Homeschool Solutions

In New Jersey, if you child(ren) are enrolled in school then you will need to inform the local board of education of the "intent to educate" elsewhere than at school. This is important, so that questions do not arise with respect to the parent’s compliance with the compulsory education law. 

This is a letter should be a simple statement such as:

Dear (Board of Education),

Please accept this letter as notice that I intend to enroll my child, NAME of CHILD, in homeschool until further notice.
CHILD's NAME, will be in second grade for this school year. His/Her birthday is July 11, 2014. CHILD's NAME homeschool education will be effective starting September 1, 2021.

Thank you,

________________________________

Parents do NOT need to state in their letter, where or how their child(ren) will be educated. You do not need to even share the curriculum you will use. 

Parents may seek information about the school curriculum from the local board of education.  If the parent/guardian requests such information, the board must provide it since a district’s curriculum is a matter of public record in accordance with N.J.S.A. 47:1A et seq.  The parent/guardian may be charged for the cost of copying documents in accordance with the rates established by law, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(b). 

•Learning by interests.
•Children are allowed to learn in their own time and their own way.
•Adults uses books, internet, nature, life experiences
•Learning happens all the time, year round
•Adults often learn with children. 

It is NOT a free for all. Independent learning = involved parents.

Children need guidance to become self-directed learners {independence is born from dependence}.

Many see unschooling as an extension of parenting. In order to support learning we need to be present to provide a nurturing environment, engaging experiences, and a variety of materials.

We need to be committed to explore the world with them but allow them the freedom to be in charge of what they learn and when.  

• What's your child's learning style?
• What are your goals for your child?
• What are your family values?
• What are your child's interests? 
• What are your interests? 
• Share and enjoy those interests together!

Ask yourself this...“when will my child need this in real life”.... then use real life to teach it. If you can’t think of an answer maybe it’s not actually worth learning. And if it is worth learning then it will be learned when the opportunity presents itself. 

A period of time to recover from the public school mindset for ADULT & CHILD.

•Break from “traditional learning”.

•Time to understand learning styles, homeschool methods, and explore curriculums.
•Allow your child to follow their interests.
•Spend time educating yourself about how learning happens, so you can see the value in how everyday life translates into learning. 

This is a period of time where you do not focus on anything that is remotely “academic” or “school-like”. It is meant to help both child and adult shift from a traditional, government-influenced institution of schooling to a method of learning that focuses on following one’s natural curiosities. It helps in letting go of preconceptions regarding what learning is supposed to look like.

Children who have been in public or private schools have to let go of the school culture as the norm. Many desperately need the time to follow their own interests to spark their love of learning and reignite their natural curiosity.

Most adults need to deschool more than their children because the majority of us completed our education within the norms of private or public schools. From that experience as well as the expectations pushed by society, “how learning is meant to happen” has been deeply ingrained in many of us.

You could define deschooling as just living your life and focusing on the connection between your family.

• What do your children enjoy doing?
• What do you enjoy?
• What do you all enjoy doing together as a family?
• Do all of those things!

Unschooling: child-led, adult facilitated learning
Eclectic: blending multiple approaches
Classical: a language-focused, literature-focused style of learning
Montessori: child-centered approach that values each child as a unique individual. Creativity and curiosity are encouraged.
Unit Studies: integrating various academic subjects such as history, science, and English language arts into a dedicated study of a theme such as weather, bats, a favorite book, or even a biographical figure
Charlotte Mason: a heavy emphasis on using high-quality literature, which she called “living books,” to teach children. She believed that education should involve the whole person, not just the mind. According to Mason, education is “an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.”
Waldorf: goal of educating the whole child (body, mind, and spirit)
Gameschooling: using board games and card games as an intentional part of your homeschool and educational philosophy  

In New Jersey, record keeping is not necessary until your child is around 14 years old and it’s solely for the purpose of creating a transcript.

For record keeping you could keep a written record of activities.
“Today we read these books, doubled a recipe, folded laundry, and met with friends at the park”.

Writing down questions your children have to further research & explore later. Is a great way to keep a record of what your learning and even be used to assess what your child has learned about the topic over time.

These are also great methods of record keeping.
•Journal about their/your lives

•Photo journals

•Scrapbooking

•Blogging about the family's adventures

•Writing activities down in a planner or on a calendar

For assessments, remember that the natural progression of learning is much more important than the arbitrary age of learning that public schools set.

