post contains amazon affiliates How we Unschool So this month the sun is still shining but our Tassie weather is getting colder again, but that doesn't mean we stop our adventures, our natural learning together or stop embracing the great outdoors.Alot of Natural learning has already happened this month and it is only the 10th.So this is some of the things we have learnt in our Unschooling Journey over the last week! This Month's Natural learning so far We found our very own secluded beach,by 4wding the kids practised parkour and balancing over rocks, questions were asked by indie about why the rocks were so smooth and round on the beach -so I googled this on my phone- they all learnt (myself aswell) that - Over time they are worn smooth from being rolled around by waves and these are The 3 main effects that take place Abrasion- Rocks collide causing the rocks to chip and become smooth. Resistance- the sand creates resistance and acts like sand paper to smooth the rocks. Motion of the water- The motion of the water pushes the rocks and causes the rocks to collide with the rocks and stream beds. We also played maths addition games, whoever get the most correct answers out of 15 won the title of calling our new beach's name - Huey won so of course he called it Huey's beach. - covering science, geography, pdhpe, English,maths subjects slideshow We explored around the rockpools and to our delight found some carpet starfish, the kids held and observed them .We discussed how starfish have no brains or bones, and how they have a eye on the end of each arm,that are colour-blind.We also discussed how they can only survive in saltwater- Then this conversation brought up what the difference between salt water and fresh water meant. - covering more science,geography, english subjects slideshow We went fishing a few times and caught lots of Australian salmon, Huey and Julian were really interested in this, dad taught them how to cast and a technique on how to wine in the lure-to act as a fish.They measured and realised the smaller ones back into the ocean.They all pretend played floor is lava, balancing on the rocks and sliding down the big sand dunes and indie decided to do some list writing ( she loves making lists) - she wrote some ideas for her Roblox café she was designing - covering science,geography,pdhpe,creative arts,english subjects slideshow Where we live the mountains meet the beach and that means the farms to ,we drove past a Mumma cow and her calf on the way fishing and got to have a great little conversation of the great facts I research about cows on google, then and there - we pulled over the car to have a better look.So we got discussing how Mumma Cows are devotional mothers and are known to walk for miles to find their baby calves, we also discussed how cows just like people form friendships and often hang around 2-4 certain cow friends in their lifetime,We learnt together how cows are extremely curious and inquisitive animals that will investigate everything,and that they get excited when they solve problems like a research study found when a cow is faced with the challenge of trying find out how to open a door to reach food, their heartbeats went up, their brainwaves showed excitement, and some even jumped into the air. How cute is that! My daughter just loved that fact ! and We learnt together that cows have 3 exceptional senses their sight -they have almost a 360 degree panoramic vision, their smell - they can detect odours up to five miles away and cows have great hearing - cows hear both low and high frequency sounds beyond human capability - Unschooling is all about great learning opportunities like that! covering - science,geography,english subjects We went to our favourite waterfall swimming hole ,(you'd only find this great spot if you new a local)- the kids swam against the little current,timing each other to see who can stay the longest with their heads under the flowing waterfall wall,(you can breath under there) whoever won got a soda! (they all ended up with a soda )- we discussed about salt water vs fresh water again,as they learnt about this a couple of days ago.My curious son asked where does the water come from ? We discussed unlike the ocean water (which is salt water), the swimming hole was from freshwater, that comes from the rain falling down the mountain creating a little freshwater river system.The kids practised their rock climbing skills remembering their safety precautions we always talk about . covering science,geography,maths,pdhpe subjects slideshow Our