🌕 What Can You Learn At Night?

Up All Night, Sleep All Day.

Are they still learning?

I get a lot of questions about reverse cycling and I've written about it before. You can find those articles here. Hope, 10, has been self regulating her own sleep routines since she was 3. One day she said to us that the moon kept her awake (and indeed it was a full moon, much to our surprise) and from then on we went with our instinct to let her make the decisions about her own body. It has meant bonding instead of fighting over going to bed and waking. It has meant our unique, energy sensitive child knows her body needs matter now. She does not have to wait until she is older to address them. It has taught us so much about the world after dark and alleviated any fear we had about abandoning the idea of bedtimes.

What Can You Learn At Night?

Fireflies

If you have not stayed up to see the full moon at midnight you are missing something. Being a LARPer ( Live Action Role Player) I have spent many nights in the forest, so I've been witness to things you see only at this time. Listening to a Coyote Pack howl through the forest at 2 am, walking through the dark with only the moon and the feeling of your feet on the path to guide your steps. Fireflies that light up fields. Owl calls. Dark nights bring out the best stars and even the smell changes in the forest at night.

Fun

There are lots of activities that are better, or necessary, to do at night. Fishing before dawn, campfire nights, evening swims, drive ins, flash light hide and go seek, sleepovers, glow in the dark scavenger hunts, movie night, fireworks, haunted trails, light displays.

Facts Shift Workers. If you need an argument for the logic of letting everyone follow their own sleep rhythms, there you have it. There are many jobs that require workers to stay up all night and sleep all day including fields such as medical, transportation, production, the arts, law enforcement and more. Not only are there opportunities for those inclined to reverse cycle, society needs these people.

SUBJECTS Astronomy, Body Autonomy, Science, Math, Risk Assessment, Design, Physics, Animal Behaviors, Nature Studies, Survival Skills, Nutrition, Body Care, Technology, Phys Ed, Decision Making, Time Management, Socialization, Dramatic Arts, Language Arts, Typing, Mechanics, Geology, History, Community, Emotional Intelligence, Creative Thinking, Self Regulation, Preparation, Goal Setting, Finances, Independence, Conflict Resolution, Planning, Research, Cooperation, Travel, Self Care, So Much More...

I think what we can conclude from all this is that there is just as much to learn at night as there is during the day. If a student finds themselves in a reverse cycling pattern naturally, they are not missing out on education. Living is Learning.

THIS WEEK

On Monday Jaze spotted a snowy owl perched on a tree within clear view of our living room window. We spent an hour observing it on and off with some vintage binoculars.

I also spotted a barn owl on the way to see River and managed to get a picture.

Hope is reverse cycling and we've been working on her hair.

Hope has not brushed her hair fully in over a year, her choice. We are now in the process of working it out, her choice, something we'll share more about as it progresses with Hope's permission. We played Among Us with friends online, and had a BLAST, so we'll be getting up to that more often.

There was also Pokemon, Wildcraft and Minecraft fun. Hope has taken special interest in writing short stories for the books in her Minecraft libraries. Our car was found to have a belt from inside hanging out so our besties, Hope's Fairy Godparents, helped us get it checked out and Hope enjoyed riding with Sarah. As part of our whole 30 (ish) challenge we are trying some new proteins so we got some organic shrimp and not only did Hope try it, she loved it!

We wrote on the blackboard, played silly word games, watched a crime documentary together and the latest episode of Wandavision. Though we all don't feel comfortable celebrating commercial holidays, Hope had expressed wishes to do something for Valentine's Day and had been itching for more crafting. So we got some paper bags from our stash and decorated them to be our "mail boxes". I found some free She Ra printable valentines and we excitedly wrote them to each other and delivered them to our mail boxes. Though we can't have sugar on our whole 30 challenge, we can have any kind of fruit so I took some organic dates and made some chocolate "icing" out of puree, organic vanilla and cocoa. After giggling over exchanging valentines we enjoyed our healthy chocolate treat.

VIDEO

📍#1 CLEANING TIP!!! & Freeschoolin' Fun! [Episode 9] - Freeschoolin'

Much Love Always, Wendy BOOKS, CLOTHING & MORE

About the Author

Wendy Elizabeth Hart - Author, Illustrator, is a radical 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.