Name and Title:
Laurie A. Couture, Author of Instead of Medicating and Punishing and Attachment Parenting/Unschooling Coach
Organization Name:
LaurieACouture.com
Co-Presenter Name(s):
Brycen R. R. Couture, Grown unschooler; Vocalist and songwriter of Serenade II Darkness; Artisan; son of Laurie
Area of the World from Which You Will Present:
New England in the USA
Language in Which You Will Present:
English
Target Audience(s):
Parents and youth who are considering unschooling; unschooling families getting started; unschooling families who are seeking support and inspiration
Short Session Description (one line):
Laurie and her grown unschooled son, Brycen discuss how youth can reignite their innate passion for learning and living through the freedom of unschooling.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
Children are each born with an innate passion for learning and a unique purpose to contribute to the world in a creative manner. Traditional schooling, with its structure of forced academics, confinement, time-stealing and denial of children's basic needs often strangles children's innate passion and craving for learning and creating, especially for artistic, musical and kinesthetic learners. Media and screen addiction are also responsible for distracting youth from their creative talents, from physical activities and from engaging in real world adventures.
Unschooling is not a new trend, nor is it a new way of learning. Although the term "unschooling" was coined by the late homeschool pioneer, John Holt in 1977, the practice of children living and learning in freedom, through play and exploration, is as old as humanity. Nature intended youth of all ages, from infants and toddlers to older children and adolescents, to learn through play, exploration, creative expression, movement, family and social interaction and by following one's passions, interests and abilities.
Although unschooling is nature's intent for all children, no two young people will venture on their unschooling journey in the same manner. Some youth prefer a more structured approach to learning, while many youth crave freedom and constant stimulation. Most youth need a combination of both. Unschooling caters to all three learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, auditory) and all seven forms of intelligence!
Laurie will be discussing learning theory, unschooling in the context of attachment parenting, how unschooling meets the developmental needs of youth and how our Hunter-Gatherer tribal ancestors "unschooled" for millennia in the context of "attachment parenting". She will discuss the unschooling journey of her family and how families can get started on their own unschooling journey, today, whether your child is 5 or 17!
Brycen will be discussing some of his unschooling experiences and how unschooling met his needs as a learner, musician, artist and human being. He will discuss how unschooling allowed him to pursue his music career, start a small business and focus on community service, family and friends. He will also be discussing the dilemmas of working through dealing with the expectations of the "outside world" when people who live by traditional views of schooling, growing up, work and play do not value freedom in young people to live, grow and meet milestones on their own unique time tables. He will also discuss how he dealt with the constraints of state homeschool regulations.
Both Laurie and Brycen will address many other issues relating to unschooling as well, including how to unschool in a way to fit state regulations, eliminating media focus, increasing community involvement, how to meet friends and how start homeschool groups.
Participants will walk away with the knowledge to embark on their own family unschool adventure!
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
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