new lift the flap Usborne books have finally arrived The kids have been doing alot of creative arts , we finally received our amazing lift the flap Usborne books ,They cover so many awesome subjects and facts about everything from science,geography,history,money,english and more . My kids aren't much "book readers" they'd rather read stuff online and when natural reading opportunities come up, but we cant get enough of these,they have flaps that you fold up to find more about underneath, anyways my daughter sat there for hours reading most pages and would excitingly tell all of us the new facts she was learning,you can find these books HERE . my daughter also created her own cafe signs for their pretend cafe roleplay game,They all played with our natural open ended toys and they also done some art colouring competitions, indie painted a unicorn for a tree of life giftcard competition and the boys colouring in for a Bunnings voucher competition ( they love tools and building stuff) covering creative arts,english,science,history,geography subjects slideshow We went for over a hour drive to explore special sand dunes amongst a rainforest ,whenever we have long trips we play eye spy games (to help my youngest son learn letter soundings for his spelling - we say the word sound instead of letter, the oldest 2 we get to spell out the word when they get it right )so we had many games of this, the kids love it. Anyways- at the Dunes we read the sign and discussed that The sand dunes reach heights of about 30 meters, and are Formed from over hundreds of years of roaring forty winds blowing the sand from the beach through the rainforest forming these sand dunes.We climbed these huge sands dunes covering english,geography,pdhpe subjects slideshow We went 4wding , the kids love standing on the back of the ute tray while we drive (i loved it as a kid too) - we came by a poor dead stingray that had been washed up, but this lead to a great science lesson about the stingray, I googled some stingray facts and we all natural learned together that stingrays have no bones in their body – and that their skeleton is made up of flexible cartilage (the bendy stuff that your ears and nose are made from!).We discussed how they use a super set of senses to search for food these are Special gel-filled pits across the front of their face, (called Ampullae of Lorenzini), none of us could say that word - this allows them to pick up electrical signals from other animals when they move – how cool is that! and the stingray protects itself with venomous spines or barbs in their tail - hence their name.We all learnt as well that the stingray enjoys munching on crustaceans (we discussed what crustaceans meant) - they eat small fish, snails, clams, shrimp and other small creatures.The kids also ran around , climbed sand dunes like always and threw sand bombs at each other. slideshow and we also celebrated a birthday girl this month a big 10 year old. Recently she has been drawing dress designs,watching youtube videos of diy textiles , and creating her own fashion,so we got her a sewing machine, i also found this great mini doll fashion design kit for her, it was packed full of how to -guides, fabric, scissors everything you could imagine to make mini clothing, she loved it all,- she also got a hanging boho chair that she really wanted for her room , and a flower press among other things. Things she got were to create,make and enhance her curiosities, great for our unschooling resources. You can purchase these to from clicking the below links : Hanging boho chair kids mini sewing machine doll fashion kit ( I got mine from kmart but i so wish i saw this one first) flower press ( I got mine from kmart aswell but these ones are just so cute) They also played online gaming- I like to call it (educational software) as so much learning happens while they play- roblox,fortnite, watched various youtube videos,Indie created more gaming videos for her youtube channel and they each asked many many questions throughout the week, alot more went on aswell that I cant quite think of. Natural learning is about experiences like that Unschooling is all about natural learning, when learning opportunities pop up from everyday life, you jump on that opportunity to learn - side by side with your child in that moment. You embrace their curiosities, follow their lead and know that learning is happening naturally. Its so easy to turn just about everything your child does into " so called" subjects. Look what we achieved in little over a week naturally.

