My Three Unschooled/Homeschooled Kids Went to One Day of School

Joel did attend public school in Kindergarten and for just a few months in first grade, but in late 2000, for various reasons, I decided that I would leave the world of school behind us, and Unschool my three children.

It's been an adventure and a way of life. It's hard to explain exactly what we do to those who "do school," and after almost ten years of the unschooling/homeschool life, my children have been curious about what goes on behind school doors.



This week, we took a plunge, you could say. I've enrolled all three kids in a one day a week homeschool supplement-enrichment program called Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy. Annabelle and Rebekah love it so far; Joel is going to try it for another week or two and decide if it is for him or not.

Annabelle goes all day (8:30 AM to 3:50 PM) Wednesday and Rebekah and Joel attend all day (8:30 Am to 3:50 PM) Friday. They have to wear school uniforms and follow rules like waiting to go to the bathroom only between classes. They are grouped in small groups by age and grade. Subjects include art, history, science, language arts, music, drama, poetry, technology, physical education, library, and Spanish. I had to buy each child a bunch of school supplies and they put their supplies inside of backpacks. That may be a usual thing for most kids, but for my three kids, this is all so new and is almost like a field trip adventure!




Since this is a one day a week program, there were not too many hassles involved in enrolling the kids in this homeschooling supplement. I just had to fill out a form. I was not asked for birth certificates, immunization records, transcripts, or proof of residence. I asked if there would be any hassle if we leave early or have to miss a day or two due to figure skating, and the answer was "No problem, just let us know in advance."

The kids got a kick out of the hot lunch that only costs $1.15 for Annabelle and $1.45 for Joel or Rebekah. I paid for one meal for the entire year for Joel so far since he doesn't like very many foods. Both Annabelle and Rebekah said the food was great.

We'll see how this new addition to our very busy life of figure skating/learning/reading/exploring/american school of correspondence/teach your child to read and do math well/music/piano/guitar/violin/hiking/tennis/bike riding/roller skating/photography/computer/swimming/skiing/family field trips/and scouting goes!