Exploring the psychology of happy and successful parenting
Laura Grace Weldon
Free Range Learning advocates for the child's right to learn naturally and demonstrates how to enfold this approach into daily life. It incorporates ancient knowledge as well as current research, highlighting wisdom shared by over 100 families from around the world.
In this useful book readers will discover a wealth of inspiring ideas for connecting with nature, reinvigorating their communities and sustaining the love of learning. If you need one volume about educating the whole child, Free Range Learning is that book.
In this useful book readers will discover a wealth of inspiring ideas for connecting with nature, reinvigorating their communities and sustaining the love of learning. If you need one volume about educating the whole child, Free Range Learning is that book.
My review of Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything
from Issue 174 of the Parental Intelligence Newsletter, July 2010
from Issue 174 of the Parental Intelligence Newsletter, July 2010
Wow, what a labour of love this book is! It must surely have taken hundreds of hours of work to compile - the depth and breadth of it is awesome.
To say that Free Range Learning is "about homeschooling" would be to tell only a fraction of the story. Laura Grace Weldon clearly has an understanding of how children really are and of what it means to be a parent - and of where all that might fit into "The Big Picture" - that goes far beyond her powerful demonstration of the many benefits of homeschooling.
So many ideas jumped out at me as I was reading this book - some new to me, some very familiar - I found myself stopping frequently to ponder. Not only on matters of educating my children and on my life as a dad, but also on life, the universe and everything! Light bulb moments. And at the same time, the many short and meaningful stories of personal experience contributed by dozens of real life homeschoolers were especially intriguing: pockets of illumination here and there throughout the pages providing me with an insight into how different homeschoolers live their everyday lives, as individuals and as families.
Whilst there's ample discussion in this book of "homeschooling" as a concept and numerous contentions in its favour that need to be supported by research (and are), in the end this book for me is about what people actually do, what they've discovered from what they've done, what works for them, what doesn't - and what we can all perhaps learn from their bold adventure. Add to that an abundant supply of practical ideas and resources and here is a guide to how homeschooling can indeed change everything that's enterprising in its scope yet comprehensive in its exposition of a brave and potentially wonderful new world.
Free Range Learning is a totally splendid and encouraging book and I'm very happy to have it available to me to share with others.
To find out more about this book, please visit lauragraceweldon.com
To say that Free Range Learning is "about homeschooling" would be to tell only a fraction of the story. Laura Grace Weldon clearly has an understanding of how children really are and of what it means to be a parent - and of where all that might fit into "The Big Picture" - that goes far beyond her powerful demonstration of the many benefits of homeschooling.
So many ideas jumped out at me as I was reading this book - some new to me, some very familiar - I found myself stopping frequently to ponder. Not only on matters of educating my children and on my life as a dad, but also on life, the universe and everything! Light bulb moments. And at the same time, the many short and meaningful stories of personal experience contributed by dozens of real life homeschoolers were especially intriguing: pockets of illumination here and there throughout the pages providing me with an insight into how different homeschoolers live their everyday lives, as individuals and as families.
Whilst there's ample discussion in this book of "homeschooling" as a concept and numerous contentions in its favour that need to be supported by research (and are), in the end this book for me is about what people actually do, what they've discovered from what they've done, what works for them, what doesn't - and what we can all perhaps learn from their bold adventure. Add to that an abundant supply of practical ideas and resources and here is a guide to how homeschooling can indeed change everything that's enterprising in its scope yet comprehensive in its exposition of a brave and potentially wonderful new world.
Free Range Learning is a totally splendid and encouraging book and I'm very happy to have it available to me to share with others.
To find out more about this book, please visit lauragraceweldon.com
Laura Grace Weldon is the author of Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything (Hohm Press). Her background includes teaching non-violence workshops, writing poetry with nursing home residents, developing enrichment programs, and homeschooling her four children.
Laura's articles on learning, sustainability, and peace appear in numerous publications and anthologies. She is also a columnist for Home Education Magazine and core contributor to GeekMom.com.
She lives on Bit of Earth Farm with her family where they raise livestock, produce, and the occasional ruckus. Find out more at lauragraceweldon.com/about
Laura's articles on learning, sustainability, and peace appear in numerous publications and anthologies. She is also a columnist for Home Education Magazine and core contributor to GeekMom.com.
She lives on Bit of Earth Farm with her family where they raise livestock, produce, and the occasional ruckus. Find out more at lauragraceweldon.com/about
Articles by Laura Grace Weldon
A Child's Place is in the Kitchen: How Cooking Advances Learning
Hands-on work builds skill and responsibility while leading to higher level learning.
Read more ...
We Don't Need No Age Segregation
How kids benefit when they interact with people of all ages.
Read more ...
Fun Theory
There's no List of Handy Motivators that applies to every person. That's why fun is so essential.
Read more ...
Nurturing A Child's Innate Gifts
A child's gifts may emerge slowly or be difficult to recognize. They aren't taught so much as drawn forth.
Read more ...
Fighting "Mean World Syndrome"
Resources to raise optimistic, independent-minded children.