Is your child abit of a so called wild-child, one of those children who love being immersed in nature,hanging from the trees, chasing the butterfly's and cooking up mudpies and potions.Well we have put together the Top 27 nature inspired gift ideas to keep them busy.Each product is environmental friendly, allows for exploration, imagination and wild adventures We use affiliate links ,that means if you make a purchase from something we have shared below-BarefootChild will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. 1 Your Wild Journal #natureobserver We just love this wild journal book!! This journal explores the concepts of mindfulness, kindness and gratefulness. It introduces nature connection exercises such as a Sit Spot and a senses scan.This guided nature journal is a wonderful gift for young and old who are seeking more ideas for nature connection. Journaling can help children slow down, process feelings, encourage observation and build writing skills.It a perfect size to fit in their backpacks to take with them ,while exploring to take notes and observations. Inside this beautifully illustrated journal, you'll find: An overview of how to use the journal Moon, sunrise and sunset tracking pages A green time habit calendar Detailed colouring pages Step-by-step instructions for how to draw common natural treasures Open-ended writing prompts Log pages to record nature sightings Lined, blank and dotted pages for open ended writing and creativity. Printed in Australia on local, sustainably sourced paper. Your wild journal book only $25 au What better way for your little eco nature explorer to observe, identify and collect wild findings -Who’s up for a nature walk? Add tons of fun and excitement to any day outdoors with these great finds #NatureExplorer 2 Nature hunt wooden observation list -There are12 items that can be found in your backyard, garden or local park. Once your child finds each item they can use a piece of chalk to tick it off the list, this is a great gift idea for the keen nature explorer. Nature Hunt List only $20 plus delivery 3 Round nature find display Is your child one of those nature treasure hunters, who love collecting different specimens they find while out exploring? This wooden round Nature find display chart is a great way to showcase their findings for the day, take a picture, research and discuss together, this is a great natural learning and observation platform for your wild one. round nature find display chart - only $15.40 4 Magnify bug/specimen viewing box This sweet little wooden bug box is perfect for displaying your little ones found treasures ,that they find out in nature.It has different size compartments and magnifications for their different findings whether it be - their bugs, flowers, leaves, shells or seeds they collect,they can easily observe them and keep them safe. Bug viewing box only $16.99 5 #littlewhitewitch Natural eco craft kit We are just so inlove with these Eco Craft Kits.They contain natural materials for fun activities that don't harm the earth - think fairy potions, natural science experiments, natural play dough, natural paints and many more magical crafts Each kit contains: *4 types of dried flower petals *2 types of botanical colour powders *1 biodegradable glitter *1 wooden spoon *1 recipe & craft ideas booklet All materials and packaging are plastic-free and compostable or re-usable, which means nothing has to go into landfill after the kids are finished with it. Eco craft kit only $29.99 plus shipping Have you got a little wilderness man in the making? You know one of those boys from peter pan , who love running wild,climbing trees and pretending they are about to fight captain hook,Well we have found the perfect tools to let their wild imaginations grow while improving their hand and eye coordination as well. #wildernessyounglings 6 Bamboo bow and arrow set We just love this Bamboo wooden archery set with soft rubber ends , Watch your child spend hours running around outside ,shouting target and pretending they are the lost boys bamboo bow and arrow set only $45.90 plus postage 7 Set of 2 wood old fashion style sling shots Iv just ordered these for my boys, !! This set of 2 slingshots are 100% handcraft with natural wood, they are very durable,great to let your wild one practised target shooting with, watch your child spend hours in make believe play.A must have for any little wilderness man. 2x sling shot set only $21.96 plus postage 8 personalised child's pocket knife This personalised first pocket knife is perfect for your young adventurers .Each tool includes a knife (with blunt point), saw, scissors a awl and your choice of engraving. Ideal for carving, cutting, sawing and punching. Great to take for mini adventures, your child will find many uses out in the wild , with this one. personalised pocket knife only $51.52 plus postage 9 Your wild imagination book #yourwildimagination Not Sure how to incorporate more nature filled activities into your childs life? well this book has got you covered.You will discover new ideas for outdoor play, and also find ways to bring nature indoors - perfect for those times when you're stuck inside. Included are more than 150 stunning full colour photographs, accompanied