Product Description

Free Range Learning presents eye-opening data about the meaning and importance of natural learning. This data-from neurologists, child development specialists, anthropologists, educators, historians and business innovators-turns many current assumptions about school-based education upside down. The book's factual approach is balanced by quotes and stories from over 100 homeschoolers from the U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, India and Singapore. These parents and kids are the true authorities on alternative learning. Written for interested parents and educators, Free Range Learning will also encourage and excite those who want their children to have the benefits, but who are timid to approach homeschooling. This is the only book anyone needs to make the choice and start the process of homeschooling children, and is applicable for young people from pre-school through high school. Studies indicate that adults who were homeschooled are: * More likely to vote, volunteer and be involved in their communities than graduates of conventional schools. * Read more books than average. * More likely to have taken college level courses than the population as a whole. * Tend to be independent and self-reliant. Free Range Learning presents the simple choice to homeschool as something much more significant than a homespun method of education. Weldon asks us to consider this choice as participation in a cultural shift toward redefining success; and as a form of collective intelligence with major implications for the future of education. Children are naturally "free range" learners, she says. They build knowledge and skills naturally, within the full spectrum of their daily lives, while observing, exploring and pursuing their interests. This book guides any parent or educator in assisting that process. Free Range Learning demonstrates: * that children and teens can best be nurtured outside of restrictive educational systems * that we can restore what is heart-centered and meaningful back to a central place in education * how networking with others enriches the learning experience for our kids * how homeschooling has become a force of positive social change-making the community a better place for everyone.

Editorial Reviews

Review 
"... explains why so many families are making this choice." -- Ron Miller, PhD, Editor, Education Revolution

"... a must-read." -- Carlo Ricci, PhD, editor, Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning;Prof. of Graduate Education, Nipissing University

"About so much more than homeschooling, this book incorporates wonderful philosophies such as slowing down, kindness, cooperation, the dangers of materialism, & creating a heart-centered lifestyle. A beautiful read." -- Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., co-author: Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World

About the Author 
Laura Grace Weldon writes for national publications about learning, sustainability and spirituality. She is a long-time columnist with "Home Education Magazine," and an award-winning poet. She also writes about learning, sustainability and spirituality for many other publications. Laura lives on a small farm with her husband and their four homeschooled children. Her background includes teaching conflict resolution and developing community enrichment workshops. Visit her at http://lauragraceweldon.com

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 
A child's wonder is a precious thing. Kept alive, it remains a lifelong wellspring of curiosity, awe and heightened awareness. The challenge is to live in such a way that wonder is not smothered. Each baby is born with a unique set of capabilities. Ideally the child grows toward his or her potential as children have throughout time---through observation, exploration and hands-on learning. Learning happens constantly. Naturally. The inborn drive to gain meaningful first hand experience is often at odds with the predetermined course set before today's students. Many styles of homeschooling foster greater comprehension than the typical school environment. That's because experiential learning, along with the guidance of parents and other elders, is precisely the education known throughout the majority of human history. This is how we as a species learn best. Schooling is the experiment. As homeschooling parents we can take into account individual learning styles, innate skills and interests to bring out the best in each child without being restricted by the dictates of any institution. We can educate as easily as we breathe simply by remaining fully present to our children's questions and enthusiasms. The homeschooling child's life is filled with conversation, music, play, stories, struggles and overcoming struggles, chores, laughter and the excitement of examining in depth any of the rich wells of knowledge that humanity has to offer. Each of us needs to feel we belong, that our relationships are of value and our efforts have purpose. We can't expect any one institution to meet these needs. Homeschoolers take responsibility for learning back to the family realm but do so in the context of the larger community where each child grows whole and strong within a vibrant network. As we nurture children who learn eagerly we help them to mature into adults fully suited to meet the challenges of the future. Homeschooling families have time for quiet days at home as well as time for community involvement. We know that new endeavors spark enthusiasm and develop confidence. As we seek out wider ways of learning, we collaborate with people and organizations in ways that benefit all of us. Nowadays homeschooled youth are gaining recognition as innovative, self-directed thinkers with diverse experiences. By the time homeschooled young people apply to college or set out for the working world they are blessed with an ongoing zest for learning.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful.
Freedom to learn and to teach 
By R. McFarlin 
Free Range Learning is born from the idea that a child learns best naturally. If one is able to harness a child's natural bent toward learning then one can instill not only a love for learning but a curiosity about the world. Children and teens blossom academically when the restrictions are lifted and they are free to learn. This book also emphasizes how homeschooling takes center stage in allowing this type of academic freedom. While Laura does an excellent job explaining her position she is backed up by an array of experts from neurologists, historians, child development experts and more. The book is filled with hundreds of stories from the experience of homeschoolers around the world.

