A Week of Unschooling

We have now completed our first week of unschooling! It’s been fairly laid back so far. B decided that he wanted to work from his old timetable initially – the idea of not having some sort of routine was obviously somewhat unsettling for him. I didn’t think this would last long though and I was right! We are now truly unschooling, being led by his interests and enthusiasm level.

It’s been an easy going week – on Tuesday I had a late pregnancy scan and 28 week blood tests at the hospital, so my parents took the boys for a two and a half hour yomp through the woods. B learned about the history behind a colony of bats inhabiting a tunnel under an old house, whilst J ran and ran and ran (I swear that boy’s got a never-ending supply of untapped energy).

On Wednesday I had a routine ante-natal appointment at the GP’s. The boys got to listen to the baby’s heartbeat for the first time, which B found rather ‘yucky’! We then had a wander through our local museum and, although B has been several times before, he never tires of examining the fossils and skeletons on display.

I can’t say there isn’t any juggling going on, because there is. Trying to achieve anything for myself whilst trying to meet the demands of two children of vastly different ages does have its challenges, not least coping with the noise levels. B may, at 10 years old, be built like a pipe cleaner, but his antics around the house make it sound as if I’m living with a bull elephant at times. Of course, his 21 months old brother mimics all the loud whooping and careers around in a similar fashion. It is not unchaotic…

So, although I dearly want my children to be free range, I do need to feel I have some structure to the day for my own sanity. Quite how I’m going to work this one out has yet to materialise. However, via Gill Kilner’s wonderful blog, I came across Claire’s equally wonderful blog., from which, somehow, I stumbled across www.flylady.net, a site with tips and inspiration and a plan to ‘get yourself organised’. I can’t say I’ve managed to implement said plan yet, but – hey – there’s always time