by simple and easy to follow instructions. Nature provides an environment of high engagement. Research shows that children learn best though play, and the benefits are even greater for child-led unstructured play. Its time for More green time, less screen time!! Your wild imagination book only $35 plus postage These are great for those little flower child's out there,let your child run the meadows , pick wild flowers and create there own unique flower art with these great finds #flowerchild 10 flower press This is a Full flower press kit with a herbarium journal,it comes with all the tools needed for flower pressing,in this preservation kit,you'll find many things like tweezers, scissors, utility knife, manual, sealing bags, saving bag, pressing fresh flowers & leaves for journaling, scrapbooking, and a herbarium notebook . Teach your child how to dry and preserve wildflowers, encourage exploration and nurture their 5 senses. complete flower press kit only $79.99 plus postage 11 Diy flower kaleidoscope The kaleidoscope is handmade and eco-friendly and is such a cute gift, this diy kaleidoscope comes with everything required for your child to build themselves and when there finished , watch them be amazed at the dried flower abstracts, The Colours of Magic,-In our childhood everyone of us had created our own unique world of miracles and fantasies where forests were full of elfs and fairies dwelling in flowers, where trees were inhabited by mysterious spirits.The random play of colours of the kaleidoscope induces memories of carefree childhood summers and their mysteries. Even today we cannot know if it was the forest spirits that created it's magic mosaics. diy flower kaleidoscope only $44.30 (also comes in a pre built version) 12 earth paint set - This is an outstanding eco-friendly and plant-based paint kit its gluten free and vegan friendly .The paints are made from 100% plant ingredients. The colour range is derived from plant, root, spice and flower pigments.Great gift for your wild artist,or maybe you might want to create your own eco paints with your child heres a great how to guide This eco earth paint Kit contains: 8 x 50g plant-based powdered paints eco earth paint set only $42 plus delivery Its time to get them out the house,running wild through the gardens,stopping to smell the flowers to observe the fluttering butterflies fly past its time to get your little green thumb excited about the outdoors with these great finds #littlegreenthumbs 13 Little Peeps Gardening Kit | Butterflies & Bees A thoughtfully assembled gardening and seed planting kit perfectly curated for little garden lovers, This gardening kit comes with everything your child needs to grow their own flowers that attract butterflies and bees, watch them observe, nurture and get excited about earths little things gardening kit only $28.50 14 Australian native seed gardening kit This super adorable kit comes with all the information, tools & materials your child needs to plant their own native seeds. Did you know ? ,that children gain special benefits from gardening and develops new skills including: Responsibility– from caring for plants Understanding– as they learn about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants) Self-confidence – from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown Love of nature – a chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction Physical activity – doing something fun and productive Cooperation– including shared play activity and teamwork Creativity– finding new and exciting ways to grow food Nutrition – learning about where fresh food comes from. aussie native seed kit only $39 15 kids foraging basket - These basket are a must have for your little forager. Your child will be able to carrying all their treasures they find out adventuring like wild flowers,seeds, rocks ,shells for their arts and crafts projects. These Baskets are completely natural, each one lovingly made by hand with elephant grass which grows in the rich flood plains of the White Volta,They are All stunning with their own humble character, they are made in Ghana in the traditional 'Bolga' style weave that is strong and sturdy. foraging basket only $38 plus shipping 16 #mindfulnessmunchkin Mindful Craft and Potions Box Subscription This subscription is a must have , to get your child into great natural play,they will be excited boiling up potions and making different concoctions. Each month you get delivered a new subscription of different nature inspired theme sensory play kits to your door.These boxes will help your children work body, mind, and emotions through mindfulness, sensory play, and exploration while having fun! - you can choose 3-6 month subscriptions for this year still. Eco enriched toys created from nature to help inspire the 5 senses, while creating memories to hold onto like the art they draw to their tiny hand prints preserved, These are the must haves for the #naturewarriors 17 coloured twig pencil sets This set of 12 coloured twig pencils are a great addition to add to your childs natural art resources,the different textures of the twigs will engage their senses and create curiosity for the natural element.They are hand crafted from recycled mango wood the twigs