📋Freeschoolin: Rhythm Vs Schedule
Life Is Unpredictable.
School can teach us that life is lived on a tight schedule with times allotted for subjects, recess and meals. Jobs that imitate this pattern keep adults beholden to believing that this is just the way life is. Step outside the school/work mindset and the world is very different indeed. Seasons, births, deaths, celebrations, life challenges, illnesses and world changes take front stage in our lives and the most organic way to navigate this is to follow the rhythm of life rather than attempt to schedule it. As an Unschooling/Freeschoolin' family, we plan our days, weeks and months based on the natural rhythms of nature and the world. The seasons draw us in or outside, depending on the time of year. For our days we follow the sun patterns or our body patterns if they differ. We eat when we are hungry, rest when we are tired and play when we are inspired. Our home is cared for as it needs, our crops are planted and harvested in their own time, when they are ready, and our animals are tended to as they require. We consider crowds when we gather things we need instead of a scheduled shopping day so we can avoid masses of people in retail mode, something that drains our family's energy fast. The weather greatly impacts our days, another rhythm we follow for planning things like social events and outdoor activities. Mental and emotional health is of high priorty in our family, another rhythm we follow. If we have a date with friends and it compromises our mental stability, we will cancel and take a day for healing. (Thank you friends for being so understanding.) Anytime we tried to live by a schedule, it was met with frustration and disappointment at our inability to adhere to it. Now that we live by rhythm instead, though we are always learning and improving, we have victory more times than not. It means we don't conflict over unachievable schedules, we come together brainstorming how to follow the rhythm of our life and it has made us stronger as a family. The earth does not live on a schedule. It follows an ever changing yet, consistent rhythm and we are invited to ride it's wake.
This Past 2 Weeks
Speaking of rhythm, we blog, vlog and social media to a rhythm as well. So sometimes, I skip a week or 3. Or a year. I share because I'm drawn to and when I don't feel it, I back off. This way I am always sharing the truest version of our lives, not faking it for social media. I always share our adventures when I come back... We had our best friends (Hope's Fairy Godparents) move in with us a few weeks back and it has taken some transition, though things are going absolutely as well as anticipated. You know you are chosen family when you can live in a 2 bdrm apt together and we are very glad to have them stay with us until they find their own perfect place to start their family. Hope has coslept since she was 3 and has NO interest (though we offer) in moving out of our family bed yet, but if she does, we have a single/double bunkbed and she's welcome to move to the top for now, until we can get her own room set up. We've been horseback riding, to the library for the first time since March, spending time helping out at Earth Valley Organics, playing outdoors and harvesting our crops. Hope exchanged her rolled money at the bank and bought herself some toys she's been wanting and we renewed her Animal Jam account. Hope's brother, my late son Skylar, had his things returned to us from the police, and amongst them was a very nice smart phone. We have never owned one as a family and we've decided to keep it, without a phone plan. It's a wonderful camera and Hope is very excited to use it to go on Tik Tok (we've explained the risks and are nearby to support her should anything go awry), and game apps, and it even allowed us to take advantage of the Teach Your Monster To Read app for free offer that ends this week. It's definitely enhanced our lives. The toxicity of wireless is still a concern so we are brainstorming and planning ways to keep this valuable source of learning/tech for our family, yet reduce the risks. Hope has free choice on screens but even still, she didn't spend more than 2 days bingeing with the phone. She's ridden our horse River, rode her bike, roleplayed outside independently and with Jaze, mucked out River's stall and paddock ( all her choice, never required ), spent hours drawing, played Animal Jam, Minecraft, World of Zoo, talked about too many subjects to name and so much more. We even got to put up super bed when Hope's room was free for a night while Hope's Fairy Godparents were away. We watched a scary movie and ate dinner together before crashing, all cozy together.
Subjects: Phys Ed, Horse Care, Responsibility, Farming, Science, Balance, Animal Training, Horseback Riding, Equine Body Language, Community Living, Decision Making, Teamwork, Bonding, Technology, Risk Assessment, Nature, Dramatic Arts, Art, Communication, Physics, Conflict Management and Resolution, Time Management, Reading, Typing, Math, Resource Management, Finances, Impulse Control, Kindness, Emotional Coping Skills, Self Regulation, So Much More... Video
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.
.jpg)
