As a young mom preparing to homeschool my children, I read a lot of books about different educational styles. What resonated the most was the philosophy of “unschooling”, which states that children (and adults!) learn best from real life situations; that all life is a form of schooling; that there is no need to artificially separate “school” from “life”.
Taking this philosophy to heart with my own charges, I set out to create an education for them by skipping traditional curriculum, living our lives instead. This meant lots of trips to the library for books of all kinds and to the local State Capitol to talk with lawmakers about various situations. This meant grocery shopping, swim lessons, concerts, and plays. My children learned to cook, read books of all kinds, wrote newspapers about cat antics, and, oh yeah, practiced their musical instruments (the only required daily homework for a family of musicians!)