and branches are then used to create these fun wood short colouring pencils. set of 12 twig pencils only $16.89 18 Kinfolk eco-made Bubble Wand -Dragonfly These wands are made out of recycled and plant-based materials.They are the sweetest addition to your child's toy collection, watch them run around outside immersed in the beauty of floating bubbles,while chasing and popping them Bubble play is a fun and immersive way to nurture fine-motor skills and sensory learning. kinfolk bubble wands only $7.95 plus shipping 19 A Day at the Beach Sand Casting Kit Preserve your favourite summer memories with A Day at the Beach Sand Casting Kit from eco-kids! This kit includes everything you need to create a special keepsake or unique gift of your little beach bums handprint. The simple instructions to mix, mold, decorate, and bake make it the perfect activity for any time of the year! sand casting memory kit only $15.99 plus postage Your little wild child will love using hands on time creating nature projects to bring them joy for mother earths resources, these are great find we found to encourage exploration #motherearthschild 20 build a bee hotel Want to help teach your child to save the bees? Why not create them this cosy temporary home for when they come to visit the delicious flowers in your garden! This build your own bee hotel kit creates a home for solitary or travelling insects, bees in particular.Your child will have such joy observing those busy bees. Do your bit to keep them healthy and working so we can continue enjoying delicious honey for years to come! build a bee hotel only $24.99 plus shipping 21 MAKE YOUR OWN FLOWER PRESS FRAME KIT This diy kit is perfect for your child to create their very own bespoke framed artworks from dried flowers and plants! This kit is perfect to express their creativity through nature, get them out side picking and drying their own flowers and leaves to create one of a kind pieces flower frame kit only $14.99 plus shipping 22 potion bowl set Potion bowl sets- are a must have for any nature child, how else are the going to whip us up a lovely say yes spell potion or make us a yummy mud pie. This beautiful natural wooden set comes with 7 pieces, a mixture of bowls and spoons to get your little one creating. potion bowl set only $64.90 plus shipping You can always try your local charity shop, for natural play dishes Let your little day dreamer explore nature,while emerging themselves with magical and exiting roleplay with these great finds #daydreamer 23 MAKE YOUR OWN INSECT HOUSE IN A TIN Want to cultivate a beautiful natural garden with your child? Why not start by creating a cosy home for the creepy crawlies when they come to visit the delicious flowers in your garden while your at it ,with this cute make your own insect house kit . The House creates a home for solitary or travelling insects. It's a sweet little house for ladybirds, bees and lots of other insects! Your child will spend hours outside observing all the busy insects who come to visit. make your own insect house only $24.95 plus postage 24 fairy garden kit We absolutely love this fairy garden kit handcrafted in the middle of the rainforest in Bellingen from fallen tree branches ,upcycled wood pieces, and naturally source materials from the rainforest.Its complete with a sweet little wooden fairy house and a gorgeous collection of materials ready for your child to create their own whimsical fairy garden and get lost in their magical imagination . This little fairy house is available in 8 different colours and comes with over 20 accessories. fairy garden kit only $102 plus shipping 25 wooden engraved bow and arrow set These beautifully crafted wooden bow and arrows are ideal for your little robin hoods, they are created with soft felt ends on the arrow tips and include a engraving of your choice.Archery requires careful interaction of the body and equipment, both must work together in harmony to hit a target. Kids must learn how to plant their feet and apply just the right pressure to release the arrow. Therefore, every time your child focuses on hitting a target they are improving eye-hand coordination and balance. wooden engraved bow and arrow set start at only $35.21 plus postage. 26 #sensoryplay little wriggles sensory play We just adore this shop, they have so many choices of different themed sensory play kits to choose from. Each kit is filled with loads of different textures and goodies, that your child will spend hours being immersed in open ended play with. Set them up a spot outside beneath the trees and watch their imagination flourish 27 #treechild personalised engraved custom swing and lastly on our list are these beautiful custom swings made from Australian Blackbutt hardwood, with your choice of engraving to give it a personalised feel. Your youngling will be swing amongst the trees like tarzan, soaking up the summer air and feeling one with nature. engraved swing started from only $235 BarefootChild is dedicated to finding the best natural and eco friendly children's products,the net has to offer- to help children connect with nature,spend more time outdoors and embrace the inner wild child. If you liked this post, don't forget to share it.Your support makes us possible.

