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7 Smart ''Unschooling'' Tips to Practice Now — Even If Your Child Is in ''Regular'' School

by Erin Dower

You don't have to homeschool your child in order to enhance her learning with experiences outside the classroom, according to author and education thought leader Clark Aldrich. In his book "Unschooling Rules: 55 Ways to Unlearn What We Know About Schools and Rediscover Education," Aldrich asserts that some of the best learning experiences happen outside the walls of a classroom and the boundaries of school curriculum. Incorporate some or all of Aldrich's "7 Cs of education" to round out your child's schooling and foster a love of learning.

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1. Curricula: Explore What Your Child Loves

"When public schools first came along, the curriculum was probably the most important thing they had to offer," Aldrich said. Children attended school so that they could access information that was otherwise hard to find. Even 20 years ago, you had to go to a library to find learning materials. Now, with the explosion of the Internet, information is all around us, but a lot of school curricula were developed in a bygone era, he said.

Aldrich encourages parents to let their child explore topics they're passionate about that aren't taught in-depth or at all in school. For example, if your child loves animals, search for and watch YouTube videos about farming or veterinary science together. "Every kid is dying to figure out, ‘Who am I? What am I passionate about?'" Aldrich said. School often only hits the tip of the iceberg for any given topic that a child might love.

Next: 2. Content: Learn Beyond the Classroom

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