Parenting A Free Child: An Unschooled Life

By Rue Kream

Book Overview

How do the principles of unschooling apply to television viewing, toothbrushing, and chores? How can we develop respectful relationships with our children? How do unschooled children learn to read? Parenting A Free Child addresses these issues and more in an easily accessible question and answer format.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1411641558
• ISBN13: 9781411641556
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great insight into unschooled family life

I bought this to learn more about unschooling and found it extremely inspiring. I feel very excited at the thought of unschooling my son, after reading this. If you don't agree with unschooling, don't bother, but if you're interested in this kind of learning, it's very informative. It is written in the form of answering questions from those interested in learning more about unschooling, and is very readable.

Q & As for those new to unschooling

Rue Kream's book is easy to read and gives a good perspective of an unschooled life. I especially enjoyed reading the description of a week in Rue's family's life. The Q & A format gives a feeling of a conversation, and Rue certainly gives thoughtful and respectful answers. It's a good book to read sepecially when you are starting on the unschooling trip.

Worth its weight in GOLD!

Written in an easy Q & A format, this book is a a *must read* for anyone remotely interested in unschooling and mindful parenting. Typical concerns are addressed in a gentle but no nonsense manner. Respect for and trust in children's innate curiosity, creativity, and intelligence is the basis for this remarkably kind and peaceful book. I recommend it often on the unschooling e-lists. _Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooled Life_ should be on every unschooler's home bookshelf! ~Kelly Lovejoy

Parenting A Free Child: An Unschooled Life

This is a fabulous book for anyone interested in the highest form of honouring our children - unschooling. It really is a testament to truly unconditional parenting. It is written in question and answer format, so it can be picked up and put down very easily by busy parents! The answers are extremely thoughtful and thorough, and speak to the huge effort these parents are making to give their children a free and joyous childhood. If you liked John Holt's books, you will love Rue Kream's book too.

Compassionate, Challenging and a Must for Unschoolers

[This review was first published in Education Choices, Australia's most popular Homeschool (not unschooling) Magazine.] Parenting A Free Child: An Unschooled Life presents a radical approach to parenting and education in a way that seems logical, obvious and natural. I use the word "radical" because Kream's approach is very different to mainstream parenting, even within the homeschooling community. It is built on an incredible and absolute trust in her two children and aims to give them control over all aspects of their life. Growing numbers of Australian homeschoolers explore trust in learning and describe themselves as natural learners or unschoolers who forego curriculum, lesson plans and strict "outcomes". They have embraced being child led when it comes to learning- following and facilitating the child's interests, passions and having the confidence that they will learn what they need along the way. Some of Kream's ideas would be familiar to natural learners. She avoids `teaching' and explains that "we want our children to own their learning and to learn for their own reasons, not to please a teacher." She also discusses the merits of this approach noting that "unschooled kids don't necessarily learn things at the same time as schooled kids (or schooled-at-home kids) child, but when they do learn something it is because it has meaning in their lives." Her advice on starting to unschool is to "pretend that your children are on summer vacation. Find work that you love to do and let your kids help you if they want to. Look for the learning that they do, even in the places you wouldn't imagine it...enjoy each other, Get yourselves to new places, try new foods, spend a day in your pyjamas, watch movies, or pretend you're tourist and visit local attractions, offer lots of new sights, sounds, smells and tastes to your kids." BEYOND EDUCATION AND INTO LIFE What is particularly challenging is that Kream extends unschooling to everything. Although Kream does not use the term in the book, this is often described as "radical unschooling". She explains, "For our family , unschooling has little to do with education and much more to do with our relationship, the way adults view children, and the philosophies we choose to live by." In fact, Kream explains her confusion in relation to parents who unschool in an education context and yet still maintain rules in other aspects of life. "If your children can learn to read without external pressure or timetables, can't they learn to do the dishes in the same way? Can you trust them to develop an understanding of mathematics but not trust them to understand and listen to their own bodies?" Rue Kream and other radical unschoolers have no rules. They impose no control over their children whatsoever. They are child led in all aspects of the child's life, not just in education. As Kream notes, "our unschooling is our parenting is our life together." Just sit with this for a moment. What is your internal voice