Why school isn't working School takes children away from the real world and places them behind a desk . It breaks the unfathomable magic of life down into things called subjects. Math, Science, English, history, geography and so on, It labels ,it grades, and it dismisses curiosity. School operates under the assumption that each subject is a puzzle piece. Each year the teachers hand out various pieces to the puzzle, and the students collect them. If you put all the pieces together you have knowledge in its entirety, and you are then so called "educated"- your puzzle is complete and you have LEARNED that subject! But how can children really learn about life through puzzle pieces they have been given, instead of living these subjects for what they really are ? LIFE. Yes school can teach a child a vast variety of knowledge, but is it even useful in todays ever changing world? NO. Will the child who spent hours and hours of their life's putting these jigsaw pieces together , even remember or need them in adulthood? UNLIKELY. In most schools, memorization is mistaken for learning. Most of what is remembered is remembered only for a short time, spewed out for an exam and then quickly forgotten. Most of the time spent throughout the week at school is focused on content , content with a capital C, with little connection to why it matters,what it will be used for in the child's future and the likelihood of that content ever even needing to be used in the new ever changing world.The school system is stuck in a past,teaching age old lessons and failing to accommodate change. Instead of learning together, many of the children spend hours filling in worksheets or copying down class notes that they could google in 30 seconds.Too often those lessons they listen to are boring and will be irrelevant to their adult lives. The advance of new technologies and new science is the new way to teach this generation of children which the school system will never respect. Rather they will continue to bore children out of the love of learning, taking away their natural curiosity for things -in exchange for completed workbooks,good grade marks and unnecessary long hour lessons for things that will not be needed for their generations future. on the other hand,we have Natural learning Natural curiosity or better know as natural learning works so well at teaching children , instead of being taught these so called subjects through jigsaw pieces- natural learning teaches these subjects for what they really are LIFE- through living and embracing everyday LIFE. Natural learning allows a child to truly learn and remember this information as it is something they are interested in- they will learn what they need to at their own pace and when they require.They will continue to learn with the ever changing world as they are actually immersed in it- and not stuck behind a desk ,learning age old teachings. Natural learning allows for exploration, it allows for real hands on opportunities and it allows for curiosity Curiosity is the natural instinct that implies wanting to know more about something through research and interaction . Curiosity is the key to knowledge An example of curiosity is the key to knowledge- Lets say your child is curious about dinosaurs, because they have started playing with their toy or watched something about it recently ? - they begin to ask you questions , when were dinosaurs alive? how did they die? what did they eat? They begin to research in their own time ,using google/ youtube videos-where they begin to learn the names of dinosaurs , their characteristics- they start to learn about carnivorous and herbivores and reptiles- and this begins them learning about other animals that are reptiles and carnivores- reptiles are cold bloodied ,carnivores eat meat- what animals are cold blooded ,and so on so on... Curiosity leads to exploration - does all this happen at once? NO ,does this happen all the time? YES. Natural learning is about your child learning in the spare of the moment , when they see fit.Without being required to complete hours of worksheets about dinosaurs or reading notebooks on reptiles.They learn exactly what the want , when they want and how they want, they learn things they feel will benefit them for the now. school loses hope in children Young children who start school do not understand why they cant eat when they are hungry they are confused why they cant learn about the things that they are interested in. They can not make sense of why they have to sit still and be quite most of the day, Why the fun of singing and playing in preschool has suddenly ended in exchange for a pen and paper, and why getting good marks,high grades and stickers for good performance has became a top priority that they can not fail at. All of this change leads to the disappearance of natural curiosity . It takes away the love of learning , by the time children hit high school they are mentally exhausted,they have lost a childhood of exploration , of fun and of discovery. Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.- John Holt John holt was a famous American homeschool pioneer and has written a amazing book How children fail, it explains how children investigate the world, He explains the problems of classroom learning, grading, testing, and into the role of the trust and authority in every learning situation in his book