So what did this homeschooling mom think? Well, let me start off by saying that I ascribe to a Charlotte Mason/Eclectic method of homeschooling. I am by no means an unschooler or a free range parent. I am a bit of a free spirit and a rule breaker yet it is tempered by a desire for organization and routine. I also believe in a firm hand of discipline when raising children.

Am I doing a good job keeping you guessing? Well....ahem....I have to say...that...well....Laura Grace Weldon's book is RIGHT ON! I was not sure what to expect but when I opened those pages to read how a child learns and how to encourage a child to retain a curiosity and a love for learning, I was hooked. This book is NOT about some free willy nilly way of spending your days in the sun in hopes it teaches your child science. This book promotes the freedom to learn and express yourself naturally and creatively. A child is free from restrictions of traditional means of learning which has been proven to be less than educational. This book teaches you how a child learns and how to nurture a child through his learning experiences. No matter what your homeschooling style is, this book can benefit you as an educator. This my friends should be required reading for those who consider themselves teachers. Once you understand how a child learns you will better understand how to teach. This book is not intended to take you off your Charlotte Mason, Classical, or Unit Study, etc. method of homeschooling but to guide the path to a deeper understanding of how to educate your child. It may prompt you in a unschooling direction or it may not....the information is presented, examples given, practical exercises given, and stories to read from other homeschoolers experience. I have found a wealth of information in this book which is well written and presented. Free Range isn't for chickens anymore!

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
best homeschooling book ever! 
By L. Walsworth 
i am new to the homeschooling community and had some difficulties finding a book/movement that spoke to me and the way that i want to school my children. luckily, this book did just that. i wanted a happy medium between unschooling and the classical method. i can't be too loosey goosey, but the idea of a rigid, orderly system wasn't for me either. this book gave ideas, explanations, and examples for a very organic form of homeschooling. i would recommend this book to anyone with children, homeschoolers or not. it portrays a beautiful way to raise and educate children.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
Authentic and interesting - a great resource! 
By A. Myers 
I am a public school teacher who has, over several years, become more and more disenfranchised with public education as a means for truly opening childrens' minds and allowing them to reach their potential. I have arrived at the point in life where I am thinking of having my own children, and have realized that despite my love of teaching, I don't want my kids to grow up in a "traditional" classroom where conformity and test taking are key elements. So I began to look at alternative options.

I fell in love with Laura's book right from the onset. Her book is an excellent combination of real-life "case studies" - home-schooled kids and their parents talking in their own voices about their experiences - and scientific data gathered over a number of years to support this style of learning and teaching.

In addition, as a foreign language educator, I have spent a great deal of time working to understand "learning" versus "acquiring." Learning, in this context, is what we do in a controlled classroom environment. Acquiring, on the other hand, most closely resembles how babies and children learn about the world - not only speaking, but all modes of behavior. They are immersed in experiences and take everything they can from it. Why is it that in traditional schooling, we reach a point where we decide that tests and worksheets should replace actual experience? Acquisition has been shown over and over to be a far more effective means of conveying any subject matter. Homeschooling offers far more opportunities for students to acquire the knowledge they need, and this book is an excellent place to start.

In my opinion, the ultimate goal of any educational experience should be to learn how to think - to analyze, synthesize, and create novel ideas and world concepts. Free Range Learning is an excellent guidebook for helping our children achieve this goal.