--- product_id: 128602453 title: "Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom" price: "$41.24" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/128602453-unschooled-raising-curious-well-educated-children-outside-the-conventional-classroom store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom **Price:** $41.24 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom - **How much does it cost?** $41.24 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/128602453-unschooled-raising-curious-well-educated-children-outside-the-conventional-classroom) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom: Read Kindle Store Reviews - desertcart.com Review: This book is a GEM! - After six years of homeschooling my kids, I've finally come to the conclusion that we are probably better off unschooling! Here is just one example. My second oldest has struggled with learning how to read for years. He resisted with every fiber of his being. I would back off for a while and then try again. Same response. He just couldn't be pushed. The anxiety and tears he experienced was just too much for him. I finally decided that it wasn't worth the fight. I couldn't force him to learn something he wasn't ready for. I let go and tried to trust that he would read when he was ready. He is nine, almost ten, now and is just barely starting to read. He is showing interest in early readers and will actually willingly read to me as long as I'm not the one that suggests it. This is a huge milestone for him. After reading "Unschooling", I am convinced that unschooling can work. Kerry is extremely knowledgable and has provided ample research to support her claims. She provides an overview of how the compulsory education (schooling) system began in the United States and includes how it is failing children today. Over and over she iterates that education and schooling are NOT synonymous. I agree 1000%. She talks about how our "schooled" mindset leads us to think that children need to be taught in order to learn. But this is simply not true! She provides copious examples that illustrate just how much children can learn when given the freedom to follow their own specific interests. When left to their own devices, children will constantly be learning and exploring because it is important to them! There is so much I wish I could share from this book, but you just need to read it yourself. It is SO. GOOD. I wish I could give a copy of this book to all parents, not just homeschooling ones! I know that unschooling has formerly been a radical idea, but when you break it down and look at the research and success stories, I think it should be considered by more parents, families, and educators. We can't change anything unless we challenge the norm. If you are wanting to learn more about unschooling, or how child-led learning works, you need to read this book! Review: Homeschooling Food for Thought - I'm too insecure to unschool - I admit it! I like a curriculum that I can thumb through and see where it is taking us. But I'm also from a generation that has nearly always known what it was like to have GPS at your fingertips. The concept of just seeing where the road will take you is a little bit terrifying to me -- but also exciting. But I am a fan of Kerry McDonald's writing, especially at Fee.org. Her rational and support of homeschooling is always well-researched and can shut up even the most ardent critics of homeschooling. So, of course I wanted to give her book a read! It didn't disappoint. Most books about homeschooling are more narrative in style, which can be nice and encouraging, but if you want some meat to justify just how wonderful homeschooling is at the Thanksgiving dinner table to all of your relatives that want to quiz your children, read this! Even if you use a more structured approach to your homeschool you'll enjoy this book. Although we are pretty structured, it has encouraged me to be more adventurous with my own kids during these spring/summer months and I have to say, it's been fun allowing ourselves a little freedom until our co-op begins again in the fall. And isn't that the beauty of homeschooling? To allow ourselves to try something new? To model that for our kids? In doing so, we truly learn more about ourselves than just following a prescribed, worn path. So whatever your family's homeschooling philosophies, give this one a read! Even if you don't become a full unschooler, you'll surely come away with some fresh ideas. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B07HCTXG6Y | | Accessibility | Learn more | | Best Sellers Rank | #321,231 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #13 in Non-Formal Education #70 in Homeschooling (Kindle Store) #83 in Education Philosophy & Social Aspects | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (448) | | Enhanced typesetting | Enabled | | File size | 3.1 MB | | Grade level | Kindergarten - 12 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1641600668 | | Language | English | | Page Flip | Enabled | | Print length | 275 pages | | Publication date | May 7, 2019 | | Publisher | Chicago Review Press | | Screen Reader | Supported | | Word Wise | Enabled | | X-Ray | Enabled | ## Images ![Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81wf1fw+ClL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book is a GEM! *by A***Y on September 27, 2019* After six years of homeschooling my kids, I've finally come to the conclusion that we are probably better off unschooling! Here is just one example. My second oldest has struggled with learning how to read for years. He resisted with every fiber of his being. I would back off for a while and then try again. Same response. He just couldn't be pushed. The anxiety and tears he experienced was just too much for him. I finally decided that it wasn't worth the fight. I couldn't force him to learn something he wasn't ready for. I let go and tried to trust that he would read when he was ready. He is nine, almost ten, now and is just barely starting to read. He is showing interest in early readers and will actually willingly read to me