Students in PAX Academy are able to earn academic credits by “taking their time” and pursuing their unique passions and interests in ways that are most meaningful for them. This is the heart behind the unschooling philosophy.
Colleges refer to this type of learning as “portfolio credit.”
Everything that you do in your life is an opportunity to learn, and through PAX Academy, we will help you convert your real life, real world experiences into academic credits. You can earn portfolio credit for the learning that you have done in many different ways, including:
- full- or part-time jobs
- independent reading or study
- open-source courses
- training programs or in-service courses
- volunteer work
- cultural and artistic pursuits
- hobbies
- recreational activities
- volunteer or community service
- military service
- education abroad
- organizational memberships
Below you can read examples of different children in different ages and stages of life and explore what unschooling might look like for them.
Benjamin is a happy 7-year-old boy who loves animals. In order to facilitate his learning, his mother plans fun and engaging life experiences based on those interests. She also observes his natural inclinations throughout their normal daily life. For example,
- Language Arts:
- Read books about animals,
- Write or tell stories featuring their favorite animals as the main characters,
- Memorize poems about animals
- Math:
- Count birds on a nature walk,
- Do addition and subtraction with eggs collected from a backyard chicken flock,
- Play math games on ABCya that involve animals
- Science:
- Watch documentaries about a specific species,
- Order dissection kits to learn about anatomy of animals,
- Visit a farm/zoo to learn about animals in real life
- Social Studies:
- Explore different animals while traveling in different countries,
- Talk about extinct animals while visiting a Natural History Museum
- Discuss “family dynamics” of different types of animals
- Art:
- Draw pictures of his favorite animals,
- Sculpt animals from play-dough,
- Watch YouTube tutorials to learn how to paint animals
- Music:
- Sing songs about animals,
- Play with different instruments “loud” and “soft” like various animals,
- Dance to music like different animals
- Technology:
- Build a robot in their favorite animal’s shape,
- Create and edit videos on Canva about animals,
- Take a field trip to a local animal shelter and interview the staff about the technology involved to keep animals safe
- Health:
- Read books about healthy foods that come from animals,
- Make your own homemade butter,
- Watch YouTube videos about how to care for a particular animal (or pet)
- Physical Education:
- Play animal-based gross motor games outside,
- Swim like a dolphin,
- Jump like a kangaroo
- World Languages or Career:
- Learn animal vocabulary in another language on DuoLingo
- Start a business caring for animals (my daughter actually started her own business caring for dogs when she was 7 years old and has learned a LOT through that real life career-based experience).
Sophia is a vibrant and creative 12-year-old girl who has always had a passion for art. As a self-directed learner, she has pursued her passion in many different ways. For example,
- Language Arts:
- designing her own graphic novel,
- reading books about famous artists,
- writing a letter to her favorite artist
- Math:
- selling her artwork at a local market and calculating the profits,
- incorporating 3D images in her art,
- using multiplication to keep count of her art supplies
- Science:
- Watching a documentary about the science of colors and light,
- Learning about states of matter with epoxy
- Conducting experiments with different types of paints
- Social Studies:
- Drawing animal habitats and landscapes,
- Visiting a famous art museum
- Examining the art of ancient civilizations
- Art:
- Drawing illustrations for her stories,
- Being mentored by a local artist
- Watching YouTube tutorials to learn new drawing techniques
- Music:
- practice the piano for fun,
- create a song in GarageBand,
- go to a concert
- Technology:
- explore programs like ProCreate and Adobe that professional artists use,
- use Canva to create flyers for an upcoming art show
- Edit videos for her YouTube channel featuring art tutorials
- Health:
- Read books about the impact of art on mental health,
- Create Christmas cards for children in the local hospital
- Draw pictures of her favorite healthy foods
- Physical Education:
- Dance!
- Try out synchronized swimming
- Perform in a musical
- World Languages or Career:
- Read a book about art from different countries and cultures
- Watch a documentary about a famous artist
- Start a business selling arts and crafts
Ethan is a 15-year-old young man who enjoys playing videos games and live streaming on YouTube. He plans to go to college and study software engineering with the hope of becoming a video game designer. His education looks different than a traditional education. For example,
- Language Arts:
- Read books about software engineering
- Write a catchy description for his gaming YouTube videos,
- Talk about the storyline and the characters of his favorite video game
- Math:
- Since he plans to go to college, he chooses to study Algebra through Khan Academy,
- Practice coding,
- Study for the AP Calculus test
- Science:
- Experiment with physics simulations for the video game he is designing,
- Read articles about computer science
- Incorporate the scientific method in order to get to a new level in his favorite game
- Social Studies:
- Use the map in a video game in order to navigate around
- Play a video game based on the Medieval era
- Watch a documentary about the history of video games
- Art:
- Digitally create scenes and characters for his video game
- Use ProCreate to design an animation
- Watch a YouTube tutorial about Adobe Illustrator
- Music:
- Create the various music clips needed for his video game
- Add sound effects
- Research digital music software
- Technology:
- Watch videos on Udemy about Artificial Intelligence (AI),
- Research software used by video game designers,
- Download apps for coding
- Health:
- Research about the impact of video games on health
- Serve healthy snacks to his gaming friends
- Experiment with different blue light glasses
- Physical Education:
- Play a boxing game on a virtual reality set
- Go on a daily walk for exercise
- Take martial arts classes
- World Languages or Career:
- Interview a video game designer
- Attend a convention for YouTube gamers
- Start working as a video game coach