever learning philosophy you choose,eg: charlotte mason,waldorf steiner,montessori,traditional,ect or unschooling like we did) as long as it meets the requirements set out by your state government, this simply means some states require you to teach the 6 key subjects eg maths English, science, history ect, but some require you to write short and long term goals and describe your child's learning space or your teaching philosophy ect) heres what a few states say about unschooling.
for us its the QLD government, you can find the requirements of what I had to do to get approved for our qld governments reports as home-schoolers in this post here , one thing i stick to and I encourage others who also need to write a report/learning plan is never say , we are unschoolers, instead I refer to the term natural learners, child-led, self-directed ect!!
So to stick with the law in our state, part of every homeschooling family, regardless if your unschoolers or not, is you have to submit a progress learning report for the year aswell as a learning plan for the upcoming year for each of your children, to meet the requirements outlined (practically tell them how your child has progressed for the year and how they learn english,maths,science,geography,ect ) If your in Australia and looking to home school, dont forget to check out our homeschool resource page.
So each year as I am very unorganised and I leave my reporting to the very last minute, and get stuck for days on end, pulling together everything my children have done in the year to create a report and a plan.Because up until this point ,I have a rough idea what they learnt but not the full picture.This is usually just by going through any of my children's numerous writing pads,and loose pages i have in the cupboard of something they did, and all our phones and I send photos over to my computer ( My main way I document is by taking photos of what my kids are up to with my phone,or they take photos with theirs), not only do I love the reflections and discussions when we view them, it also helps remind me what they have been doing that year, and reminds me of little things that happened so I can use that alongside their learning reports but it also becomes a great visual tool for my learning plans to show the education department that just because we don't do any formal learning, like worksheets and lessons that my children still have a very rich and full academic life through hands on natural learning.
TIP- if your unschooling, always take photos!! Photos are my main way I document, and main way Im able to know what to add to my reports and plans each year. and I always like to include them in my reports/plans even though it's not necessary, so the education department can "see" the learning, I take photos of places we been, something cool we seen and discussed, a project, drawing or craft thing they have made, anything they are doing that is "hands on" some writing they have done in their journals or loose worksheet things,i take photos of them doing it and the end product,( because most things in our house dont last to long before they get wrecked so i like to take in the moment snaps)
- I create a folder in my photos on phone with each childs name , and add the photos of them to their files, i also have a combined one if it has them all in it , so that way i just send them to my pc at the end of the year and upload them to canva ( i use canva to create my reports, its super easy,) and once there on it i remember all the wonderful natural learning,hands on things that have been doing for the year. I also remember little "details and other things that happened, that i can include" it also makes a great visual you can have as a keepsake ( sort of a childhood photo album ) not just for registration purposes.
I bet you could go through your phone now, and create a wonderful natural learning portfolio of your child from the photos you have (because if your like me, us parents love to capture everything)- if you do create one we would love to see and share it, tag us on instagram or send it to our email 😊
TIP - when creating a learning plan especially as unschoolers and my children learn from what they are curious about, so it is always changing, I like to add to each of the subject requirements when creating their learning plan is....
Im sure throughout the year, just like every other year indie will be immersed in some much (insert the subject) from her daily life,from learning life skills, following her curiosities, self research, and from within our community and natural on the spot opportunities, we will continue to always have open discussions and indie will always be encouraged to ask questions and be supplied with any resources she seeks, that will help support her in all areas and subjects of her self-direct natural learning. I will always keep records when we encounter them, wherever possible, including photos for documentation.
I like to include this because that way even though I really have NO IDEA what my child will be learning for the upcoming year, but I know no matter what she will be learning that subject (just different then how kids do at school)
Unschooling is really simple, life is full of wonderful learning, real learning!! Life is full of hands on, on the spot opportunities, to learn in the moment, just by living and enjoying childhood. Children shouldnt be required to be stuck behind a desk for most of their childhood learning history about another country or the history of how or learning something for hours,days even weeks on end ,that a quick google search couldn't tell them within a minute, or they can learn it on the spot if and only when they needed or wanted to learn it by self research. People are crazy who say but... they should know it of by heart, or well they should know this .NO why waste hours of your life when things are much simpler, this day and age and the ever changing world, most things they teach in school will not exist or be needed for the future, how much has the world changed, advanced since you were at school? how much REALLY how much of anything have you learnt at school do you either use now? or remember? and HOW much do you use the available resources we have available to us, to learn ANYTHING you want, and become interested in? Hey Siri can you search how I can make money from home, or hey Siri can you tell me how to know when my avocados are ready .I found the perfect article why schools teach us useless things, I'm not saying all things are bad but I think kids can live quite well if they can read, write and know simple maths, I think everything else should be up to them if they decide to learn it, and I think its okay to not rush when they learn it, learning is lifelong, just because a "system" says children should be doing this at this age" DOES NOT mean there is anything wrong with a child who hasnt yet, everyone's journeys different , I'm learning new things every single day and I'm in my 30's.
Below you will find the file containing my daughters government approved learning reports for this year 2024 as well as her learning plan for next year 2025, following a natural child led unschooling approach, where she hasnt ONCE been told to learn something. I hope this helps you get a better understanding how unschoolers learning, how life and just living become the bedrock to a holistic education of self direct learning, following curiosities.
My reports and plans defiantly didn't need to be this long, but once I get started I cant stop, I just remember all the lovely things she has been doing.
Click the button below to download our learning report 2024 APPROVED UNSCHOOLING sample
Click the link below to download our learning plan for 2025 APPROVED UNSCHOOLING SAMPLE
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