Check Out The Call Of The Wild And Free: Reclaiming Wonder In Your Childs Education Formulated By Ainsley Arment Distributed In Electronic Text

super, super new homeschoolers, “Dear friend, dont let the bustling culture determine the needs of your own children, You get to choose how they grow up, You can protect their time, energy, and imagination, You are the gatekeeper of the garden of their childhood, ”

Ill just let this quote from the book speak for itself, This book was a balm for my soul as we enter into ourth year of homeschooling, A reminder to make more time for the things that matter and to spend less time worrying about the things they can catch up on later, Inspiration to finally start nature journaling, Ideas for how to help my kids pursue their individual passions, Freedom to listen more closely to some of the whispers Ive pushed down over the last few years in fear of comparison, Renewed inspiration for my kids to be raised Wild Free, Interesting to read this in conjunction with Esolen and Clark/Jain, I disagreed with a good deal of her overall educational philosophy too individual, few roots, no room for the sin natures of child or parent, The The Call of the Wild and Free's strength was its alltooshort practical section at the end, I still think a Wild Free community group would be a blast to join, but I was not impressed with the content here, Even though I've been homeschooling foryears, this book still had a lot of helpful information for me, I just happened to open it up to a random page and was instantly hooked, Then I wanted to rip out pages to post near my desk, It's positive and uplifting. Just what I needed as we round up another year,

I should begin with the fact that if you saw my family on any given Friday, youd assume we fit right into the authors world, And youd probably be right, We have some similar priorities and goals, But, as a mama who appreciates arguments being given logically with solid proofs, this book fell off the pedestal that the Instagram and lifestyle it promotes remains upon, It simply came across like a series of mommywar style blog posts, The tone is very condescending and the author does not come across as a humble learner or teacher, The things Wild Free stands for are wonderful and many elements are well proven, but I think youd spend your time better in some other books to discover them like For the Childrens Sake, or Echo in Celebration, orWays to Destroy the Imagination of your Child, or However Imperfectly, to name a few.
As a homeschool graduate, I know I want to homeschool my children one day, So I didnt really connect with the first third of this book which seemed aimed more at parents making the decision, But Im glad I kept reading and soaked in Ainsleys defense of childhood, play, and family life in the latter/, Especially enjoyed her summary of the different homeschool approaches!,stars. The tone of this book came off as smug and inconsistent, Some of the chapters were like a pep talk and others felt like passive condemnation, The author was insistent she was inclusive of all homeschooling types, yet her own personal anecdotes and those of her “tribe” she chose to include did not communicate inclusivity and acceptance of all types.
I would recommend reading the extensive library of books by the authors whose quotes she sprinkled throughout the book Charlotte Mason, etc rather than reading this, It would be very overwhelming for a new homeschooler and is probably nothing new to anyone who has been homeschooling for any amount of time, Reads more like an internet manifesto instead of an interesting book, Few ideas that I really disagree with but lots of repetition, Probably good as a general overview for people who have done very little reading on home educating, Allow your children to experience the adventure, freedom, and wonder of childhood with this practical guide that provides all the information, inspiration, and advice you need for creating a modern, quality homeschool education.


Inspired by the spirit of Henry David Thoreau”All good things are wild and free”mother of five Ainsley Arment founded Wild Free, This growing online community of mothers and families want their children to receive a quality education at home by challenging their intellectual abilities and nurturing their sense of curiosity, joy and awethe essence of a positive childhood.


The homeschool approach of past generations is goneincluding the stigma of socially awkward kids, conservative clothes, and a classroom setting replicated in the home, The Wild Free movement is focused on a love of nature, reading great books, pursuing interests and hobbies, making the entire world a classroom, and prolonging the wonder of childhood, an appealing philosophy that is unpacked in the pages of this book

