Adventures in Self-directed, Lifelong Learning
Slow Homeschooling:Essays About Mindful Homeschooling
This is a small but mighty book. Just 64 pages, it contains a powerful collection of 23 essays that touch upon a range of issues that parents grapple with as they explore the decision about homeschooling, and more issues that arise once they start on their homeschooling journey.
Take a look at the table of contents:
Did you ever wonder, what do unschoolers really do all day?
Now there’s a novel to give you a glimpse into the complex and wonderful world of unschooling.
I was excited when on of the authors of UnSchoolers reached out to me and asked if I would consider reviewing UnSchoolers.
The first thing I wanted to know was, who are the authors?
Two moms who unschooled their kids.
Read moreBook Review:UnSchoolers by Sophia Sayigh and Milva MacDonald
Mobility is a beautiful thing. Physical, social, or intellectual Being able to move, to be fluid, to progress. To change. To choose. To feel the power and joy of moving, reaching, stretching, walking, growing. Last week I lost my physical mobility for a few days after overdoing it with house and yardwork, party prep, high … Read more Self-directed Learner Mid-year Mobility Check
If you’re a parent who wasn’t homeschooled, you probably find yourself wondering,
“How can I help my child be a self-directed learner when that’s not how I learned?”
Read moreWhat’s the Secret to Supporting Self-directed Learners?
I love nature and encouraging people of all ages to go outside. Nature is an incredible resource for learning, health, and connection.
I’ve written about how important I think connecting to nature for parenting and learning in several previous posts:
http://www.lisanalbone.com/2015/09/nature-is-a-learning-resource/
http://www.lisanalbone.com/2014/04/dont-forget-to-go-outside/
http://www.lisanalbone.com/2015/08/review-how-to-raise-a-wild-child-by-scott-d-sampson/
Nature is one of the ten happiness helpers to use in creating your happiness action plan http://www.lisanalbone.com/2015/08/what-helps-us-be-happy/
Because of these posts, I learned about a nonprofit organization in the UK, Sensory Trust. Org, that has great programs and resources for creating accessible and engaging outdoor experiences.
Read moreReview of GoFindIt, an Instant Natural Treasure Hunt Game
When we started homeschooling, even though I’d been a teacher, I remember wondering how in the heck we would manage all the learning I thought we had to do?
When we started moving from homeschooling to unschooling, I still wondered if it would really work to let a learner’s interests and curiosity drive their education.
I was still in the schooling mindset; that learning was somehow separate from life. And that it only “counted” if someone else told you what to do and how to do it and then measured it.
It took awhile for to deschool myself.
And then a wonderful thing happened, I realized we’d always done tons of learning on our own –it just didn’t look like school. We’d already created an environment with time and space to ask questions and then try to find the answers.
I realized you can allow wondering and curiosity to evolve without having to preplan and control the outcome, and learning will happen. Amazingly motivation that had gone missing can return.
If it seems hard to imagine, here is a little snapshot of unplanned, natural learning that can happen when you make time for wondering, curiosity, listening, and space.
Try to see your child as a seed that came in a packet without a label. Your job is to provide the right environment and nutrients and to pull the weeds. You can’t decide what kind of flower you’ll get or in which season it will bloom. I love this quote shared by a mom … Read more Nurturing Unlabeled Seeds, Allowing Kids to Bloom