Whoever sold us the idea that the best way to teach children about the world was to isolate them from it , that a child will learn best by sticking them behind a desk and by constantly providing them with direct step-by-step instruction on every possible topic through the use of books and pictures must have been been one persuasive human! Now to know that when I left school I forget almost everything I was taught and that I never ended up needing practically any of it in my adult life, is such a eye opener. learning by doing instead of being taught Children spend half of their childhood trying to learn about real world matters, most of which is not very important for their futures .They do not learn about these worldly things, out their in the real world, where you would expect, instead learn these from a textbook behind a desk filled with pictures, which they only get to use one of their senses from this direct learning style approach and it is their sight. lets say A teacher gives a child a worksheet with a picture of a fish. What will they learn from that picture? It has 2 eyes ,a long body ,they notice the tail the fins and the gills, Even if they’re not able to verbalise its features, they will see them. The teacher will do a prepared lesson of "the fish " - with more worksheets and pictures. When their younger the lessons will be - , colour the fish, what fish is that, as they get older a new teacher will prepare another lesson on "the fish " with more worksheets and pictures covering the fish anatomy , and the fish scientific classifications: Kingdom:Animalia Phylum:Chordata Clade:Olfactores Subphylum:Vertebrata and so on But what is this all teaching them ? What fish look like? because we know Children just like we did , are not going to remember the anatomy of a fish or the scientific classifications of a fish as they go through their school years and they will defiantly very unlikely use that information in their futures You see Schools try to throw ever bit of information, on just about every type of topic at children throughout the school years , to cover CONTENT. - not to truly teach and enrich a childs life, but by boring them making them lose their love of learning , The more they teach , the more time they cover in school and to cover time you need lots of content . Why do they need to cover content you ask? to meet the "big guys" requirements -the government Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn– Benjamin Franklin Instead a child should truly learn about what a fish looks like " naturally" not synthetically. and how do you do that ? By giving your child a fishing rod and see what he can find out. its not only a memory he will cherish but a great learning experience that was real enough to hold onto .By fishing he will not only use his sight sense, like he would in school -he will instead engage all senses, he will hear the sound of the fish splashing and he will feel the weight of the fish on the end of the rode and feel its slippery body through his fingers,he will smell the salty sea and that dreadful fishy smell , he will begin to ask questions and truly have a love for learning about :"the fish" and hey who knows you might decide to keep him for dinner introducing the taste sense, you may show your child how to prepare a fish to eat while discussing together the fish's anatomy , Your child may become passionate of fishing like my sons,where we enjoy weekly fishing trips. Consequently, the learning opportunities are far greater to naturally come to learn about " the fish " then in school where they would have the questions handed to them in worksheets and only engage a sense of sight through pictures. It's not that I feel that school is a good idea gone wrong, but a wrong idea from the word go. It's a nutty notion that we can have a place where nothing but learning happens, cut off from the rest of life.” -John Holt We literally take children out of a rich environment full of great learning opportunities, childhood memories and family adventures, for what ? to deprived them of the real world because one persuasive person came up with the idea of school. It’s time to let them learn how they were designed to learn , from real life experiences Real life experiences are invaluable to children’s learning. Why? They: - Increase motivation – wouldn’t you be far more interested in investigating a real fish rather than just looking at a picture of a fish ? - Improve behaviour – the more your children are engaged, the better their behaviour is likely to be, this is because real life experiences is stimulating and fun - Develop Communication & Language – experiences give children something to talk about. Having open discussions with your child and answering their curious questions is key - Develop Understanding of the World – this is an area of development that depends on children experimenting and finding things out for themselves. - Develop other areas - by going fishing you are in turn supporting other areas of learning. For example maths ( Shape, Space and Measure) your child will compare fish size, weight and length and talk about it.

