To wonder if this is what people mean by gentle parenting

[pleasemothermay1]

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3699191/Outrage-parents-allow-child-toilet-Morning-floor.html

Not sure why a one year old wouldn't have a nappy on as she clearly is not Notts trained at that age my one year old would be become destressed to be constantly wet

And what's the no medication about surely social service would become involved if they got very ill and parents did noting

Very odd

Just Googled "Unschooling"

This was the fourth link
www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/homeschooling_and_unschooling_among_liberals_and_progressives_.html

Yep - sounds pretty crap to me!!

So you finally admit that they don't want to 'homeschool' witsender?

How about Detachment Parenting which basically involves ignoring your child as much as possible thus allowing them to build their own inner reserves and develop self reliance?
There was an episode of Wifeswap which had a family a bit like this but they did it properly - they lived in a field miles away from anywhere. no tv, computers etc. No school. Family entertainment consisted of playing I Spy every evening. They had an 11 year old DD who looked bored out of her skull and could barely read. The wife who swapped with them sent her to school and she loved it, she was like a child let loose in a sweet shop. They also had a 3 year old DS called Earth. Poor kid.

Maybebaby- mr tumble is very educational! It allows me to stay on top of my washing!

What do you mean by finally accept? I haven't been defending them in any way, just pointing out that unschooling is a 'recognised' form of home education. Many home educators won't use the term 'home school' precisely because they are not replicating school at home. They are educating...not schooling. I'm not as pedantic about it, but am assuming she is. She is not saying she will not allow her child to learn, but will not be creating a school at home.

They sound like douches for any reasons, but home education is a valid choice, and unschooling done well, works for many.

www.landwatch.com/default.aspx?ct=R&type=13,338;268,6758&r.PRIC=%2c145596
You don't get that much for your money in Costa Rica

Unschooling is an educational method and philosophy that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning." Pretty much like Reception then.

Arf at Costa Rica vax policy

Indeed. Much like a good reception class, though reception needs to follow EYFS and demonstrate progress via informal testing, unschooling doesn't. And unschooling continues ad infinitum etc.

Fair Enough Witsender - my interpretation came as you kept referring to it all under the umbrella of 'homeschooling' which confused me - there does seem to be a distinct difference with the terms 'homeschool' and 'unschool' but to me, it all comes down to doing both "properly" and with the child's best interests at heart, as opposed to just down to the parents ideologies and using the terms as a smokescreen to do nothing with the child.

Costa Rica is expensive as lots of rich Americans retire there. I don't think that this couple have really thought their plan through

Definitely not trying to be goady - promise!

But witsender, can you explain the difference between "informal testing" in primary school and "informal testing" with unschooling?

The mother Adele said that her son could count to 20. How would she know unless she did some "informal testing"?

If I allowed DS2 'learner-chosen activities' he would be on the X Box all day.
I have to admit that I have completely changed my views on Home Ed as a result of what I've read on Mumsnet from being vehemently against it to thinking that, done well, it can be a great option for some kids. I still think Unschooling is generally bollocks though.
Maybebaby Was it you that had the epically long live birth thread? If it was, shame on you for not just breathing him out in a couple of hours. Us wimmin are perfectly designed for birthing dontcha know? You obviously didn't do enough yoga or re-wilding.

Presumably she had just heard him do it. As against sitting down with a reception child and asking them to count to 20 for you. Or designing 'educational games' for the class to do to demonstrate that they can do it. Much like my daughter will sit down and read something aloud...I hear it, so know she can do it. I haven't 'tested' her. If you see what I mean.

I do laugh when I hear people say that birth should be easy etc as Mother Nature knows what she's doing etc...well, yes, she does, but she also has a far greater capacity for loss than we want to accept!

Both my babies and I would be dead without the hospital.
Wtaf is re wilding?????

Thanks witsender

Pretty much like Reception then

Not quite. DD has just finished reception. This term the class topic was animals, so tasks and activities were framed within that area. Left to her own devices she may have preferred to look at the planets, seasons or Ancient Egypt. Being in school she wasn't free to do that. We're she HE she could have been.

Rewilding refers to reintroducing species that have died out in Britain such as beavers and restoring areas to their natural habitat, e.g. woodland. I'm not sure if that's what's meant in this context.

I saw the article in the Daily Fail and my first thought on one of the pics is that they look like an advert for some kind of weird 'free parenting' cult...

I remember watching a docu once on similar parenting and they didn't believe in nappies or toilets so the kids were squatting and sh*tting wherever they fancied and the parents applauded them for 'expressing their free right' or some such bollocks....

Clara Your guess is as good as mine. It's mentioned in a link to the dad's funding page (along with earthing and animal locomotion). Whatever it is, it's certain to be very spiritual and healing and total bollocks

misshoolies yes that was me!!! Well remembered.

I'd planned a nice woo water birth with whale music etc.

Epidural and c section in the end so I clearly failed crunchy parenting at the first hurdle...

Anyone else hoping they pop up and explain animal locomotion!

I do laugh when I hear people say that birth should be easy etc as Mother Nature knows what she's doing etc...well, yes, she does, but she also has a far greater capacity for loss than we want to accept!

I do think western birth has become far too medicalised. But there is surely a happy medium between over medicalised and completely natural.

If you provided a lovely full environment with lots of activities to choose from at an appropriate level, I'd say unschooling would be like Reception, except maybe that in Reception the children have blocks, painting, and prewriting skills set up and they are gently encouraged not to do blocks all the time, whereas in unschooling they would be allowed to do blocks all the time if they wanted to.

My experience from a family member "unschooling" is that the paints are in a cupboard, the blocks are out, the TV is available or on all the time, there's nothing much to do prewriting skills with let alone ability-appropriate worksheets and easy grip pens, and the children therefore do blocks or watch TV.

Children are very good at doing the same thing again and again and if that's what's available they will follow the path of least resistance.

Older children who ask a question about something may be able to retain interest while the parent sets up a learning opportunity but if a 5 year old asks about Egyptians but the parent has to wait till the afternoon to go to the library or the next month to organise a trip to a museum, they will probably be back to blocks.

These same parents have a crowdfunding page to raise money for their self-sufficiency dream. Something of an oxymoron I think.