Unschooling Blogs and Websites
There is an incredible variety of support for unschooling online and some writers have ideas that may not be helpful to you, though they might be to others. With that in mind, rather than act as a gatekeeper to maintain the purity of unschooling (whatever that might be!), I provide this inclusive, broad list to help you find the support you want for unschooling—namely, not doing school at home. This is just meant to be a starting point for your research, not an exhaustive resource. If you have suggestions for blogs and websites to add, please email them to me.
These are sites to inspire you to seek or create your own real-life activities, child-inspired fun, and camaraderie instead of striving for grades day after day.
African-American Unschoolers
"African-American Unschooling is THE Internet resource for African-American Homeschoolers with an Africentric approach to learning all the time. "
Akilah Richards
Akilah Richards "is an intersectional feminist writer with a keen focus on amplifying the spectrum of black and brown voices in the self-directed education (unschooling) movement."
BestHomeschooling.org
A fantastic collection of articles and links curated by veteran homeschooler Lillian Jones.
CarolBlack.org
A film maker (Schooling the World) and writer whose work and studies with indigenous people deeply inform her advocacy for "what the modern world has forgotten about children and learning."
Christian Unschooling
A simple site that describes in personal detail a family's growth into unschoolers.
City Kids Homeschooling
Kerry McDonald writes about learning with her three young children in urban settings, and brings her unique background as a corporate trainer, author, and education policy consultant.
Crunchy Domestic Goddess
Thought and wit about parenting and many other topics from an unschooling mother and environmental activist.
Scott Noelle, a family counselor, writes: "When I realized that parents need daily reminders to change their way of thinking about children and parenting, The Daily Groove was born … I teach creative empowerment strategies that can transform your parenting and all your relationships. To keep it simple, we focus on four positive pathways to power: Partnership, Authenticity, Trust, and Heart."
Dayna Martin
Dayna writes about radical unschooling, her work as The UnNanny, and is the organizer for the Rethinking Everything conference.
Do Life Right
Lisa Cottrell-Bentley is a publisher, speaker, and unschooler who offers one on one e-mail counseling services for people striving to live a vegan lifestyle and/or an Unschooling Lifestyle. Her family has written a fiction series featuring homeschoolers, which is available at her site.
Each One Thrives
Meredith Collins, a former editor of GWS, writes a fascinating blog about "what we can do for each child until school gets better—or in case it never does—so that every one thrives no matter what or when." Her thoughts about math are particularly helpful.
Free Range Learning
Laura Grace Weldon's website and book, Free Range Learning, will help ease your fears about letting your children learn naturally and introduce you to families and resources that advocate for a child's right to learn naturally.
I’m unschooled. Yes, I can write.
Idzie Desmarais is a 21 year old lifelong learner who lives in Montreal, Quebec and maintains this interesting blog about her life and learning.
Interest-Led Learning
Christina Pilkington writes about her family's exploration of the world through community-based learning. She also publishes a useful daily newsletter, The Interest Led Learning Daily.
JohnHoltGWS.com
News and information about the life and work of John Holt, self-directed learning, unschooling, and the complete collection of Growing Without Schooling magazine.
Learn in Freedom
A great resource for "how to use your own initiative in learning, so you can use schools and teachers just when they are helpful to you, and voluntarily chosen by you."
Living Joyfully with Unschooling
Pam Laricchia, a Canadian unschooler, has many thoughtful posts and ideas about living and learning with children with unschooling as "more of a lifestyle than homeschooling method."
The Natural Child Project
Many articles and resources about compassionate parenting and natural learning.
Not Back To School Camp
Grace Llewellyn’s camp is a life changing and life affirming opportunity for many teenagers.
Radical Unschoolers Network
Support not just for unschooling, but for how to live an unconventional life.
Sandra Dodd.com
Ideas and principles about unschooling that Dodd has developed.
Sue Patterson
A mother whose unschooled children are now adults writes thoughtfully on a variety of topics related to education and raising children. You can join the Unschooling Blog Carnival from her site.
Unschooled
Nicholas Bergson-Shilcock, a life-long unschooler, lives in NY where he operates Hacker School.
The Unschoolers Emporium
Books, recordings, and materials made by and for unschoolers.
Unschooling.com
Connected to Home Education Magazine, this site is devoted to support all unschoolers.