As a unschooling parent , filling your home with materials and resources is a great way to support your childs natural curiosity, for when they feel like creating, exploring and researching. You do not need to create a school like at home atmosphere with desks,folders and posters all over the walls or a classroom like setting, natural learning should entwine with your home and your family,If you are having doubts to what your home should look like , you are over thinking what unschooling is all about, Unschooling means no school, so stop thinking like a teacher. Natural Learning weaves through daily activities so Trying to confine it to a particular space is artificial . Our home (unschooling classroom) looks like a regular house, you will not see learning posters all over the walls or see a dedicated space for "learning" as for us, natural learning is just living in our family home . You will open up our kitchen cupboards and see measuring jugs, measuring cups,scales,blenders,mortar and pestles,and jars for collecting specimens,you will look over and see our oven and microwave and coffee machine these are all our natural "maths" materials for when the children want to make and bake slideshow You will go into our sunroom where our old dining table turned art table / bottle flip table is , you will notice 2 cupboards , which hold all our art supplies and recycled cardboard packaging , waiting for when the kids want to paint and create, You notice half the sunroom is set up as a gym and one wall has a dart board , waiting for the kids to challenge themselves . slideshow You go into our loungeroom in the corner you'll see our computer and printer , set up for when the kids want to research, print and play, you walk over to our loungeroom cube storage, where you'll find games, books and other bits and pieces, that promote curiosity and exploration- I have found most from second hand shops their waiting for when the kids want to explore and read. Slideshow In the other corner is our bluetooth speaker waiting for our children to embrace music,above that is our shelf with our wooden instruments and guitar You go into my daughters room, where she has a sewing machine set up ,a mini fashion designing doll kit , some of her artworks she has created are on display , more books, notepads and pencils and a hanging chair where she can read and play her phone in, You go into my sons shared room and you will find their bow and arrows and metal detectors hanging up, their slingshots,pocket knives,lego builds and power tools on their bookshelfs ,their gemstones and other things they have foung on display , You will notice their xbox and tv set up and their beds are pulled close to it. Slideshow You walk throughout our home and find all our specimens and nature finds we have collected on our outings on display everywhere, waiting to strike new conversations and observations. Outside you will find our shed full of wood,nails and tools waiting to be turned into something when the kids feel like tinkering Unschooling is about just having the resources, around for whenever your child may feel like exploring, it doesn't matter what your home is filled with, letting your child naturally learn life skills, problem solving skills and giving them a chance to have hands on opportunities throughout your home is teaching them SOOO much. Slideshow Our bikes, scooters and skateboards are waiting for new adventures, our basketball hoop ,soccer,cricket and tennis balls waiting for a family match Im sure if you look around your home , you will discover that it is a perfect natural learning space for your child just the way it is, A learning place should be warm,cosy and full of great learning opportunities waiting for your child. It doesn't matter if they do not get used everyday because natural learning is happening one way or another even if you can not see it. If you look around your home now, you will see that it is most likely full of great materials,appliances,tools and things your child can use.Dont be afraid to let them explore all these amazing natural learning resources. No 2 families are the same, how our home is set up, may be completely different to yours, But our home ( unschooling classroom ) is full of things we all love, wanted or are interested in , like the gym and music area are dads passions, the computer area was for me and this blog, the art area was for my daughter, as she loves art ,and the shed is for the boys as they love to tinker, but we all share these spaces together , with each other .Our learning space will forever be changing and added to as we grow and new curiosities arise. As well as all the learning opportunities our home provides We use all the learning opportuinites wifi provides The kids are constantly watching something new and intriguing on youtube, covering a science, history ,creative arts or a geography topic .That they watch in their own time They are researching their problems and questions on google, and learning more maths, english , creative arts and science things on their online gaming. Whenever we are out and about at say the beach, we always find and see something we talk naturally about that turns into learning something new from a quick google search like yesterday for instincts ,the beach was covered in foam the kids played in and then wanted to know what the foam was from , a quick google search taught us that Large amounts of algal often wash ashore and the Foam forms when the algae particles are churned up by the big surf and the wind , this then lead to further conversations as to what algae was. As well as all the learning opportunities our home and wifi provides We use all the learning opportunities nature provides,view some of our other how we unschool post to see how nature helps us learn . slideshow My children are indeed learning They are learning from their own curiosities They are learning from asking questions They are learning from having a go They are learning from conversations They are learning from each other They are learning from our home They are learning from playing They are learning from wifi They are learning from apps They are learning from Nature They are learning naturally “There is substantial evidence that children have a strong and deep-rooted sensitivity to the natural world and that play, a biologically-driven instinct, is the primary mechanism through which they encounter and explore their immediate physical environment. Ill be adding a list of our unschooling supplies like books, apps,art materials ,tools,subscriptions that the kids like to use etc and the ways we have been covering subjects like maths, english,science lately - in my next post in the next few days so stay tuned :)