Raising A Revolution
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Helping hand. On this day we walked 10km in Amsterdam, and as we crossed the last bridge to our hostel, Joss encouraged Alfie in the most caring delightful way. This from the girl who has a lot of trouble with long distance walks of any kind. ‘My legs are tiiiiirrrrrreeeeedddd’ are four words we hear often from her. How did we do it? Respectfully. We engaged her with the planning, made sure there were enough mini-milestones to keep her interested and heaped our appreciation on her. And then, at the last few hundred metres, gave her a lift in Alfie’s buggy while he was in the sling. And you know what she said, “are you doing ok, Mama? I’m not too heavy to push?” We don’t always get it right. But when we do my heart soars and I want to gather everyone in for a gigantic squeezey hug. . . . . . #unschooling #worldschooling #respectfulparenting #patience #icecreamwasinvolved #sowassushi #notbriberythough #reallynot #asitypethistheyrefighting #famkessels #famkesselsontourAMSTERDAM!!!!! . . . . . #famkessels #famkesselsontour #amsterdam #mamaisexcited #unschooling #worldschooling #noschooling #cityschooling #history #architecture #art #canals #allthethings @onelittleblackbird It’s a flying visit! Can meet up this afternoon?? But leaving tomorrow morning... All very spontaneous and last minute!Socialisation. It always comes up when people hear that our children don’t go to school. But I don’t think that people actually really worry about the socialisation of kids who don’t go to school. I think they see/hear on social media that it’s a ‘thing’ and it gets perpetuated. So many of the home/unschoolers that I follow on social media post about how not-a-thing socialisation is, and I totally agree, it’s not. So, let’s just stop perpetuating it. Let’s not give it anymore airtime so that we can move on and talk about what we’re passionate about, what’s lighting our flame, what’s hurting our hearts - all the things that matter. Let’s talk about the amazing vitality and flexibility and stubbornness of our kids. Let’s talk about all the opportunities they’re getting to explore the world and the people. Because, let’s be honest, I doubt there’s one single person following my page who thinks that unschooling is damaging, and who is getting convinced otherwise by my posts. My posts are for the people doing this who want to see the highs and lows of another family so that they feel normal. It’s for people who think they can’t, to show them there’s nothing special about us, and they can. And hopefully, there’s a common theme of how absolutely fucking amazing my kids are at navigating the world that silently dispels the fallacy that kids need school to socialise. #unschool #noschool #worldschool #famkessels #famkesselsontour #learninginourownenvironment #raisingarevolution #goingagainstthegrain #clickbait #thiswordwillgetpeopleengaged #nuance #kidswithvitalityRon and I were talking and I was so proud of how we’re teaching our kids to be great light travellers... and then we packed the car and everyone still had at least one bag at their feet. * But - We’re off! All the way to Sauerland - a whopping 3 hr drive from where we were, and next to a lake, a day trip from the mountains, and sleeping in a 🏕. Perfect for a few days. * We already played Rumikub, Badminton, pirates and in the flying fox. * Tomorrow we have a date with the lake. * This trip was brought to you with the help of Harry Potter, Swallows and Amazons, Haribo, Red Band and Google Maps. . . . . . #famkessels #famkesselsontour #camping #miniroadtrip #raisingarevolution #unschooling #learninginourownenvironment #campingingermany #isitbedtimeyetJoss has been struggling to settle in here. She misses a lot from home: her friends, the food, the books, the language, her art class. We have been writing letters to friends and getting some back, we’ve been trying to meet up with potential new friends here, and yesterday a lovely friend of mine gave Joss a private art class. She loved it and learned loads and came away filled with inspiration (and a big bag full of supplies from my generous friend). This painting is one of the pieces she worked on yesterday. They were working with acrylics and water and learning how to *see* the light and shade and how to represent that with the paint and brush strokes. I love it. *** When people ask me what we *do* as unschoolers, most often I explain to them how we trust that there’s learning in all moments if we want there to be. And that’s true. But also, unschooling is this whole scenario that I’ve written about here. It’s about really hearing what my child has to say, about being curious about their experience, what they need. And it’s about filling their cup with kind, compassionate responses to those needs. And standing back and watching them shine. . . . . . #unschooling #raisingarevolution #learninginourownenvironment #makingopportunities #respect #respectfulparenting #curiosity #artistsoninstagram #friendswhoarearty #thankgoodnessforfriends #friendsofallages #worldschooling #famkessels #famkesselsontour @onelittleblackbird thanks for helping us out on this one!! And thanks to Mamalittleblackbird ;)Quick, everyone smile! I just figured out how to post these on my Raising a Revolution Facebook page!! Whoop!! #alwayslearning#artyaf . . . . . #famkessels #famkesselsontour #heatwavenl #toohotWatching the water rush out of the sluis... what’s the English word for that? In the canal so that the boats can go from one level to another. An after dinner walk because it was still hot and bright and sunshiny. It’s not meant to dip below 30 until midnight. The kids are just going to bed now, at 10pm. We had such a lovely evening. They’re going to bed with full hearts. My favourite. . . . . . #famkesselsontour #unschooling #worldschooling #somewordsionlyknowindutch #eveningadventures #itsaheatwave #learninginourownenvironment #raisingarevolutionThis little guy has a stomach bug a couple of weeks ago. I was flying solo at the time and when a substantial amount of blood appeared in his nappy I decided it was time to check with a doctor if it was all still ok. Anyway, after the doctor (who scored points for saying ‘breast milk is all he needs for the next few days’) I stopped at the supermarket and bought snacks that the big two could organise by themselves, and two frozen pizzas for lunch. We got home and I have Louis instructions for cooking the pizzas, showed them the snacks, told them to help themselves and put Harry Potter on audiobook. Then I headed upstairs to nurse the bubba through the illness. I came down mid-way through the afternoon to check on them, asked if they’d like to keep listening to the story or watch some tv, then went back upstairs to the bubba, worrying in that way that mamas all over the world worry about not doing enough, not being able to give enough, not being able to be every thing in every moment. That night, lying in bed, they both agreed that that day was The Best Day Ever. I was stumped. . . . . . #mamaislearningtoo #unschooling #worldschooling #independence #snacks #frozenpizza #bestmama #bestdayever #lowermyexpectations #electronicbabysitters #117loadsofwashing #famkessels #famkesselsontour #stomachbugTalking About
activities alwayslearning bedtime breezy bug balm camper van challenges children daily life deschooling difficult diymama east coast easy emotional wellbeing every day learning exploring exploring nature exploring nz family life fantasies fathers fathers day featured fighting fishing holiday everyday hopeful how kids learn how to socialise your children jobs learning all the time learningastheygo learninginourownenvironment learning in our own environment lifelearning maori language resources maori language week marriage meet-ups minecraft natural colouring natural learning natural world parenting peaceful parenting place playdoh play dough punishment radical childhood raising a revolution recipe relationship respectful roadschooling role rosecolouredfilter school screen time shopping socialisation socialising summerschooling support swimming teachable opportunities te taura whiri i te reo maori tough days tui balms unschooling unschoolingchores unschoolinglife values what is unschooling
