Do you "manage" your time? It seems like if we have no routine, the kids will just want to watch TV all day, and I don't get anything done either.

If you do, what do you plan? I am against having a "lesson plan" at this time in my kids' young lives, but I have been thinking about implementing a "reading time" each day... what else? I'm just looking for ideas for some loose structure. The kids are little, almost 5 and 2 1/2. We do try to have an "art" time maybe every other day where we paint/glue/cut/color/whatever. I guess I could try to do that every day instead. I am finding it hard to fill the days without resorting to the television.

Thanks!

art time
park/outside time (science and pe)
reading time (twice a day at least)
educational play time with letters, or counting/sorting beans, stringing pasta etc

unschooling doesn't mean you can't have a routine/schedule :) Have ayour little ones chose what book they want to read, if they wanbt to cut/color/paint, etc... then you are starting them off nicely in child lead learning.

Oh how easy it is to get sucked into that TV!

With as busy as my girls have always been, I don't see how they could have time to sit and waste an hour in front of the TV.

We do art several times a day. All sorts of activities, from drawing and painting, to collage, to still life and landscapes.

We read for at least a half hour a day, but often read several times a day.

We look through magazines, talk about so many things, we bake and clean together...

When we're not doing planned activities, the girls spend their time playing, looking at books, galavanting outdoors, they're busy all day long.

I bet, if you turn off the TV during the day, after a few days of detox, they'll spend more time playing, using their imaginations, and learning.

I have to agree about the tv. When I made the decision, 3 years ago, to turn ours off during the day, they went through detox but then started to play and still do. I get a lot more done that way. Sounds crazy, but I do get more done; they play longer and don't have an after tv fallout.

Dh loves movies and they have time together (usually on weekends) when they want to watch a movie. This generally happens more in the winter (we don't get any snow so now fun outdoor stuff to do-usually just cold and wet from rain).
While they watch a movie, I usually find something else I want to do.

there is soooo much to do in a day. Some days are slower than others and they seem bored. I just have to accomodate for that.

Gotta go pop some popcorn for a dad/children movie!!! ;). I think I will go sew!!

Best wishes.

Movies are our "tv" and I have a limit on how many videos per day. No more than 2, usually they're 1/2 hour each. Sometimes I'll make an exception if they are educational. That way she can somewhat choose when she will schedule movies into a day.

Another one agreeing about the TV. Turn it off...at least during the daylight hours. Detox might be rough, but you'll love it after about a week. Attention spans lengthen, creativity is reborn anew, whining decreases markedly...can you tell I don't like having the TV on very much? ;)

We unschool and I don't have a set schedule for our day, but I don't feel time is wasted. I know what things Sam (newly 6) is interested in, so we are usually doing stuff that revolves around those things. He also has plenty of time to do whatever he wants, as well as time to help us around the house. In the past 24 hours, Sam has:

* gone snow tubing (PE)
* built a Lego roman city (history, urban design)
* learned about aquaducts (science)
* identified birds coming to our newly-hung feeder, learned about feeding habits (science)
* started reading The Lord of the Rings--he just finished the Hobbit (English)
* wrote thank you notes for holiday gifts (penmanship)
* helped me sort and fold laundry, cleared the table of dishes after meals, set the table, helped me make a grocery list and plan meals (home ec)
* completed a math worksheet (at his request! what a different kid than how I was when I was little...)
* played guitar with his daddy (music)
* written a diary entry (penmanship, English)
* drawn a picture of our family in front of our house with a sunset behind us (art)
* started planning a castle to be built from various found objects like toilet paper tubes and oatmeal cannisters....this inspired by one of David Macauley's books (history)

You get the picture. Almost all of these activities were initiated by Sam and facilitated by me and/or Rob. I'm not sure how it would be with more than one kid, or with a kid who wasn't so internally motivated. Sam really likes digging deep into stuff and if anything, it is me who struggles to keep up with him! It also helps that he's been an independent reader for a long time, and if I want him to learn about something, I can generally just leave books lying around to be devoured. ;) But about unschooling, it works for us in part because I trust that it will, and I let it happen. Whenever I start to get nervous about Sam having a learning gap in one area or another, he inevitable fills it without me initiating anything.

Tara

Tara, thanks for that great description of your day. It's amazing how much happens in a day, even when we don't realize it.

We don't have a schedule at all. Some days we do a ton, somedays we don't do much at all.
We limit tv/movies, but sometimes I let her watch extra. I do, however, discuss the movie with her and try and help her figure out the plot and why this or that happened. I think that helps her think about what she is watching rather than just staring blankly at the screen.

I also write down much of the learning that occurs naturally throughout the day. I do this because my daughter sometimes tells people that we dont "do school" (which we don't!) and that I'm not teaching her anything (which I am!). So, it's sort of a CMA thing. If her dad ever has a problem with our unschooling, I can pull out my book and show him how much she is learning. I've also started having her help me write down things because then she realizes how much she is learning. Now throughout the day, if we do something, she'll blurt out, "We can write that in the homeschool book!"

We do read everyday and do some type of art/craft. My daughter is very self motivated and keeps herself very busy.