Ep. 108 Nature is Your Child’s Best Teacher with @schoollessinseattle

We are our children’s first teachers, but we believe nature is one of their greatest teachers. When groups of kids get out in nature together, magic happens. That’s why Madison runs weekly meetups in her area for homeschool families. 

 

Madison is a homeschooling mom and wild + free group leader living in the Seattle area. Her passion for wildschooling and child-led learning comes from her background in elementary education and love for the outdoors. She loves exploring the forests, beaches and mountains of the PNW with her family and leads and hosts weekly outdoor meetups for her wild + free homeschooling group.  

 

Unschooling is a step away from super-structured school curriculum; it is more child-led for each child’s interests. 

 

Books Mentioned: 

The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment  

The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart 

 

Kid Books Mentioned: 

Elephant and Piggie Series  

The Little House on the Prairie Series 

 

Homeschooling Learning: 

They are learning in everything they are doing 
Not everything we need to learn is just the academic part we learn in school 
You see daily progress 
They are learning beyond the textbooks 

 

Homeschool Socialization: 

School is not the only place to socialize 
There are weekly meetup groups  
Play dates with other homeschool kids (and non-homeschool kids alike) 
Chat with people and become friends at the park, at the grocery store, etc.  

 

A “Typical” Day: 

Every morning starts with independent reading 
Then focused reading and math 
Then hiking, park, beach, or zoo 
More reading in the evening 

 

Weekly Meetups: 

Newborn to 12-years-old usually 
Older ones naturally teach younger ones 
Consistent relationships  
Outdoors – park, hike, beach, or field trips and book club 
Community of parents to share with 

 

Homeschool Challenges: 

Can be hard to be consistent 
Requires a lot of work and energy 
Less alone time for the adult  

 

Homeschool Benefits: 

So much of teachers’ time is spent on classroom management, so homeschool requires less hours at a desk 
Can be outside more 
Can follow child’s lead 
Strengthens the family relationship 
Flexibility to travel and adventure 
Individualized education  
Learning in everything you do! 

 

Follow Madison on IG: @schoollessinseattle 

 

Thank you to Mounts Store for supporting today’s podcast! www.mountsstore.com to check them out. 

 

Today’s Host: @adriannaadventures & @laurenrodycheberle from @kidswhoexplore
Production: @kpmediaproductions. Music: @michaelferraro_music