Parenting In Freedom

(Photo via Just Be Splendid)

"Let go of control, rigid "should" thinking, and arbitrary rules. Let your kids' toys get to know each other. LET the Playmobil mix with the Lego and the rock collection and the marbles and the pile of sticks they found on a walk. Resist the urge to control your children and their environment, making it how you think it "should" be. Let them play with plastic and wood. Let them mix the paints, or smoosh the play-dough colors together. Let them play with their food. Let them get dirty. Let them, let them, let them!"

- Quote by Krista of This Inspired Life. Krista is an unschooling mama of four living in Vancouver Island, Canada.

Let It Be

Photo by Annie Chubson of Sensible Living. Annie is an unschooling mama of two living in beautiful British Columbia.

"He'd fooled us. He'd been learning all along--we just hadn't been able to see it because it didn't follow from our "teaching." It came from doing, sharing, and observing, from osmotically absorbing what was around him. I recalled that he once said to Mark, who was giving him snowboard instruction, "Dad, would you stop trying to teach me and just let me learn?"

- Deborah Sutton from Three Frog Nights (Mothering Magazine, May/June 2009)

Big Dreams

Photo by Liz Steketee who says “this image to me is about the thrill of big dreams when you are a child, the belief that you can be anything without restrictions, without parameters."  [via sfgirlbybay]

"Art and science are generally considered very separate today; they have very different connotations, even stereotypes associated with them. Yet I find that my interest in these two fields stems from the same place: a deep curiosity about the world and the human position within it. Ironically, one of my biggest frustrations as an art student was the accuracy and precision that I could not let go of. I wanted to work more from the imagination, to leave some things to chance; I wanted to create opportunities for unpredictability and serendipity—for numerous “happy accidents.”

"But with time and experience I have learned the value of pausing to consider, at least for a quick moment, if anything could benefit from what appears to be a problem or mistake. I believe that it is these moments of apparent setbacks that are actually some of the most valuable in both art and science. They break the normal flow of events, introducing a junction that can lead to greater, more significant discoveries."

-Vesna Jovanovich (Seed Magazine - August 2009)

Finding Your Tribe

(Photo by Dean Ayres)

"So how do we find community? We don't. We attract it. We find it where we are. We go deeper with people we are already with: neighbors, coworkers, other parents. How do we find time for community? We start where we are! Here are four universal principles for communication..

Show Up.

Pay attention to what has heart and meaning.

Tell your truth without blame or judgment.

Do not be attached to outcome.

Though we can't go it alone, we also do not want to give ourselves away. We want to look for communities that offer us respect and optimism."

-Peggy O'Mara of Mothering Magazine in an excerpt from A Quiet Place (July-August 2009) 

A Homeschool Recipe

Thank you to Anna of KindleSeed for sharing a Homeschool Recipe this week. Anna is a homeschooling mama of two, and is committed to raising up her children with a global perspective and a real passion for learning. Anna is an Australian native and currently resides in Indiana where she is living and loving life to the fullest.

Anna’s Recipe

We’ve been working on our recipe for homeschooling for about 7 years now, and have stayed flexible, changing things around to work best for us! Here’s what’s cooking in the KindleSeed kitchen… 

Ingredients:
1.  Curiosity- Curiosity feeds our learning in every way! We recognize that our kids are inherently curious, and our family learning is driven by their curiosity. We learn with lots of unit-studies and thematic learning, and the themes we choose are based on the things that interest the kiddos.
We honor each other’s curiosity with time and attention and by doing so, we meet their learning at their level.

2.  Adventure- A sense of fun and adventure is completely necessary for our style of learning. After all, learning is the biggest adventure of your life! The world is such an amazing, incredible place, and there are so many interesting things going on! Adventure follows curiosity…Adventure starts with words like “Yes” or “Let’s find out”! We love to travel and go places and see things, our learning is very hands on. When natural curiosity is the invitation, Adventure is our RSVP of “Yes please, let’s attend this learning party”!

3. Willingness and Flexibility in equal measure! –Ahhh, flexibility and willingness is so very easily said and not always easily practiced! To me, flexibility means sometimes letting go of the things you have planned and organized in order to be open to the things that arrive in your learning adventures. To have the open mind and open heart to change things up when they are not working for your children or your family. To not be so stubborn when you think as the adult you ought to have all the answers to what is best for your family! LOL! Willingness meets flexibility in the follow-through. A willing heart serves flexibility, to learn about new learning methods, to change things up, to go with the flow.

4.  Community- Community feels important to me and to our family as a whole. Learning doesn’t occur in a vacuum, it requires feedback and questions from those around you, this goes for both kids and adults! I have been blessed and lucky in my life as a homeschooling mother- to have found my tribe- a gathering of like-minded homeschooling families has been a huge gift. We began in friendship and have formalized into a learning co-operative that gathers for classes and field trips and camps, and social time. Both kids and grown-ups share ideas and enjoy each other’s company. We are all supported in our choice to experience learning as a holistic part of life.

Method:  Let all these ingredients simmer in an open heart and mind, and keep in mind that life-long and life-wide learning takes, well…. A life time! So keep cooking!