Unschooling Adventures
Blake Boles (author of Better Than College) provides international trips and retreats for people aged 14 to 22 and older.
Unschooling Catholics
Their site's tag line: "Where Catholicism and Unschooling meet."
Unschooling Circuit Riders
This Yahoo group lists all the state-wide and larger unschooling conferences currently going on.
UnschoolingNYC
Amy Brougher Milstein's musings and descriptions about learning in Manhattan.
Wendy Priesnitz.com
A long-time publisher and author about unschooling, self-directed learning, and green family living. Her blogs contain much wisdom and many resources.
What To Do Instead of School
Blake Boles' newest site provides daily inspiration "a fun, productive, and meaningful suggestion for what you can do with your time instead of (or in addition to) going to school or college."
Whole Family Learning
Kerry McDonald writes about unschooling, learning centers, and related education issues. Her latest book (due in 2019) is Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Classroom.
Magazines about Unschooling
LifeLearning Magazine
Published by Wendy Priesnitz, an unschooling pioneer in Canada.
General Homeschooling Resources
Build Cool, Low Cost Toys at Arvind Gupta Toys
Arvind Gupta is a scientist, performer, toymaker, and education reformer. Be sure to visit the toy part of his site and scroll to the bottom to check out the science experiments. The whole web page tells, through pictures and minimal text, how to create some really interesting things that you and your children can use and play with. Not specifically for homeschoolers, but that's the point: the world is a giant learning environment already, we don't need to create special places or materials where only specially formulated learning occurs.
Best of Homeschooling
This site is jam-packed with good essays and information about homeschooling from all perspectives.
CottageClass.com
Online listings for tutors, classes, and other educational experiences, both local and national.
Homefires
Diane Flynn Keith, author of Carschooling, operates this witty "online journal of homeschooling."
A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling
Anne Zeiss’ wonderful creation. This is one of the friendliest homeschooling sites I know of, and one of the most extensive in terms of resources and free advice. The list of homeschooling laws and regulations is good, as is the list of state homeschooling support groups.
Homeschool.com
A commercial website with materials for sale. One of my favorites is a car magnet that reads: "Warning! Unsocialized homeschoolers on board!"
Learningis4Everyone
The resource page, linked above, is full of information to locate government, educational, and social assets (usually for little or no cost) that you can use as you need.
Against Corporal Punishment
Many educators and parents still seem to think that paddling is a time-tested, valid educational tool that is well-suited to our times: indeed, 19 states permit corporal punishment of students in school. These groups, some founded by homeschoolers, are good resources for finding gentler ways of nurturing good behavior in children. —PF
www.nopunish.net
Norm Lee was an early homeschooling advocate and writer/practitioner about alternative energy, four-season gardening, and the back-to-the-land movement. He now operates this anti-corporal punishment site.
www.stophitting.com
The website for EPOCH USA: End Physical Punishment of Children.
www.parentinginjesusfootsteps.org
Parenting in Jesus' Footsteps has a nurturing, non-violent approach to living and learning with children.
www.childadvocate.org/
Information about the needs and rights of children operated by Laurie Couture, author Instead of Medicating and Punishing.
Documentaries about Learning Without Going to Conventional Schools
In theaters starting October 15th, 2014. All across America, parents are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the state of public education. The current state of our educational system & economy shines a spotlight on problems with traditional schools. Class Dismissed showcases a growing trend in alternative education strategies that are working for many families across America.
Peter Kowalke was unschooled as a child. Now an adult, he interviews 10 homeschoolers to find out how they managed to find work and to reflect on how homeschooling has shaped them.
Writer/director Carol Black's poignant and insightful documentary about poor village children in India who leave their rural areas for schools in the big city and what happens to them and the people they leave behind. It also examines the growth and influence of worldwide compulsory schooling as domination justified by "manifest destiny."
Jason Marsh created three portraits of unschooling families, each one featuring different backgrounds and ages. Parents wondering if unschooled teens will get into college will be inspired by the young man whose passion for blacksmithing and other non-school interests help him gain admission to the University of CA–Berkeley.
Cevin Soling's powerful examination of what life is like for students in public school today, what can be fixed, and what should be abolished.
A documentary film about the Danish free school, Ny Lille Skole, produced by John Holt. The writer/director, Peggy Hughes, writes about the Danish school system and this film in her essay in The Legacy of John Holt.