as long as I'm not the one that suggests it. This is a huge milestone for him. After reading "Unschooling", I am convinced that unschooling can work. Kerry is extremely knowledgable and has provided ample research to support her claims. She provides an overview of how the compulsory education (schooling) system began in the United States and includes how it is failing children today. Over and over she iterates that education and schooling are NOT synonymous. I agree 1000%. She talks about how our "schooled" mindset leads us to think that children need to be taught in order to learn. But this is simply not true! She provides copious examples that illustrate just how much children can learn when given the freedom to follow their own specific interests. When left to their own devices, children will constantly be learning and exploring because it is important to them! There is so much I wish I could share from this book, but you just need to read it yourself. It is SO. GOOD. I wish I could give a copy of this book to all parents, not just homeschooling ones! I know that unschooling has formerly been a radical idea, but when you break it down and look at the research and success stories, I think it should be considered by more parents, families, and educators. We can't change anything unless we challenge the norm. If you are wanting to learn more about unschooling, or how child-led learning works, you need to read this book! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Homeschooling Food for Thought *by W***G on June 28, 2019* I'm too insecure to unschool - I admit it! I like a curriculum that I can thumb through and see where it is taking us. But I'm also from a generation that has nearly always known what it was like to have GPS at your fingertips. The concept of just seeing where the road will take you is a little bit terrifying to me -- but also exciting. But I am a fan of Kerry McDonald's writing, especially at Fee.org. Her rational and support of homeschooling is always well-researched and can shut up even the most ardent critics of homeschooling. So, of course I wanted to give her book a read! It didn't disappoint. Most books about homeschooling are more narrative in style, which can be nice and encouraging, but if you want some meat to justify just how wonderful homeschooling is at the Thanksgiving dinner table to all of your relatives that want to quiz your children, read this! Even if you use a more structured approach to your homeschool you'll enjoy this book. Although we are pretty structured, it has encouraged me to be more adventurous with my own kids during these spring/summer months and I have to say, it's been fun allowing ourselves a little freedom until our co-op begins again in the fall. And isn't that the beauty of homeschooling? To allow ourselves to try something new? To model that for our kids? In doing so, we truly learn more about ourselves than just following a prescribed, worn path. So whatever your family's homeschooling philosophies, give this one a read! Even if you don't become a full unschooler, you'll surely come away with some fresh ideas. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent and important book about education *by J***N on June 27, 2019* In Unschooled Kerry McDonald presents the case against traditional schooling and for unschooling, which is a form of homeschooling. In traditional schooling she says, “The most important lesson for children to learn is obedience and memorization.” It is a product of the industrial age and no longer relevant in what she terms the “Imagination Age.” Schooling she says, “results in a pattern of conformity, obedience and authoritarianism and prevents the development of creativity, exuberance, natural curiosity and inventiveness that are the hallmarks of the Imagination Age.” She distinguishes unschooling from homeschooling in that the latter is more structured and typically includes a curriculum, whereas unschooling is more self-directed learning in which the child decides what he or she wants to learn. Moreover, unschooling is “a moral choice” that “gives children more freedom and control over their lives by letting them learn instead of being schooled.” Ms. McDonald also provides numerous examples of unschooling choices and each chapter includes several unschooling tips. I think this book is extremely important reading for parents, teachers and anyone who is concerned with education. At the same time there are considerations that Ms. McDonald does not really address. For one ,not every parent can engage in unschooling, either because he or she has to work to earn income needed just to live or because the parent lacks the qualifications to unschool the child (McDonald unschooled her children, but she has a masters in education from the Harvard School of Education. Other mothers who unschool their children have similar degrees.) Secondly, one of the most important features of school is that it is a certificating system—the goal is to get a formal recognition that the student has competed a certain degree of education, i.e. a diploma. In my case for example, I have several such diplomas including a doctoral degree and while I believe that I have learned a lot more outside of school than inside, this formal piece of paper is what has enabled me to get many of the jobs I have gotten. The author states that many students who are unschooled do get into universities, but at that point their education becomes “schooled.” Finally the author does not address the question of how school can be made more like unschool, since it is not likely that the entrenched education establishment will convert the present system to one that is like the unschooled model. This book should be required reading for all members of that establishment. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/128602453-unschooled-raising-curious-well-educated-children-outside-the-conventional-classroom](https://www.desertcart.us/products/128602453-unschooled-raising-curious-well-educated-children-outside-the-conventional-classroom) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-06-24*