Unschooling.com

The term "unschooling" was coined by educator John Holt in 1977 to mean, simply, taking children out of school. Since then it has come to refer to a more relaxed, casual, and trusting style of homeschooling. Unschooling.com, an attractive new web site sponsored by Home Education Magazine, offers a "haven for unschooling families" as well as information for other families considering this alternative.

The founders of Unschooling.com hope to create "a sense of community among unschoolers … a safe place to share our journeys with one another", and to present unschooling "as a healing force for families".

The Library section includes intriguing stories and articles from experienced unschoolers. The essay "All Kinds of Homeschooling" offers this helpful description: "When learning is recognized in the fabric of life and encouraged … children learn without effort, often without even knowing it, and parents learn along with them."

An excellent FAQ provides answers to such common questions as "What is unschooling?", "If you don't do school, what do you do?" and "How do you know they are learning?"

The Networking section includes a free e-mail discussion list, "for subscribers to share information and support, learn from each other, and make friends". The popular message board provides a forum for questions and responses on all facets of unschooling. This section also includes links to statewide, national, and international homeschooling support groups.

The Resources section includes a weekly book review, an excellent annotated and searchable unschoolers' book list, and homeschooling laws for all 50 states.

In the site introduction, Helen Hegener notes that unschooling parents "get to learn right along with their children. Learning becomes a family adventure, a lifelong continuing process for everyone involved." As one of the parents explains in the collective essay "What is Unschooling?", "Unschooling isn't a method of instruction, it's a different way of looking at learning." This new yet already comprehensive site is sure to encourage more families to look at learning in a fresh and natural way, and to experience firsthand the many joys of unschooling.