My journey of unschooling, interest led/child led learning, & curriculum - high school to elementary

My story of unlearning the school system mindset, as a former teacher turned homeschooling mom of five - elementary, middle school, and high school kids. Hear about my journey of curriculum, unschooling, and interest led/child led learning.
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Hi! I’m Jess of Silo & Sage. I’m glad you found your way to my channel! I’m a former teacher turned homeschooling mom of five living on a small homestead in Wisconsin. I love to help you cultivate your home, by sharing all things homestead, homeschool, homemaking, and handmade. I hope you find practical tips, encouragement, and inspiration here!
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[@laurenmcranmer]

As a newly committed homeschool mom, it's videos like this that take away some anxiety and excite me to take it on. Thank you 🙏

[@karenlegg9695]

Me too!

[@LashusJourney]

Same here, we got this!!

[@Sevenarrowsacademy]

23 year homeschool/unschooling vet here. Graduated 3 so far. Kids learn something everyday there's no need to shove it into them.

[@10KidsandAGarage]

It’s so nice to hear from moms that were teachers before. I can’t only imagine how different you feel now. That is so awesome that you changed your mind to homeschool your children. Thanks for sharing

[@jillcain5267]

I just discovered your channel and your products and I LOVE them! So I have been homeschooling for 23 years and all I can say is "Me too!" to everything you said. I am currently teaching five kids and four have graduated and it is so encouraging to hear someone else say these things. I have been homeschooling this way for seven years and it is awesome! I love your philosophies and your practical ideas. I'm looking forward to watching some more of your videos and looking into more of your products. God bless you and your family and thank you for blessing others by sharing all that you've learned.

[@carinarey8977]

Thank You so Much for this video! I just started homeschooling this year and some days have been so hard that i have been so so close to quitting, 😢

[@joselynesanchez8865]

I just discovered your channel through the rooted Homelife channel. I'm so glad I found your lady's channels. I have been homeschooling for three years and still need so much to learn. I didn't specifically have a certain way of homeschooling. But I know that I was getting to the point of pushing my kids to do things how they should. I was ignoring the signs that they were struggling. I just loved all that you mentioned in the video and it just resonated with me and how I would like homeschool to be at home. So thank you so much i have decided to unwire my thinking about school and focus more at home giving my children more freedom to choose what they are excited about learning and guiding them through the process! Will continue watching your videos :)

[@creativekingdomkids6045]

This sounds exactly like me. I was a previous teacher, then you've a home day care when mine were younger and we did so much guided learning but if that weren't interested for long, we would stop. Wouldn't force it. And lately I've been feeling the fight to keep doing curriculum... that I wanted to work so bad... to let it go. I love your driver's seat analogy! That's exactly how I'm feeling currently as I plan out next year. I'm learning to ditch most curriculum and using journals to let them guide their own learning, let them do things that they will use in their future, etc. I'm using a timeline for history. We will go over something each day. If they're interested, we will spend a few days on it but if not, we will move on. Math is the only curriculum I'm using but Fridays will be our cooking days instead to use bath in a whole new way.

[@rg1whiteywins598]

I hated sitting still in school. I squirmed and stared out the window. School was miserable and felt like a giant waste of time.

[@myrnaorellana8831]

This is everything!!! I’m so happy you are putting out this content!!! Thank u mamma !!🥰🥰

[@SiloandSage]

You are so welcome! 💛

[@blessedhomeschoolmess]

I’ve been struggling with my newly diagnosed adhd child with her reluctant learning this past year and I’m terrified to honestly throw curriculum in front of her in the next couple weeks that we go back. I’m so structured and she thrives on structure but I can’t seem to find balance when planning I keep adding /taking out / not simplifying and yet still asking myself what is education? Sigh. Feeling lost lately. Thank you for the insight I need to find something to push me into unschooling where my heart feels guided to.

[@calledtospeaktruth]

I homeschool and unschool. For language and math my kids will do online or a work book. But no pressure and they Learn on their day to day. My daughter is 12 and she already knows what she wants to do with her life. She wants to become a baker. She is artistic loves to draw and put characters in her story books that she creates. I just support her in what she wants to do and that encourages her. So she focuses on baking, plays piano and likes to sing. My son that’s 9 is good with numbers and math. I never actually taught him he just figured it out himself. He can solve a cube under 1 minute and he likes chess ♟️ and basketball 🏀 and I just encourage him in that. My kids read every day wherever we go and when they watch TV they love to read subtitles. 😊 My kids learn and work to earn their own money. If you have kids in the public school system and they are asking to be homeschooled or unschooled. You should listen to them and give them a chance.

[@Dreblueskies]

Glad I found your channel, now I gotta watch your curriculum choices 😊

[@caroldraper5017]

Im an ex public school teacher as well. I quit and started homeschooling after I read Summerhill by A.S. Neill. Its about a school in England that is still there after 100 years!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Such an awesome video, Jess!

