EU174: Unschooling Teens at Camp with Laura Bowman

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Laura Bowman is the founder of the East Tennessee Unschooled Summer Camp for teens and previous guests have said wonderful things about their camp experience. We dive into Laura’s unschooling journey, how the camp came to life in 2010, what a day at camp looks like, the idea behind the Mentor Groups, reluctant campers, and lots more.

Questions for Laura

Can you share with us a bit about you and your family?

How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s move to unschooling look like?

You host the East Tennessee Unschooled Summer Camp for teens. In the last few months, Alec and Max have been on the podcast and both talked about how much they’ve enjoyed the experience. I’d love to hear the story behind how the camp came to be.

Daily meetings with their Mentor Group are one of the few things required of campers during the week—I imagine that’s because you’ve found them to be a valuable part of the camp experience. Can you share more about them? How do they help?

What does a day at camp look like?

What would your advice be for parents who may wish this kind of experience for their teen but find they seem to be reluctant?

What are you most looking forward to at camp this year?

Links to things mentioned in the show:

For more info, check out the East Tennessee Unschooled Summer Camp (for teens) on their website, Facebook page, Facebook group, and watch their compilation video from ETUSC 2018

For more info on the Autodidact Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers (ARGH), gathering for families visit their website and Facebook page

Check out my podcast conversations with Max VerNooy and Alec Traaseth

Learn more about the Childhood Redefined Unschooling Summit. Enrollment is closed right now, but you can sign up to be notified when it opens again in the fall.

Episode Transcript

Read the transcript here