My girls making almond butter, after harvesting the nuts from the trees.
Today I was at a meeting, with a lot of parents who are very concerned about the restrictions put in place for children when they return to school. The majority of them do not wish to send their children to school and were eager to look at the alternatives that are available. Spain is very vocal about how it is illegal to home educate, however upon further investigation we discovered that it is not, but you can be charged if you can not prove that your child is receiving an education.
So you would have to provide a curriculum if social services or the education police get involved. This is fine if you wish to teach your children in a formal way, with a strict timetable put in place and enforcing your child to learn at these designated times. Perhaps this way is much more suited to older kids, as having some structure is important.
However my girls are still young, my eldest two being 11 and 7. I very much leave the learning up to them, trusting in their ability to teach themselves and come to me when they need guidance. Essentially leaving them responsible for their education. Why?
Because they know when they are ready and they will progress in a way that is natural and organic for each of them. They have been left to discover the best way in which they can learn, to choose what is the best for them with no external pressure, only encouragement and support. Some days I might remind them to do some things but I rarely pressure them.
Learning about birth, through play!
They are both, so imaginative and they spend most of their time outdoors, where they are constantly developing their problem solving skills and natural incorporating writing, reading and maths into their games.
They are growing up in an environment where they have naturally developed skills in growing food, foraging, preparing food, taking care of animals, using hand tools, building anything from shelters, to stools and so much more. They know how to make natural dyes and how to sew and mend clothes. They learn these things because that is what is happening around them. They are constantly interacting with their environment and the people who live around them.
We live within a large international community so they are also learning about different countries and cultures, they feel very comfortable with people of all ages so they have no problem asking questions once they get to know one another.
They have already developed so many life skills and I have been learning alongside them as well! As we move forward in life, we need to be focusing more on life skills. Especially now!
Learning about their bodies!
We are all teachers in this life, I have as much to learn from my girls as they have from me and they are aware of that. For me it was important that they were allowed to continue to keep their hunger for learning and knowledge, to continue to experience, such joy when they discover things for themselves, all of which drives them to learn so much more.
I love to see the pride in their faces, when they figure things out for themselves and how comfortable they are in asking me for help. They are both very capable and confident because they have been allowed to learn for themselves, to follow their own learning desires. I have tried n the past to help direct their learning, but they were so resistant.
It is so important that they are in a stimulating environment and that they have access to the resources that they need, but even better is watching them meet their own needs with limited resources. Finding solutions with what they have and reusing materials or recycling them.
My two girls learn in very different ways and both of them are very comfortable with that, as they have never been placed within an environment that has forced them to learn in a certain way. They have had the freedom to discover their own learning for themselves. Doing so means you have to place a lot of trust in your child and you have to be willing to step back and unschool yourself, as self directed learning is the complete opposite to what most of us parents were taught in school.
Helping out with the Olive harvest, they know where their food comes from!
I love the fact that I am growing and learning with my girls. I really want them to hold onto the knowledge that our most important learning comes from within, that we are all capable of achieving what we desire. That they grow up never doubting themselves, because they never had too.
I am here to encourage and guide them and be ready to provide for them if and when they learning requirements change, something I have no doubt that they will inform me about.
For those who worry about social skills, my girls have been attending a kids project 2 times a week with kids of all ages where they have been creating their own spaces and learning music production amongst many other artistic projects.
For me it’s all about the environment and the opportunities that can come their way, the rest is up to them!
This is my response the the @homeedders Education Debate Challenge #3 How do you educate?
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Seeing so much creativity in the way you resource and encoourage your girls to learn naturally is beautiful. Life-affirming. Sharing that with others who wish to empower themselves is also a very special and important thing. Lots of myths about homeschooling - and lots of need for clear information.
Really appreciating the homeedders community on Hive!
#POSH
Thank you and yes there are so many myths about homeschooling I really appreciate having the opportunity to share mine xxx
You are awesome. Yes, I totally resonate with what you're sharing, as always, and I also appreciate the edges you push in my awareness. We are similarly removing our kids from the school system, and "unschooling" might be the most accurate way to describe it. I like what you're saying about how the kids educate themselves, and I'm totally seeing the truth in that. When school got canceled in February, we started holding space for our kids, beginning with an outdoor fire most mornings. We plan to continue this ritual whenever we host "school" at our place, and we're teaming up with another family so the kids get a variety of experiences. My plan is to hold space for body, heart, mind, soul, and spirit, and mostly let the kids get to know the Guide Inside, so they can be self-reliant, and resilient.
Ah thank you Cabe, I wish you a wonderful journey of discovery with your children it is so empowering for them. Much love xxxxx
True unschooling here! I was never brave enough to take that path completely, although we took that path more and more each year, until they were older. Eldest has started university, so she was doing a math course towards that when she was 17 and hubby wants the youngest to have some education certification behind her, so she started her highschool certificate of education online this year. Australia is just all about licenses and certificates...