[@SiloandSage]

Thanks so much, Chelsea!

[@torontocomcaramelo6013]

Amazing and inspiring content! I will follow a similar approach with my kid, thank you for sharing and helping me find out this exists and pointing us towards more resources and practical examples of how it can be done. You’ve likely contributed to changing my kid’s education and childhood significantly for the better. 🙏🏼

[@Cocreatewithus]

I did a lot of interest led learning with my kids in their pre and elementary years. The most lovely years of our lives, before they were forced into the standard public school boxes for a few years. So, a constant question i have had, and have, even now that they are adults on their own, is SCIENCE. If a kid has high aspirations to do something in the science field, be it a doctor, a vet, a biologist, etc., what do they do prior to college to prepare them for the subjects absolutely needed? Do they learn to double down and do whatever it takes is necessary to get there? Learn higher math, learn basic and advanced biology and anatomy and physiology, and chemistry, and writing research papers, learn the subjects that colleges require prior to entry? How does a kid look at all those long term goals wothout frustration? I'm not saying it's impossible, just asking how it's done in this type of education?

[@JessicaTothASL]

Just the kind of video I need - thank you!

[@bakerbrewz]

Letting my kids run wild! Yup that's where we are at! Haha I have 2 young boys and they have lots of energy so we do a lot of running/dancing/exercising/exploring and more! So I can definitely relate that right now we are more in the unschooling phase of life with nature and life, exploring and letting just everyday instances teach us and intrigue us. I can't see curriculum working for us right now but who knows what curves and interests will be piqued. I love how you said "curriculum can be a great TOOL that SUPPORTS your childs' interest led learning." even though you are unschool focused overall that doesn't mean you can't ever use or have a curriculum. Thank you for this well expressed video! Super useful and inspiration.

[@Livefree6922]

Love the video! I'm in Wisconsin too!

[@blessedservant]

This video is so liberating. Thank you.

[@letthespiritlive]

I'm excited to hear this!

[@jazz77T]

This video was a tremendous help, so fantastic 😊

[@melodyandhermunchkins6548]

Love this video so very much!!! I have started letting my girls pick out some of their education and what they want to learn about❤

[@SiloandSage]

That’s awesome! I find that the things my kids choose are often the things they remember the most 🙂

[@carolines2088]

Such a great video and great thoughts. I'm brand new at this so we are still at the Worksheet and workbook stage. Sometimes I'm so spent at the end of the day that I can even think about bringing in something else. Maybe it's time to change it somehow...

[@deborasmith5191]

I am in a similar situation with my 6 year old. Sometimes I feel as though I am just doing what the public school is doing at home. Last week we were doing worksheets and it felt like a one on one student -teacher kind of environment. My son doesn't really like school because I have pushed him to sit and do x amount. I am really interested in another way because he sometimes hates it. Worksheets and stuff bore him. I homeschooled last year for kindergarten and this year I am using curriculum because I was stressed out not using any. We have been trying short lessons like the Charlotte Mason approach, but some days it is more mom led.

[@Seeking_Zóé]

Thank you! ☺️

[@murridithvines]

oh, I love this. New subscriber!!!

[@deborasmith5191]

This video is great because I am feeling as though I am still in the public school mindset! I would like to get away from that more since it doesn't thrill me or my son.

[@liacurry1076]

Highly recommend the book Free to Learn if you need some inspiration

[@kellyhastings1864]

@@liacurry1076Free to Learn by Peter Gray or by Pam Laricchia?

[@liacurry1076]

@@kellyhastings1864 Peter Gray ❤️

[@LionWolverine]

I've been considering going from a structured, 'purist' Charlotte Mason approach, to something more relaxed/CM inspired for a couple of years! I also have five children, oldest is 12, but my worry is that my younger ones will fall through the cracks without a structured schedule we have to follow. And the schedule also keeps me from being distracted by housework, online work, errands. When my older ones were little I spent so much time with them, but now that we have different ages it been really hard to balance everyone's needs (my 9 and 11 yo do not work independently at all and would spend all day reading Calvin and Hobbes and running around outside 😬)

[@SisterBirthBrooke]

This is so good! Loving it

[@SiloandSage]

Thank you, Brooke! 💛💛

[@unconditionallovehomeschoo1830]

Love your videos

[@loiscolbert6808]

Hello how are you doing? Thank you for doing the video. It really helped me somewhat understand homeschooling. I have an autistic special needs homebound child and I'm just learning a little about this please send me more info on how to get started and how may I sign up for the interest led learning. Thank You so much!