Keep samples of things your child does.
Artwork.
Take a picture of the letter they wrote.
Record them playing a song they created or learned on guitar.

Go back to those same questions we get from curious children.
What? How? Why?

THIS IS A JOURNEY. NOT A RACE TO A FINISH LINE! 

Most unschoolers don’t use a curriculum because a box set of “subjects” and information does align with the natural process of learning. The curriculum may not speak to the way your child learns. Or it may work for a few weeks then be boring to them. They can be expensive and no one wants to spend money on something they don’t use. Ultimately unschooling is about following your child. So if your child asks for worksheets or sees a friend’s curriculum and wants to try it out… “follow the child!” Ask around within the homeschooling community if anyone has what your looking for before you purchase.

Don’t forget to think outside the box! What life skills do you want your child to know? CPR, First Aid, cooking, sewing, changing the oil in a car, herbalism, etc.

The most popular curriculums mentioned often are:

Secular - Blossom & Root

Christian - The Good and the Beautiful

The Tuttle Twins books are also very popular for teaching children ages 5-11, economics, civics, and social principles. 

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. 

But for children, play is serious learning. 

Play is really the work of childhood."

- Mr. Fred Rogers

Play is so important that NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) has called it a central component in developmentally appropriate practice, and the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights declared it a fundamental right of every child.

Just a few examples of play that help support learning to read, write, and understanding math.

Learning to write = play-doh, large body movements, digging in the sand, crafts, drawing in sand/salt, finger painting, coloring.

Learning to read = word games, rhyming, talking about letter sounds, large body movements, making up your own language/words, labeling common words around the house. And most importantly read lots of books & have them available for your children to browse.

Math = counting, sorting, cooking, baking, blocks, legos, puzzles, putting things together/taking them apart, or exploring motions such as flipping.

From the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)

Cognitive skills – math and problem-solving in a pretend grocery store

Physical abilities – balancing blocks and running on the playground

Nw vocabulary – the words they need to play with toy dinosaurs

Social skills – playing together in a pretend car wash

Literacy skills – creating a menu for a pretend restaurant

• How Children Learn by John Holt
• Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray 
• The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life by Julie Bogart
• The 5-Hour School Week: An Inspirational Guide to Leaving the Classroom to Embrace Learning in a Way You Never Imagined by Kaleena Amuchastegui
• Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children by Angela J. Hanscom 
• The following books are not directly related to homeschooling but I’ve personally found them immensely helpful in fostering our parent/child connection and in aiding in deschooling.
• Playful Parenting: An Exciting New Approach to Raising Children That Will Help You Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Confidence Paperback by Lawrence J. Cohen
• Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One) by Deborah MacNamara PhD
•  The Theory of Multiple Intelligences and other books by  — Howard Gardner (available here).

Happiness is here - unschooling and conscious parenting inspiration

https://happinessishereblog.com/homeschooling

The Homeschool Mom - 20 years of helping homeschoolers

https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com

Rooted Childhood - The Best Preschool Curriculum Ever

https://rootedchildhood.com/best-preschool-curriculum-ever

“I don’t want a 3 year old who knows his ABCs or a 4 year old who can count to 100 or a 5 year old who can read. That’s short-sighted foolery. I want a 10 year old who loves to learn and will seek out answers when curiosity strikes. I want a 16 year old who has a passion so strong she wants to do nothing else. I want an adult who has a heart for serving others.”

Class Dismissed: A Film About Learning Outside of the Classroom

Class Dismissed will challenge viewers to take a fresh look at what it means to be educated in the 21st century and offer up a radical new way of thinking about the process of learning. http://classdismissedmovie.com

It can also be rented or purchased on Amazon for as little as $1.99. 

The decline of play - Peter Gray

Based on his own and others' research, Dr. Gray documents why free play is essential for children's healthy social and emotional development and outlines steps through which we can bring free play back to children's lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-GEzM7iTk

Do schools kill creativity? - Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

The importance of play - John Cohn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-NT1-BdOvI

Facebook group: What my unschooler is learning when...

RCBC Homeschool Liason  

Theresa Mehall 

Rowan College Burlington County 

Admissions Counselor

Homeschool Liaison​

tmehall@rcbc.edu

(856) 222-9311, ext. 2962

Dana Lewis helped bring much of these amazing resources together. Please feel free to reach out to her with any questions or concerns about homeschooling/unschooling. She has more resources about learning through play and materials for kids ~7 and under. Dana may be reached at MissDanaChildCare@gmail.com 

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