Unschooling: What is it and how is it done?

I am intrigued by this method of schooling, but am not sure how it works our practically in the high school years. I have no doubts about the parents or students capabilities or initiative, my questions are about records and how to make it look like credits towards graduation and a grade point average towards college.

Personally, I wish I had known about unschooling when I began. I can't tell you how many tears my daughter and I shed over...I'll say it...stupid curriculum. My tears were from frustration as I saw my bright girl withdraw. She has always been a scholar, but by her second year of school we knew traditional curriculum was not going to work. She was very sensitive to condescension and couldn't stand it. We moved on to a much more flexible unit study/character based curriculum which basically let us pick and choose what we studied. Much better. My dream has always been to simply let my children's curiosity guide their learning, but then the blasted governmental regulations interfere, forcing us into a box. You must study thus and thus by this time, etc.

So again, my question. How do you make unschool look like school on paper? My children are in high school now, my daughter is graduated.

I would say that every state has different laws and paperwork that is required. In order to help answer tell me what state your in.I am going to register my son in a umbrella school,it's a private school for homeschoolers but he doesn't go to it. They mail everything to the school board or state..whatever and the only thing i have to do is mark yearly attendace and send it to them with the yearly fee. The other option(read:more government involved) is to register with the school board,maintain a portfolio,have my son a yearly evaluation.there are ways to make what your kids do sound like"educationese".

I'm in Canada (BC) and am with a online school sort of thing: http://www.selfdesign.org/ where you report every week on what you are learning. In January you do a "Seasonal Review" which talks about your learning highlights from Sep.-Jan. and then in June you do a "Annual Review" which talks about your learning highlights from Sep.-June. I think it's a good way to do it but I don't enjoy the reporting.
There is also a "Village" where you can discuss things with other learners, parents and LCs (Learning Consultants). Each year you get 1,000 dollars for learning expenses (half for kindergarten).
Self Design is only for BC residents but there is a new high school program which I think is for anyone.

I'm in California and registered as a Private School. It isn't so much the local, state or government regulations (though they are behind the expectations) that are an issue with me, as it is being sure I have acceptable records for colleges and a graduation diploma. Colleges want to know that a child has spent a certain amount of hours studying math or English for instance, which adds up to credits earned.

Do you record these things by keeping a journal of your time spent in subjects? Time spent in home studying can be more valuable than time in a classroom, because you don't have to allow for distractions, questions and lectures. I often consider the time completed as long as the requirements for the course are met or the book finished.

We used our family history to study history/geography for a year, my daughter used her love of horses to study science/art/history. I suppose in many ways we have unschooled. My daughter wrote her own curriculum for history/English/geography/art, etc., her last two years of high school.

What have been some of your favorite studies? I know you enjoy physics bookykid, and by the way, my husband went the familiar route of Saxon math for physics studies with my son. DH loves math and can incorporate his own knowledge into it.

Mrs Lee:
I also really enjoy philosophy and am (or was) reading Sophie's World. I've loved history for years and am interested in any time period that isn't ancient. I also love to read and write and do a lot of each reading children, teen and adult non-fiction and fiction and writing stories, letters, e-mails and my diary. Oh and of course there's the physics! :D