🍄Freeschoolin': Supporting Self Teachers
We all know we can take lessons, read books, sign up for courses and otherwise find traditional instruction on just about every skill we could ever want to learn. But what about those who learn best by simply doing? Unschooling/Freeschoolin' is a great path for students who find many classes and lessons inhibiting, rather than helpful. Being able to get hands on and involved right away invokes curiosity that leads to expanding knowledge and applying focus that otherwise, students can find difficult or uninspiring. So, if our self teaching students don't respond to instructional manuals, courses or programs designed to teach a skill, how do we facilitate their education? Unschooling/Freeschoolin' principles are based in the fact that life is learning. Just by living each day, playing, creating and exploring, we are getting an incredible education.
As parents the best tool we have is our example. Children follow our every move from birth, often to our dismay, and we can use that instinct to our advantage. Diving into our passions and getting curious about the world around us inspires kids to do the same with their own interests and ideas.
Video Hope actually is teaching herself to play the piano like me, as I shared in an article a few weeks ago. Just watching me play makes her want to play, and here is the result of her being free to follow her interest with no coercion from anyone.
This Week We had some really big storms pass through our area and it killed not only our biggest sunflower just starting to bloom, but demolished our tent and soaked everything inside. We are all cleaned up from that disaster and planning on replacing our tent asap. We met with dear friends, picked up some plant medicine and enjoyed the outdoors together. Jaze found a baby garter snake in the barn and we just had to say hello before setting it free in the brush outside. This week we spotted a blue heron, a hawk, lots of frogs and squirrels and even a few bunnies. We love living in the country because there's always an animal friend around the corner somewhere. And Hope LOVES animals. As do we all. Our garden is busting with organic tomatoes and zucchini so we've been harvesting and making lots of delicious meals. Hope has been drawing, playing minecraft, wildcraft and watching youtube videos, as well as roleplaying for many hours with Jaze. The books we've been reading aloud are The Hobbit and The Deed of Paksinarion. The weather was hot so we hit up the beach, swam out to a sand bar and played in the light of the setting sun.
Subjects Hope is teaching herself: Drawing, Painting, Reading, Writing, Listening, Acting, Comedy, Technology, Piano, Singing, Social Skills, Empathy, Math, Budgeting, Phys Ed, Time Management, Body Care, Fire Building, Design, Swimming, Risk Assessment, Public Relations, Energy Regulation, Nature, Scuplting, So Much More.
Much Love Always, Wendy Books, Clothing & More
About the Author Wendy Elizabeth Hart is an unschooling, homesteading Mom of 2 amazing kids and wife of more than 10 years to her bff, Jaze. Together with their daughter Hope, 10, they live a life of daily discovery in rural Ontario, Canada and share it with the world to connect with other families in the unschooling community.
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