[@megnlu]

Went from Charlotte Mason to child-led & now struggling g what I'm to do. Wondering if we should go back to out CM style structure. I'm just stressed due to having a high schooler next year 😩 Woukd love advice

[@Warefamily2024]

Anyone have a planner to share that can be edited

[@LashusJourney]

It’s nice to hear from mom that was teacher before. We are homeschooling our children too.

[@jordyndahlke4633]

I’m currently doing my research on homeschooling/unschooling. Eventually when my kids are done with there private elementary school after 6th grade, they would have to go to public school which I’m strongly against. My husband is strongly against homeschooling. Like you said, it’s hard to not picture how to school like the public school. My question is how do you go about getting a transcript and the paperwork you need to get into colleges?

[@letthespiritlive]

I love to have a conversation with you sometime! We kind of unschooled in the beginning but then I became strict with curriculum and now they hate school.

[@pinkorganichorse]

I so agree with you on all of it, I think. Except LA curriculum. I'm willing to bed you never fully tried logic of english.

[@whyjustwhy2168]

What if you are just making it financially is this a good idea? I am a single parent and really want to change our life just don't know how

[@rlewis9562]

I have a very bright twelve year old, but she hates, hates structured learning! She's very good at maths but really got burnt out by it following a curriculum, so we're finding gentle alternative ways of doing maths type things - but it's not structured curriculum which scares me! Likewise with English, because she's dyslexic/dysgraphic she flatly refuses to write. I write for her, but worry she's missing many elements without doing it herself. I feel I can chill out on the other subjects (she wants to become a zoologists so science is pretty easy, and is an avid reader), but really worry she's not getting enough of the other two R's! Do you have any words of wisdom?

[@amyezell8569]

I have kids with dyslexia and dysgraphia, too. Here are some things that work for us. For writing, try journaling, copywork, and narration. Absolutely keep scribing for her. It is ok to use assistive devices like speech-to-text. My girls have also started writing to a pen pal. For math, cooking and baking and games have really helped improve math skills.

[@amyezell8569]

Oh, we also write lists (e.g. grocery lists. Each of my 4 kids (14-22; we have graduated 1) have taken over planning and preparing a meal each week. This involves reading, writing, and math. They also plan and purchase gifts for each other's birthdays and for Christmas. If there is something they want to purchase for themselves, they work out a plan on how they are going to earn money, save, and purchase what they want. These things also involve writing and math. What we have found is that they will learn to do the writing and math involved to pursue their interests, whether that means communicating with a friend, cooking, baking, following and playing sports (one son writes his predictions for college basketball brackets and draft picks in football), keeping a diary or journal, and creating stories.

[@amyezell8569]

Oh, we also write lists (e.g. grocery lists. Each of my 4 kids (14-22; we have graduated 1) have taken over planning and preparing a meal each week. This involves reading, writing, and math. They also plan and purchase gifts for each other's birthdays and for Christmas. If there is something they want to purchase for themselves, they work out a plan on how they are going to earn money, save, and purchase what they want. These things also involve writing and math. What we have found is that they will learn to do the writing and math involved to pursue their interests, whether that means communicating with a friend, cooking, baking, following and playing sports (one son writes his predictions for college basketball brackets and draft picks in football), keeping a diary or journal, and creating stories.

[@worldpeace1822]

Im still confused. There has to be some standard on what someone has to learn until they finished. At least on a basic level .. everything else can be open to oneself I’m fine with that.

[@psikeyhackr6914]

Ever tried Science Fiction? And I do not mean stuff like Star Wars. The best description for that is Space Fantasy. Try: *A Fall of Moondust* by Arthur C Clarke He used Plato's Allegory of the Cave to explain infrared perception of reality. *Orphans of the Sky* & *Citizen of the Galaxy* by Robert Heinlein *The Gods Themselves* by Isaac Asimov *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* by James P Hogan Good SF can contain scientific, technological and social ideas. Most of the "fight the alien invaders" is just shallow, macho entertainment. But interesting aliens are possible: *The Gibraltar Earth trilogy* by Michael McCollum I started reading science fiction in 4th grade. A nun told my older sister, "science and religion don't mix". I decided to go to college for engineering in 7th grade. School is about psychological conditioning and memorization.

[@ilmareofthemaiar]

Liking biology is not the same as caring for chickens. You can’t be a biologist for example, based on caring for chickens.

[@Magdalena287]

My comment got deleted because I corrected you on the definition of unschooling? That’s interesting 🤨

[@SiloandSage]

I’m not sure what comment you made, but I didn’t delete any 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@OGMizSassy]

My 10 year old daughter is literally having panic attacks and breakdowns at night and before school. She has a iep she is so stressed and so am I ! She has not learned to read and write. I’ve had my limit with public education system. I sold my house to buy land so that I can put more of my focus on my daughter and her education. I am currently looking for employment it’s kinda a hard decision to make. If anyone feels lead to help me please 🙏🏻 feel free to contact me