Getting around Orange County!

Ever wonder what a typical day for student at an unschooling academy looks like? Well, the truth is there is no typical day for an unschooler. Unschoolers might find themselves learning to podcast, code, or build video games. They might be engrossed in music or makeup or math. They might be learning to build a tower out of blocks or learning to build a business. As unschooling teachers, our role is to walk alongside our students, to know them deeply, and to support them as they take on the incredible work of owning their own education.

So there may not be a typical day in the life of an unschooler, but here’s what one day looked like:

This morning after a brief discussion, students and teachers decided to meet at headquarters, or “the building” to start our day. Morning began for one young student with a rousing game of Sorry against a teacher, where rules were challenged and the rulebook was consulted. Another student became engrossed in a wand-making craft, practicing fine motor skills, creative freedom, and collaboration. Next one young scholar opted to get cozy on the couch and be read to while another child worked on puzzles, drawing on spatial awareness, among other skills. After that, it was snack time. At snack we not only nourished our bodies with food and hot tea, but we also discussed routines necessary to keep our space clean and pest-free and practiced habits to take responsibility and pride over our space. From here we moved into assembly meeting time.

While the teachers gathered in a common space to discuss nuts and bolts over an agenda, students chose to participate in their own way by building nests out of pillows and articles of clothing and playing baby birds, using Legos, and staying close for plenty of hugs.

In the afternoon we took our lunches in a nearby park in a continued effort to explore our beautiful county. We have been consistently amazed by the public spaces in our area and today’s park was no exception. The large, enclosed playground allowed us to comfortably eat lunch while the children got to know other children, practiced sharing toys and negotiating feelings and games, and worked on physical skills such as climbing, balance, gross motor skills, and strength. As adults, our role is to supervise safety while allowing students to take healthy risks and grow in their understanding of their bodies as well as navigating social skills and interpersonal relationships.

As the playground quieted, we moved into a group hike and the natural surroundings of a botanical garden with accompanying trails made for a perfect place to get into nature and explore. On the trail we watched for wildlife, smelled wild garlic and read signs explaining the names of plants and discussed rules for safety. We explored the world with our feet and hands but also through questions (i.e. what is a sandbag used for? What do you do with a wishing well with no water?) and built confidence while practicing self-control as we explored distance and directions through a game of red light/green light.

As our day came to an end, we played a bit longer on the playground while building new physical skills (Monkey bars! Racing a friend up the slide!) Even as the day grew cool we hated to say goodbye to one another and to our new friends, and left with promises to see each other again soon. Tomorrow is another day.