Read more ...
Interest-Based Groups
Hanging out with people who are fascinated by the same things we are is natural. Let's find ways to let our kids do this too.
Read more ...
Climb, Swing & Snuggle
How play and purposeful activity are more valuable than any directed educational efforts.
Read more ...
No Parrots Here
Homeschooling would be easier if my kids parroted my interests, but that would be indoctrination instead of exploration. They are their own people.We all lean toward what helps us grow, like eager plants inclining towards sunlight even if it shines from different windows.
Read more ...
The Youngest Have the Oldest Way of Knowing
Young children have a very creative sense of reality. Their perceptions are akin to deep ecology, finding meaning and aliveness in everything around them.
Read more ...
Transferring Enthusiasm
There is something vitally important transmitted when one person's enthusiasm sets off a spark in others. This sort of spirit can't be reproduced in any curriculum.
Read more ...
What the French Revolution Can Teach Us About Parenting
Attempts to make childhood frictionless are misguided. Too many kids are deprived of the consequences on a small scale. Then the consequences of words and actions on a larger scale may be much harder to understand.
Read more ...
Making Heroism Happen
Ways to bring out the best in ourselves, our children, our communities.
Read more ...
On the Beating Death of a Snapping Turtle
There are pivotal moments in a child's life when what we show them about the world stays with them. We can show them that nature is a part of us--to experience with wonder, to treat with respect and to embrace as a unified whole. Or we can show them that nature is separate from us--to use for our amusement, to treat with distain, to attempt to control.
Read more ...
How To Raise Global Citizens
We want our children to understand how fully they are linked to their fellow beings on this beautiful blue green planet.
Read more ...
Dancing Babies and World Peace
We're born to be more receptive to music than to speech. According to a recent study babies respond to music, even regular drumbeats, with increased smiling. More surprising, this research shows that babies correlate their movements with the tempo and rhythm. They dance! And music gets a much greater response than spoken words. No wonder adults all over the world naturally engage babies in a sort of singsong-like call and response. We're translating our language into one that is more evocative.That's what music does. It makes us known to one another.
Read more ...
Helping Young People Establish Mentoring Connections
There are fewer opportunities for kids to establish natural mentoring relationships. Here are specific steps to helping them connect with an adult mentor.
Read more ...
Hands-on work builds skill and responsibility while leading to higher level learning.
Read more ...
We Don't Need No Age Segregation
How kids benefit when they interact with people of all ages.
Read more ...
Fun Theory
There's no List of Handy Motivators that applies to every person. That's why fun is so essential.
Read more ...
Nurturing A Child's Innate Gifts
A child's gifts may emerge slowly or be difficult to recognize. They aren't taught so much as drawn forth.
Read more ...
Fighting "Mean World Syndrome"
Resources to raise optimistic, independent-minded children.
Read more ...
Interest-Based Groups
Hanging out with people who are fascinated by the same things we are is natural. Let's find ways to let our kids do this too.
Read more ...
Climb, Swing & Snuggle
How play and purposeful activity are more valuable than any directed educational efforts.
Read more ...
No Parrots Here
Homeschooling would be easier if my kids parroted my interests, but that would be indoctrination instead of exploration. They are their own people.We all lean toward what helps us grow, like eager plants inclining towards sunlight even if it shines from different windows.
Read more ...
The Youngest Have the Oldest Way of Knowing
Young children have a very creative sense of reality. Their perceptions are akin to deep ecology, finding meaning and aliveness in everything around them.
Read more ...
Transferring Enthusiasm
There is something vitally important transmitted when one person's enthusiasm sets off a spark in others. This sort of spirit can't be reproduced in any curriculum.
Read more ...
What the French Revolution Can Teach Us About Parenting
Attempts to make childhood frictionless are misguided. Too many kids are deprived of the consequences on a small scale. Then the consequences of words and actions on a larger scale may be much harder to understand.
Read more ...
Making Heroism Happen
Ways to bring out the best in ourselves, our children, our communities.
Read more ...
On the Beating Death of a Snapping Turtle
There are pivotal moments in a child's life when what we show them about the world stays with them. We can show them that nature is a part of us--to experience with wonder, to treat with respect and to embrace as a unified whole. Or we can show them that nature is separate from us--to use for our amusement, to treat with distain, to attempt to control.
Read more ...
How To Raise Global Citizens
We want our children to understand how fully they are linked to their fellow beings on this beautiful blue green planet.
Read more ...
Dancing Babies and World Peace
We're born to be more receptive to music than to speech. According to a recent study babies respond to music, even regular drumbeats, with increased smiling. More surprising, this research shows that babies correlate their movements with the tempo and rhythm. They dance! And music gets a much greater response than spoken words. No wonder adults all over the world naturally engage babies in a sort of singsong-like call and response. We're translating our language into one that is more evocative.That's what music does. It makes us known to one another.
Read more ...
Helping Young People Establish Mentoring Connections
There are fewer opportunities for kids to establish natural mentoring relationships. Here are specific steps to helping them connect with an adult mentor.
Read more ...
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