What a Wonderful World

I've been thinking a lot about how to approach the upcoming school year.  The reality is, we won't be following a traditional school year, as we'll be learning year-round.  But it's hard not to think about it when there is so much talk about boxes of curriculum arriving, or school start dates. My problem is I'm a disorganized perfectionist.  I want so badly to do everything...just. right.  But when I quickly discover that a project is not cut and dry...it's like I become frozen, not knowing what to do, so I just do nothing.  This summer has been like that.  There are SO many things I've wanted to do and I can feel summer slipping through our fingers.  Of course...our summer can be as long as the weather allows, which is comforting. 

I've been learning a lot about unschooling through friends, and was surprised to hear that there are very different schools of thought (no pun intended).  There is everything from radical unschooling to relaxed, interest-led learning. I'm not exactly sure where we'll fall.  Right now I just know that I want my children to have the freedom to make natural connections and I believe they also need my guidance to make good decisions sometimes.  We'll see how that evolves as we really get into a groove.  Perhaps I won't have to do any pushing.  Wouldn't that be nice?!

I envision our family learning through nature, technology, the library, hands-on experience...  I do not envision us using text books or grading performance through tests.  That said, we have a science curriculum that we all LOVE called R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey (published through Pandia Press).  This past year we began with the Level One study of Life Science.  It is advertised for Grades 1-4, which fits our family well.  I've found it's engrossing for my 9 and 7 year olds, if a little above my 5 year old's head (though she did enjoy the labs and pick up some of the lingo). 

Since beginning this unschooling shift I've been a little at a loss about how to approach this.  Do I continue to follow the order of the lessons?  What if I can't find snails when it's the snail lesson?!  So, tonight I pulled together my scattered thoughts and I've decided the answer is to use the labs as they fit.  Seems simple, right?  While this might not sound like a big deal to some, it's our first step out of the box, making curriculum work for us!  So tomorrow morning we plan to take a nature walk.  We will collect things, and take pictures, and see where the chips fall.  And we may not even finish the book.  Or maybe we will....next year.  Crazy talk, I tell ya!