Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I had heard of homeschooling before, but not of unschooling. Having read the book, and the comments in it from unschooling parents and children, the latter is definitely what I would choose for any children of mine. Tell you what, after reading it I wished I had been 'unschooled'! Unfortunately, I haven't, however, I reckon with my kids, whenever they come along, I can make up for a lot of what I've missed, by learning alongside them. I'm looking forward to that opportunity! The book is excellent in that it not only clearly explains the concept of unschooling, it also gives practical examples of how the children get an interest in learning to read, how mathematics and science are included in every day life, how history and the arts become wonderful day trips to museums, etc. On top of all that it has a chapter on 'coping with doubts and challenges', and each chapter has a long list of reference books where more info can be found. In short, a real gem. The whole world should return to unschooling I think. I highly recommend it.

It is a 'good thing' that this book is available. Running an egroup list for unschooling parents, I know that it can be difficult for some folks to understand the concept. Also, there are many kinds of 'unschooling' approaches from the 'radical unschooling' families to the kind like mine where we do use worksheets off and on and use a lot of educational tv and computers. I can highly recommend this book for those thinking about using this different way of homeschooling. One thing I can assure you is that your child will never 'HATE' learning.

If you are thinking of homeschooling, this is a fabulous primer on one of the approaches to teaching kids, or letting kids learn, at home. It does an excellent job of covering a broad scope of issues without being overwhelming. The style of writing and layout of the book makes it easy and enjoyable to read. Well worth your time!

My husband and I knew we were planning to homeschool our kids, but didn't feel entirely comfortable with just having a traditional "school at home" environment. We had heard of unschooling, but thought it might be too radical for our comfort level. Not so! After reading this book, we understand what unschooling is and how it can fit into our family. I am so excited and relieved to know that there is a way for our kids to learn in a manner that we are comfortable using. Thank you for all the great suggestions and excerpts from parents who are currently unschooling. Their experiences are a great source of information and inspiration. I absolutely cannot think of a better way for my kids to learn and am so glad to have this book as a reference tool on my bookshelf.

we highly recommend this book. Aside from the information you can get about unschooling at the www.unschooling.com website and message boards, this is the best information in print.

Our family has always unschooled, and it was John Holt that brought us there, along with listening to our hearts and respecting our children's point of view.

If you are interested in homeschooling, read John Holt's books ("Learning All the Time") and visit the message boards at www.unschooling.com. And add this wonderful book to your library, as you will use it over and over again...and you will lend it to friends over and over again!

When you've homeschooled for many, many years, you sometimes get jaded regarding homeschooling books. "Been there, done that" syndrome. However, The Unschooling Handbook is a rare gem in a sea of homeschooling books. Mary Griffith is an exceptional writer and makes you feel as if she is a friend sharing her best tips. In fact, she has, having requested information from many unschooling parents as to what actually does work. If there is one book to buy on homeschooling/unschooling, this is it.

I was very disappointed in this book. I found Griffith's other book, The Homeschooling Handbook, to be extremely helpful, so I read this book. The majority of the book is filled with quotes from unschooling families, how they do it and why they like it. That would be fine, if I was buying a book that said that that was what it was and not buying a book that said it was a "handbook." Many of the quotes were similar to one another, or just not helpful. Towards the end of the book, I simply skimmed the quotes and finally just skipped them altogether. Secondly, I didn't care for the tone of the book. Basically it felt that the author (and all the families) were saying that the unschooling method is the only right method, otherwise you are hindering your child's growth and potential.

After having read a few overview books of homeschooling, that mentioned different methods, I thought that unschooling sounded interesting, so I wanted to look into it more. I believe that it works for some children, yet I feel that some subjects simply require more structure. And some children actually prefer to have more structure. I was actually appalled at some of the stories in this book and decided that the unschooling method definitely wasn't for me, although I think aspects of it can be included.


On the positive side, it was helpful to see how families homeschooled using this method and it did have useful information, especially if you decide to choose unschooling.


I would recommend this book only if you believe that unschooling is the method for you and your family. Otherwise I would recommend Griffith's other book (which contained all the useful information in this book plus much more) or numerous other overview homeschooling books out there.