The Call of the Wild and Free offers advice, information, and positive encouragement for parents considering homeschooling, those currently in the trenches looking for inspiration, as well as parents, educators, and caregivers who want supplementary resources to enhance their kids traditional educations.
I wanted to love this book but it was medium to me, I've been homeschooling for quite a few years and already have my style so those sections weren't as informative to me, I don't know the author but I listened to the audiobook and the tone just made me a little uncomfortable, If I weren't secure in my own choices, I think it'd made me feel judged or guilty for making different choices than the author, I also found all the quotes throughout the book as offputting and kind of "name dropping" of popular homeschool Instagram accounts, There were some key passages I noted but the majority were from the quotes of other homeschool resources, This wasn't a bad book there are just other, better books for I'd recommend first, I am of two minds with The Call of The Wild Free:

I was pleasantly surprised that the bulk of the content wasnt recycled from the Wild Free content bundles, and Arment made some strong points in the first quarter of the book.


BUT overall, the content was light and a rehashing of the works of others, Arment quotes a lot of great thinkers and writers on alternative education options and nature education, but having read those books already I didnt learn anything new from her work.


This book would be great for a new homeschooling mother, but didnt offer much for those of us who have been homeschooling for years, And it was especially light fare for those of us who are active in Wild Free groups, have attended the conferences, or have subscribed to the content bundles, I have been a huge fan of Ainsley Arment and her Wild Free lifestyle/movement for a few years so when I heard about her book coming out, I immediately put my request in at the library.
Reading this book felt like I was being wrapped in a cozy blanket or a big hug from a close friend, . . familiar and comfortable. Arments words reinvigorated my passion for homeschooling and made me feel empowered, I will be ordering my very own copy of Wild Free

because not only is it filled with wonderful resources and ideas, but it will serve as a reminder when doubt creeps in.
AND this book is absolutely beautiful, . . they way its put together, the words, and pictures both photos and artwork,
It is so easy to get caught in the comparison traps or what other people think and this book helps to reaffirm your reasonings and beliefs, It helps to bring back the joy and magic AND beauty of homeschooling, Its all about finding your style yours and your childs and rhythm, . . and if that means testing out various methods so be it, Keeping the love for learning alive and the sense of wonder strong, . . and letting kids be kids!

I loved this book SO MUCH and highly recommend it to all homeschooling parents and to anyone on the fence about homeschooling,
Folks, this book is so buyable, Go buy it.

There have been many excellent books on homeschooling as a new and wild thing to wrap one's head around, Tons of books about specific methods, groundbreaking methods, I'm looking at you, The Well Trained Mind, Usually here and there in these texts, the author will break for a moment to remind parents to focus on relationship or to switch up what they recommend to match their own family culture.
Then it's back to prescriptions or at least descriptions, and the frequently asked questions and the necessary debunking of myths this is legal!,

Sometimes books have started with the philosophy and the feelings in the minds and hearts of the parents, and never get into details of howto, They remind you to let the baby be the lesson, that the wiggle is in your preschooler for an important purpose, But they don't tell you what to do about teaching science, Ahem, Sally Clarkson.

This book is different, It's not a general howto or intro to homeschooling, It's too passionate and indepth for that, too specific and quick, It's not a prescription for a methodology, either,

This book issues out the secrets in the hearts of homeschooling parents, those for whom homeschooling is their jam, their lifestyle, If you've ever thought it was overthetop to make homeschooling your identity, maybe don't read this, or especially do, This book issues out the secrets in the hearts of people who identify with "once a homeschool mom, always a homeschool mom," and then it tells you what you can do to teach science.
With relationship, rhythm, and family culture in mind, here is what this method and this method and this method look like, Like: 'Here is what we love, And here are eight ways that love manifests when choosing rhythm, or creating a family culture, or setting boundaries with life and kids and inlaws, Here are why these specific moms chose this, and here are four ways other parents do it, Look what this dad did, Here are so many ways this value of the heart could play out, '

This is the book the starts by saying relationship comes first, and ends by saying, notebooking, prearithmetic texts, nature study, and morning time, It says all the methods, and then it says how it fit into the family culture of thoughtful, intentional parents who are putting their hearts on the line for their kids.


We have needed this for a long time, I am annotating my copy so my children will be able to see my heart for their education after I am gone, I am also going to keep an extra copy at home so I can literally put it in the hands of the noobs who come to me wondering how to do this thing.


What a treasure, .