by Erin | Jan 31, 2017 | attachment, connection, empathetic response, meeting needs, safe spaces
Parenting has been such a transformative experience for me. My kids are constantly teaching me what it means to be human. One of the nicest things about being a family with three kids is watching my older two children interact with the baby. Every time the baby cries...
by Erin | Jan 14, 2017 | empathetic response, feelings, meeting needs, nonviolent communication, self care
My kids have been erupting into physical fights a lot this past week and I just can’t stand it. This is a picture of the cause of most of their fights this week. That’s right, it’s a pinwheel, bought at a big box store for $1.99. Pinwheels are awesome and...
by Erin | Nov 13, 2016 | connection, inspiration
I was all set to devote my blog writing time to the next segment in my quest to compare SDE, Public Education, Montessori, and Waldorf styles of learning when I got side-tracked by the US election. I suddenly had a lot to process*. I just needed to hold still for a...
by Erin | Nov 1, 2016 | reflection
In this series of blogs, I’ll tackle how each of these facets of SDE compare to the Ontario Public Education System (which is similar to most other state-run educational systems), Montessori Philosophy and Waldorf Philosophy. Self-Directed Education (SDE): ...
by Erin | Sep 8, 2016 | attachment, connection
Since starting We Learn Naturally, I have had a lot of parents assume that we promote natural learning in the sense that we do not use technology. Perhaps this was poor planning on my part, I actually meant “we learn naturally” in the sense that...
by Erin | Aug 31, 2016 | connection, diversity, empathetic response, inspiration
Since my 5000 km move across the country from Ontario to British Columbia, I have experienced a significant amount of turbulence as we attempt to lay down fresh roots so far away from all that we know and love. There have been times where I have literally cried out as...
by Erin | Aug 19, 2016 | child-lead, trust
This week I had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca and Dave Zak. They are artists and entrepreneurs, and I got to see their studio, geek out about self-directed education. I want to share with you this video featuring Rebecca Zak. I especially like the creative...
by Erin | Aug 13, 2016 | attachment, child-lead, connection, feelings, nature connection, safe spaces, self-connection, trust
Whether it’s a 10 week session throughout a season or a 1 week summer camp, when we reach the end of our scheduled time at Learning in the Woods, everyone experiences a bit of a “high”. When it’s time to say good-bye, connections are at their strongest, so it’s...
by Erin | May 29, 2016 | child-lead, deschooling the adults, meeting needs, respecting boundaries, trust
The irony of our outdoor program “Learning in the Woods” is that sometimes the most valuable learning is done by the adults involved; parents and facilitators. The program is child-lead and sometimes the themes and topics that arise challenge the adults to reconsider...
by Erin | May 13, 2016 | nonviolent communication
Last week at Learning in the Woods, I noticed a strange “call”. I assumed it was a bird that I had never heard before. About an hour later, some of the kids ran over yelling excitedly “we found a puppy!” I immediately thought, that’s possible. Due to our location,...
