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Preteen and Teen Unschoolers link

post #1 of 7
Thread Starter 



Posted in Teens and Preteens.  I post the link in case some of you don't subscribe to it.  Let's welcome this mama to our unschooling forum!

post #2 of 7
KrazyMomOfBoys, "Is unschooling the older kids just as fun as the younger ones?"
It's different... I'm appreciating how much more independent ds is. But he's less easy to please with simple things. Under the age of 10, he'd be happy going to the park or a local museum. Now he feels like he has "been there, done that." Interesting things can't be done as easily, locally, or cheaply. I'm pretty sure that that's just the age, nothing to do with unschooling.
post #3 of 7

Welcome, KrazyMom. I have a 10-year-old home-learner, and three older kids who I also unschooled through the tween/early-teen years.  While in many ways it was lovely and successful, in our case it has been difficult to provide enough of a challenging, meaningful life outside of home as they got well into the teen years. We live in a rural remote area, though, and I imagine life would be quite different in a place with a rec centre, a public transit system or another couple of similar-aged homeschoolers within 20 miles. So my kids have eventually ended up attending our funky, innovative public school part-time or full-time from 9th or 10th grade on. 



post #4 of 7

I'm having the same problem, Miranda, and we aren't rural. I drive ds an hour away once in a while to do things with a nice homeschooling group. There are tons of homeschoolers closer, just not relaxed homeschoolers who prioritize kids' friendships... I really thought he'd have a group of friends by now. The relationships of homeschooled kids are too dependent on adults since they don't see each other in the neighborhood or at school.

post #5 of 7

I've found that "a group of friends" generally, for us anyway, has much more to do with interests than educational choices or the idea of just having friends to hang out with. My ds16 has become incredibly close with his choir friends. Unfortunately choir is based 90 minutes away, so the best he can do is spend occasional weekends in the city. While he's there he's busy building websites for people, working with a computer programming mentor, helping out with music production, songwriting, doing some music teaching, etc. etc. If we lived in the city, I'm pretty sure his social and intellectual needs would be filled without school. But a weekend every month (plus weekly choir rehearsals) isn't enough. So he goes to school, though it will probably be back to part-time next year.


So I guess, 4evermom, I'd suggest looking to your ds's interests to nurture his social connections. What sorts of passions does he have? What activities is he involved in, or could he get involved in? How could those lead to social connections beyond your home? 



post #6 of 7
Thread Starter 

Not a preteen issue for us, but I finally found a good group of girls in our Girl Scout troop. None are homeschoolers, but one will be next year.  We simply have not found what we needed, friendship-wise, by looking specifically for homeschoolers.

post #7 of 7
Oh, we're not trying to confine socializing to only homeschoolers. It's just that all the schooled kids always seemed to be in extended care. I'm not in a neighborhood with stay at home parents so kids are in care until they are old enough to be latchkey kids.

Ds has never been one to find adult directed structured activities appealing and he doesn't like sports so I've never figured out ways for him to meet other kids outside of homeschool activities.

Ds's interests are mostly computer based and there aren't many ways to connect with new kids other than playing MMOs. The far away homeschool group has a few kids he can talk computers with. But the parents of the local kids are more the type to limit computer use. He feels like he has friends so that's good.
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