Category Archives: Learn: Why Unschool?

Children’s human right to play

Did you know that the right to engage in play is a human right? And did you know that, play-based-learning, does not count? Play is defined as an activity that is child initiated, controlled and structured by the child. It is driven intrinsically and entered into for the purpose of fun and is an essentialContinue reading “Children’s human right to play”

What if my children play all day?

What if my children play all day and don’t do any work? For children play is learning, even if it is not tangible or measurable or test worthy. If they are engaged in an activity then it is plausible that that activity is offering them something that they need and that they find personally engaging.Continue reading “What if my children play all day?”

Play is…

Making sense of the world around you. Rehearsing the past, present and future. Working through ideas. Practising. Mastering. Repeating. Perfecting. Thinking. Re-thinking. Organising. Rehearsing. Re-Enacting. Investigating. Experimenting. Hypothesising. Observing. Puzzling. Questioning. Exploring. Co-operating. Negotiating. Compromising. Discussing. Sharing ideas. Concluding. Engaging. Turn-taking. Conferring. Controlling. Rule making. Rule breaking. Setting targets. Setting boundaries. Setting limits. Limitless. Lateral. Diverse. Problem setting. Problem solving. Enquiring. Searching. challenging. Engaging. Absorbing. Creative. Representative. Unique. Fun. Fantasy. Make believe. Making thingsContinue reading “Play is…”

The Flow of Learning

When children play all day and they choose the path that their day takes then they enter a state of flow. When they are in this natural state of flow they are responding and in-tune with their own selves. They choose what to spend their time focused on, how long to delve into it, whichContinue reading “The Flow of Learning”

Learning Styles

Common current thinking believes that every person has a preferred learning style, a mode of learning in which they absorb information best. Some say that there are 3 styles or 4 and others say that there are 7 styles or 8 and others say that there are 71 different models. And whilst educators are busyContinue reading “Learning Styles”

Why we should trust our children

Trusting our children can seem insurmountable. How can we trust children? They are small and make mistakes all the time. They cannot be trusted. The trusting is in the intention. We trust that our children have good intentions. We trust that their mistakes are actual mistakes and not deliberate. We refrain from shame and angerContinue reading “Why we should trust our children”

Heirachy of Needs

Abraham Maslow first wrote about the Heirachy of Needs in his paper ” A Theory of Human Motivation” in 1943. It was a psychological theory based on the need for good mental health, which was a revolutionary approach to looking at psychological conditions at the time. It is commonly and frequently used today to underlineContinue reading “Heirachy of Needs”

Make Your Brain Sparkle

Your brain is wired to learn. It is constantly seeking to connect new information with existing ideas. It does this by passing electrochemical signals all over your brain. Your brain is made up of neurons. It is the neurons that awaken with electrical activity when fired up. They are fired up by learning something new.Continue reading “Make Your Brain Sparkle”