I know this is about unschooling, but I have to say for DS7 I love Montessori. He gets the best of both worlds-choice and rigor. He basically chooses within a framework, which I think most of you are advocating.

We pulled him from traditional school because it was "too" structured (one of the major reasons), and it was killing his intrinsic motivation. (I think unschoolers are interested in preserving that internal desire to learn).

DS will transition to a more traditional classroom in the next year, and I think he's ready for it now. Montessori has sure worked for his early grade personality type (motivated, stubborn, hyper focused, and competitive).

I think Montessori (done right) can be a fabulous choice for many kids, including gifted kids.