Four year-old No. Three had a blast at her cooking class today! That’s right. I said it. Unschooling kids take classes. There’s a common misconception that unschooling kids sit quietly in their homes, learning everything through mere osmosis. It’s no wonder—given this misconception—that many people think unschooling, ‘Just couldn’t work!’ The difference between kids that are unschooled and those who aren’t, well at least one of the differences, is that unschooling kids only attend the classes they want to.
That single small difference in personal control makes for an amazingly large difference in how they interact with the class. Three is delighted to be in her cooking class. It’s all grins and giggle from the time she enters class until the time she leaves. Don’t get the wrong idea though! Grinning and giggling does not mean she’s goofing off. Her attention is locked on the instructor’s every word. She follows the steps, measuring ingredients, mixing, placing this weeks dish in the pan or pot that will cook it. She’s in the zone. I wish we could find more classes for her like this, but since she’s four, and the outside world seems to think most learning happens at six, there aren’t a lot opportunities. I’ve written about this conundrum elsewhere.
Just to emphasize, the only reason Three is so enthralled is because she loves the subject matter, cooking. She’s even started modifying her breakfast orders at home so she can be more involved with the process. Three prefers a good over-easy egg for breakfast when it’s offered. Lately though, she’s been modifying her order, “What are broken eggs again?” she’ll ask.
“Those are scrambled,” I’ll reply.
“How are they cooked? Are those the ones that are mixed up?”
“Yup!”
“I’ll have broken eggs please!”
The reason Three now prefers broken eggs is because while I won’t let her near the frying pan yet, she is allowed to do all the other prep steps for broken eggs. She gets to break the eggs into a bowl; she gets to beat them with a fork; she gets to bring the bowl over to the stove. Three loves cooking, and wants as much of it as she can get!
So, yeah, unschoolers do go to classes, just only to the ones they prefer, and it makes all the difference in the world! They’re engaged, they’re passionate! Why? They get a say in their lives, and because of that—just like it works for adults—they’re infinitely happier with the results!
That single small difference in personal control makes for an amazingly large difference in how they interact with the class. Three is delighted to be in her cooking class. It’s all grins and giggle from the time she enters class until the time she leaves. Don’t get the wrong idea though! Grinning and giggling does not mean she’s goofing off. Her attention is locked on the instructor’s every word. She follows the steps, measuring ingredients, mixing, placing this weeks dish in the pan or pot that will cook it. She’s in the zone. I wish we could find more classes for her like this, but since she’s four, and the outside world seems to think most learning happens at six, there aren’t a lot opportunities. I’ve written about this conundrum elsewhere.
Just to emphasize, the only reason Three is so enthralled is because she loves the subject matter, cooking. She’s even started modifying her breakfast orders at home so she can be more involved with the process. Three prefers a good over-easy egg for breakfast when it’s offered. Lately though, she’s been modifying her order, “What are broken eggs again?” she’ll ask.
“Those are scrambled,” I’ll reply.
“How are they cooked? Are those the ones that are mixed up?”
“Yup!”
“I’ll have broken eggs please!”
The reason Three now prefers broken eggs is because while I won’t let her near the frying pan yet, she is allowed to do all the other prep steps for broken eggs. She gets to break the eggs into a bowl; she gets to beat them with a fork; she gets to bring the bowl over to the stove. Three loves cooking, and wants as much of it as she can get!
So, yeah, unschoolers do go to classes, just only to the ones they prefer, and it makes all the difference in the world! They’re engaged, they’re passionate! Why? They get a say in their lives, and because of that—just like it works for adults—they’re infinitely happier with the results!
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