“I personally couldn't imagine not being with my own children, and the kids are happy to be able to learn in their own time and according to their personal interests”

Our story

I'm a solo mom traveling the world with my three youngest kids, aged 14, 11 & 9. On and off we have had a home base in various places, for example we lived a long while in Copenhagen, Denmark, but we are currently packing up again and setting out with just our backpacks. As a family we like to move, not just as travelers, but also doing sports together. Parkour, trampoline, hiking, climbing and slackline are some family favorites. We value time and freedom over money and material possessions, so live a minimalist lifestyle to allow us this!

Learning

We've usually labeled ourselves as unschoolers, but nowadays I mostly use the term 'worldschoolers' because I feel the traveling aspect plays such a great role in our everyday life and the way we organize ourselves. You definitely do NOT need a teaching degree of any kind to homeschool. What you need is patience and curiosity, to transmit the love of learning to your kids. And of course, a willingness to spend a lot of time with your children, involving them in your life and getting involved in theirs for many years.

Community

A lot of my kids' friends are from the various homeschooling networks that we are or have been a part of. Some are just local kids from our neighborhood, others are people we have met through some kind of activity. Being a traveling family, we also attend conferences and pop-up communities around the world, and make connections there. Both the kids and I :)

A typical week

We don't use text books or even the sit-down type of teaching/learning. Instead, our daily life is generally built around our outings, which can be meet-ups with other families, going to a museum, doing sports, attending a play, visiting a historical landmark, going on a nature hike or a million other things. Totally depends on what's available in the area and what we feel up to. We talk a lot about all sorts of topics and these ongoing conversations are a strong foundation for the kids' education. It's amazing how much learning happens, naturally and effortlessly over time, when you just let life unfold and pick up on the opportunities that present themselves.

Our favorite tools

Some of my early reads were classics such as John Holt and John Taylor Gatto. For newcomers to unschooling I highly recommend Pam Larrichia's website and e-books (livingjoyfully.ca)