Living and Learning In a Multigenerational Home
By Christina Nichols

With communication and understanding, unschooling can enrich relationships in a family of different generations, opinions, and experiences.

Image © Aletia/Shutterstock Images

As more families embrace the idea of multigenerational living, people may wonder how to make unschooling work within a family of differing generations, opinions, and experiences.

Though not homeschooled, I was raised in a multigenerational family and greatly valued the experience of growing up with my grandmother living in our home. Three years ago, my own mother began living with our then family of four. We have since grown to six, with three adults and three unschooled children ages nine, four, and two. These last years have not been without challenges, but our journey has been an incredible learning experience for our whole family.

Challenges to unschooling in a multigenerational family

Sharing your home with someone who is at minimally familiar with life learning, and has not pondered and researched it as you have, presents a number of challenges. However, when that individual is someone you and your family love and wish to share your lives with, it can be a wonderful opportunity for growth and learning together.

The first hurdle we encountered was what homeschooling should “look” like. To my mom, who had never before been exposed to the idea of unschooling, it should look an awful lot like school at home. She had visions of watching the younger children for me, while I sat at the table with my oldest son doing lessons and worksheets. However, it looks a lot different in our family. It looks like field trips, games, science experiments, park days, crafting, journaling, baking, exploring Nature, karate class, library trips, and lots and lots of free play time. It looks like following the interests of my three boys, be it geology, ancient Egypt, the Titanic, tractors and farming, or sharks and ocean life. Sometimes, it does look like lessons and worksheets, but that is quite rare and only when initiated by one of the children.

So, understandably, my mom had concerns. This concept of interest-driven learning through life experiences was completely new to her. So we talked about . . .

Christina Nichols is building her small homesteading dream in northeastern Pennsylvania, along with her husband Jason, mother Ruth, and three children Josh, Orion, and Aspen. You can read her blog about their adventures at www.gnomesathome.com.

The term life learning refers to a form of homeschooling that trusts children and avoids the trappings of school. It is sometimes called unschooling, radical unschooling, or natural learning. Life learning children live and learn naturally, with the support of their families, based on their own interests and their own timetables, and without curriculum, tests, or grades. Go here, here and here for a more comprehensive explanation.

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