THE CALL OF THE WILD FREE

[Pages:14]THE CALL OF THE

WILD + FREE

Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education

AINSLEY ARMENT

Photography: Pages ii?iii: Rachel Kovac | @rachelstitchedtogether Pages iv?v, 50: Kirsty Larmour | @kirstylarmour Pages vi, 122, 132, 230: Bethany Douglass | @cloisteredaway Pages viii?1, 106, 148, 226, 286: Naomi Ovando | @3bebesmama Pages 2, 22: Michelle Garrels | @ellegarrels Pages 10, 34, 62?63, 64, 92, 146?147, 188, 206, 224?225: Kristin Rogers | @kristinrogers Pages 78, 270, 298: Hannah Mayo | @hmayophoto Pages 156, 252: Rachael Alsbury | @fromfaye

Illustrations: Recurring trees: pikolorante | Shutterstock Pages 4, 41, 74 (paper and pen), 95, 98, 153, 161, 162, 166, 202, 217 (crayon): Paper Sphinx | Creative Market Pages 7, 24, 31, 36, 53, 68, 73, 87, 101, 102, 108, 113, 119, 126, 141, 152, 154, 158, 165, 168, 172, 176, 183, 194, 197, 200, 208, 217 (camper and taxi), 228, 238, 246, 250, 255, 272, 285, 289, 295, 302: Graphic Box | Creative Market Pages 18, 71, 74 (clipboard), 90, 125, 135, 151, 171, 180, 232, 280: Dainty Doll Art | Creative Market Pages 56, 282: YesFoxy | Creative Market Page 313: Janet Evans-Scanlon

the call of the wild + free. Copyright ? 2019 by Ainsley Arment. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please email the Special Markets Department at SPsales@.

first edition

Designed by Janet Evans-Scanlon

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Arment, Ainsley, author. Title: The call of the wild and free : reclaiming wonder in your child's

education / Ainsley Arment. Description: First edition. | San Francisco : HarperOne, 2019 | Includes

bibliographical references. | Summary: "Speaking to the growing national trend, The Call of the Wild and Free equips families to provide quality homeschool education, and encourages all parents and caregivers to raise kids to experience the adventure, freedom, and wonder of childhood"-- Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2019019923 | ISBN 9780062916518 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780062916532 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Home schooling. | Education--Parent participation. | Child rearing. Classification: LCC LC40 .A76 2019 | DDC 372.1042/42--dc23 LC record available at

1920212223lsc10987654321

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES DURING READ -ALOU DS

? Easy handicrafts like finger knitting ? Clay or modeling beeswax for sculpting ? Wooden blocks, letters, and peg people ? Puzzles, magnetic tiles, or sorting games ? Small bin of Legos (small because the sound of kids

sorting through big bins is stressful when you're trying to read and may make you want to hurl the Legos; trust me on this)

? Colored pencils and paper ? Play dough with various natural items, such as shells,

rocks, and flowers

? Water beads with measuring cups and small animal figurines

? Watercolor paints

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HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF: 1. Do I prefer a more structured or less structured learning environment? How about my kids? 2. Do my children learn better in more natural places or walled ones? 3. Do I value literature as a source of all education? 4. Do I believe in the value of play as a tool of education? 5. Do I think screens are a good or bad idea for kids? 6. Do my children learn better if they are using their hands, working on a project? 7. Or do they prefer to work quietly, book and pen in hand? 8. Do my children reject all formal learning, or are workbooks okay on occasion?

These questions will help you as you consider the various styles and curriculums, but for most of us the real answers will come with hours spent in the trenches, figuring it out as we go. In time, you'll discover which homeschooling approach works best for your family, the curriculum will fall into place, and you'll be on your way to a healthier, happier homeschool.

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OH CHILDHOOD, WHERE DID YOU GO?

Oh childhood, where did you go? We sped up the process, thinking that's how you'd grow.

Gave up fort building and climbing trees. To avoid muddy hands and skinned-up knees. Enrolled you in things you were expected to do. Not stopping to realize it was for us more than you. Remind me--giving up daydreams was better for who? When did we quit dreaming, to notice or care? Stop looking at stars or remembering they're there? We put you on buses and shipped you away. To preschools and programs and preceptors for pay. Who said the experts know better than us, anyway? You were made for summers that go on forever. Getting lost in good books in inclement weather.

Making up stories and writing new songs. Until long past your bedtime and the porch light comes on.

No need to rush childhood; it goes by too fast. What you need is the time to make it all last.

You belong out in nature, staring up at the sky. Blowing dandelion puffs and watching them fly. Turning clouds into shapes that you want them to be.

Fending off dragons if that's what you see. If only there were a way to be wild + free. We read the great books but ignore their wisdom. Go our own way instead of trusting what's in them. Childhood is a treasure, a gift to behold. I'm sorry to say you've been traded and sold.

Oh childhood, where did you go? Oh childhood, say it ain't so.

We'll bring you back home if it's the last thing we do. We'll reclaim the wonder; that's my promise to you.

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When creating a framework for your daily rhythm, start simply and leave room for spontaneity to unfold. Here are a few things you could include in your framework:

? Breakfast ? Morning time ? Nature hike ? Snack time ? Main lessons ? Lunch

? Additional subjects ? Read-aloud ? Free time ? Dinner ? Family time ? Bedtime

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SWEET S U N DAY Worship, hospitality, board games, and family walk

MAG IC MO N DAY Baking, teatime, poetry, art, and music

TIME TRAVEL T U E S DAY History and geography

WORK AND WONDER WE D N E S DAY Cleaning, writing letters, and time for wonder

THUNDER T H U RS DAY Adventure, nature collecting, and audiobooks

FAVO R I T E S F RI DAY Library, nature journaling, and science and studies at Nana's house

SKILLFUL SAT U R DAY Homestead work, Wild Explorers Club, and Sunday prep

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A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE CHAPTER BOOKS

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE BOOK SERIES

Thornton Burgess Animal Stories by Thornton Burgess

Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Little Britches series by Ralph Moody

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

The Green Ember series by S. D. Smith

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE PICTURE BOOKS

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McKloskey

Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow

Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Children of the North Lights by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

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