How do kids learn without school?

As a kid, I always felt school got in the way of learning. During the summer I had time to read the stacks of books I got from the library, explore the woods, and take apart old farm equipment. One summer I made up a measuring system based on a piece of PVC pipe I found and made scale maps of the back yard. I was learning all the time.

But then in September the days were filled with worksheets and spelling quizzes. All my curiosity had to squeeze into the ever briefer hours between school and sunset, the weekends, and that great week between Christmas and New Years.

It never occurred to me that there could be another way. Lately I’ve been searching for other options. Here is a list of what I’ve found so far.

These writers generally argue that kids learn very well without school. They see people as naturally curious learners. The trappings of school (like tests, grades, age levels, standard curriculum, teacher-centered classrooms, and so on) are unnecessary and actually disrupt people’s joy in learning. It is best, these books argue, to give kids (or anyone) resources, time, encouragement, and help (if asked) to learn what and how they want.

I would have loved unschooling as a kid.

From the list, I especially like Kerry McDonald’s Unschooled— it’s a great combination of philosophy, history, and practical advice. Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society is an often referenced philosophical statement with a lot of ideas worth pondering.

Book list

Do you have any resources I should add to this list? Have you read any of these? If, so, share your thoughts below!