The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom [Paperback]

Mary Griffith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 1998 | Series: Prima Home Learning Library

To Unschoolers, Learning Is As Natural As Breathing
Did you know that a growing percentage of home schoolers are becoming unschoolers? The unschooling movement is founded on the principle that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curiosities and interests. Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindful living and exploration is absorbed more easily and enthusiastically. Learning is a natural, inborn impulse, and the world is rich with lessons to be learned and puzzles to be solved.
Successful unschooling parents know how to stimulate and direct their children's learning impulse. Once you read this book, so will you!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Unschooling, a homeschooling method based on the belief that kids learn best when allowed to pursue their natural curiosities and interests, is practiced by 10 to 15 percent of the estimated 1.5 million homeschoolers in the United States. There is no curriculum or master plan for allowing children to decide when, what, and how they will learn, but veteran homeschooler Mary Griffith comes as close as you can get in this slim manual. Written in a conversational, salon-style manner, The Unschooling Handbook is liberally peppered with anecdotes and practical advice from unschoolers, identified by their first names and home states. The book also includes resources such as one teenager's sample "transcript," a typical weekly log of a third-grader's activities, and helpful lists of magazines, online mailing lists, Web sites, and catalogs. Griffith, a board member of the Homeschool Association of California (and the author of The Homeschooling Handbook), names Margaret Mead and Thomas Edison as two examples of those who have profited from unschooled childhoods, and further claims that research validates support for this controversial form of education. The "evidence" she cites, however, is predominantly theoretical writings from noted educators about the benefits of child-centered learning. The handbook suffers from a mild case of the Lake Wobegone syndrome--every unschooled children is seen as an above-average self-starter on the verge of genius--yet despite this overly rosy approach, the book is a well-organized guide for homeschoolers and other families contemplating the "un" life. --Jodi Mailander Farrell

Review

To Unschoolers, Learning Is As Natural As Breathing

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1st edition (April 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761512764
• ISBN-13: 978-0761512769
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Reference

More About the Author

Mary Griffith is the author of three books on homeschooling and the parent of two grown homeschooled daughters. She lives in California with her husband and a moderately neurotic Vizsla named BB. She spends time she should be working on her books blogging on children and learning, and on fencing. She also avoids writing by volunteering as a member of US Fencing's national tournament staff.

www.marygriffith.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

201 of 204 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, understand and implement in your kids lives., March 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom (Paperback)

As a homeschooling mom of two boys, we had heard about the unschooling method but were a little unsure of its effectiveness until we read this book. Mary Griffith does a wonderful job of explaing the concept of unschooling, and the numerous families quoted throughout the book make the concept seem so natural.

There are chapters on math, science, reading and writing, and how to use the world around your children to foster these skills without "doing school". Using the unschooling concept has made the boys' curiosity and wonder of the world around them just explode and has made learning exciting for them. The unschooling philosophy has made learning a 24/7 event at our house, thanks to this wonderful book.

Any family considering homeschooling, or "doing school" at home, or using a curriculum needs to read this unique and fabulous book.

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As a 16 year old I have found this book to be inspirational, July 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom (Paperback)

I am currently a junior in high school, and I have been looking for an alterantive to public schooling for over a year. This book provides a lot of helpful background information on how to get started and continue with your unschooling. The whole idea behind unschooling is a very creative and revolutionary way to improve the current education system. I would highly recommend this book to any adult looking to better their child's learning experiance as well as to any child who, like myself, has felt that they have been unchallenged by the public schooling system.

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I had this book 8 years ago, April 15, 2001

By 

Carol J.Mullaney - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom (Paperback)

This book was a godsend. At long last a book detailing the way my daughter learned. As a former (public school)teacher I was at loose ends how to educate my daughter. Two private schools, two years at a public school and she was still bored. This book helped me to realize that there was another way to educate her than to duplicate in homeschooling, the way the schools had failed her.This book is well worth the read and the price, if for no other reason than to let you know that you are not alone. Along with Grace Llewellyn's Teenage Liberation Handbook it should be read by every parent and educator.If for no other reason than a different way of looking at the "how to educate children"problem.