Mom Blogger Profile: Lainie from Raising Miro

September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Quito

One of my long time favorite travel blogs and unschooling sites has been Raising Miro. Lainie and Miro are from LA, where our family lived for 9 years ( Kaya was born there) so it was great to see another LAian who ditched the insane traffic and smog and took to the road! On top of that, Lainie is such an inspiration to us and to thousands of other families around the world; she shows what happens when you raise a global citizen.

 

SF: What prompted you to leave LA and travel? How long have you been gone?

L: In the beginning of 2009, we sold or gave away all of possessions and hit the road for a permanent adventure beginning in July of that same year. We have been traveling throughout Central America & South American for over two years with no stop in sight.

The circumstances that led to our current lifestyle were an amalgamation of many things lining up to create a path of least resistance. There are three main factors that led to our jumping ship from the conventional lifestyle: inspiration, economy and mental sanity.

Being inspired means living a simpler life, something that is now trending in progressive circles, defined through the term ‘lifestyle redesign’. Before I had even heard this phrase, I was itching for a life off the ‘grid’ and outside consumerist cycle of ownership and debt. Professionally, I owned and ran a small branding agency which focused on serving green -eco business, non- profits and conscious business. I really tried to create as much peace as possible within my professional life but I still recognized I was still contributing to the world of consumerism and marketing.

For all of Miro’s life, I have been the primary care-taker, responsible for the well being of my son on my own. This has been a responsibility that brought me the most joy. In addition to being a full time mom I built from the ground up a successful brand, marketing and design agency called jungle [8] for 8 years. In reality, this meant that most of the time, I was overly busy.

One of my most tearful memory is recalling a common phrase I heard from my son say, time after time (after “I love you” of course): “Mom, you work too much. You never spend anytime with me.”

In 2008 the economy took a tumble and business in California were greatly effected. Especially those that relied on the non-profit world as it’s clientele. As a result, jungle [8]‘s “bread and butter” clients started going away.

One evening in September 2008, Miro and I were sitting in my office after everyone had left for the night. I remember letting out a grand sigh and looking at Miro and saying “I don’t want to do this anymore… Let’s get rid of everything and find a simpler life, climb a volcano, plant a garden, live in the jungle. Let’s go have an adventure in the world away from this consumerist lifestyle and get back to what really matters. Each other and enjoying life.”

Miro looked at me and smiled. Then he said “I’m in!’

..and that was all it took.

SF: You and Miro are global citizens, and volunteer. Can you tell me more about your lifestyle? Can you make any suggestions to other families looking to help society and enrich their lives by being of service to others?

L: I truly believe borders and boundaries are a thing of the past. There is only one citizenship that holds value, and that is “global citizenship”.

I come from a background of activism, which I no longer subscribe to. In the past, I strived to change the world, make a dent is issues that mattered to me, usually surround civil rights, peace and the earth’s health. This activism was a huge part of my education in compassion. However activism strives to change the world from the outside. Through traveling with my son, I have discovered that all change happens from the inside out. In other words ‘being’ the compassion can effect the world just by virtue of being in the world. By being compassion and interacting and through interacting with the adults and children we encounter, we cannot help but to effect our collective future.

Whether someone chooses to extend that further and volunteer, that’s fine. But it’s definitely not necessary. For us, we both have a lot of passion for animals and my passion for nurturing children has rubbed off on Miro through our latest volunteering experience, where we actually spent two months reading to children, getting them excited about stories and imagination and learned that Miro is a very good teacher. All of our experiences have been in one form or another of serving as we try to immerse ourselves within the communities we settle in.

We live like visiting locals but no matter how hard we try we will never be mistaken as a local. So we embrace our differences and live each day with respect and gratitude for the communities we live in.

Another way we immerse our selves is through learning as much as we can about the history and culture and local rituals, sometimes in the form of cooking, or learning about the local crafts and other times through volunteering. Most of the time though, the best strategy for immersion has been to participate within a given community by being present and connecting through smiles.

SF: When and why did you and Miro decide to unschool?

L: Our original plan was to travel for one year. I initially though for one year, the world would be our school. This was before I ever heard the term “unschooling” . When we left I knew without a doubt that traveling had it’s benefits and the experiences would provide everything Miro needed. I wrote this prior to our trip:

“What about school? What about 5th grade?

Take a year and gain valuable life experience, learn a language, travel through many countries, work on sustainable farms, learn about ecology, volunteer time and energy to make a difference, participate in new cultures, be empowered to make decisions, learn geography, navigation, budgeting, independence and respect. What does 5th grade have to offer in comparison? Nada.”

Since then, we’ve revised our plan to travel until Miro is 18 years old. So, education had to be a part of the plan.

Although during our travels, Miro was not following any schooling curriculum, I noticed he was talking about the things we wrap into neat packages within the formal educational system such as geography, sociology, history, economics, mythology, language and second language, literature, math, science. I sat back one night and realized how brilliant the idea of having the world teach my son was! Engage in life and children (and adults) learn!

Soon thereafter, I discovered the formal name for what we were doing as ‘unschooling’. In some circles it’s called ‘Radically Unschooling’, ‘Worldschooling’ and Roadschooling. There are similar principals to each of those ‘disciplines’ which is based on child-led learning. This is a radical departure form homeschooling circles that teach a formal curriculum only in the home environment.

The whole essence of unschooling is that children, when empowered will learn based on their interests. I have discovered by virtue of being in this world, we can’t help but to learn. Children learn naturally and retain so much more when they are engaged and leading the process themselves. I realized this just by watching Miro blossom and be empowered. What an authentic gift!

I have learned a lot from reading about the “unschooling” concept and have adjusted my approach with Miro ever so slightly. I have learned to take ques from his interests and seek opportunities together for further learning. I have become more involved in his education since he’s left the traditional school environment. I have consciously become more aware and present with his choices. And I have learned to be more communicative with my support and encouragement. And most of all, trusting the process. He is learning and we are sharing the experience. I couldn’t think of a more important role to take in this wonderful world of ours.

As a result of my unschooling education, I am growing as Miro teaches me how to be a better and more effective parent in the process.

SF: What lessons have you learned as a family worldschooling?

L:I think the most profound discovery is people are genuine and kind all over the world. It is easy to connect authentically with anyone by offering a a smile and making eye contact, even when there are language barriers. A smile can be an opening to a world of discovery, learning about different cultures and points of views, an experience Miro and I cherish. We have connected with homeless people on the street, children in impoverished neighborhoods, indigenous mothers, and the cosmopolitan socialites. We have made so many wonderful friends and have had the honor of being invited into so many peoples’ homes to experience a slice of their lives. The people have been the gift in the entire experience and they are the reason we keep exploring.

You can find the traveling duo at…

web site: http://www.raisingmiro.com

twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ilainie

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RaisingMiroPodcast

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Mom Blogger Profile: Christina Pilkington

September 11, 2011 By 2 Comments

Next up on our Mom Blogger Series? Chris from Christinapilkington.com! This mom of twins shares with us why she began blogging and her thoughts on travel and education.

 

SF: Tell us about you and your family!!

Chris: Well, eight years ago I married my best friend, Steve. We have boy/girl twins who are five years old. I have the awesome privilege of staying home with the kids while my husband works as a tax manager. We’re an unschooling family, so for us that means getting out into the world as much as we can, both near and far. The kids and I are on the go a lot, heading to museums, the woods, the library, meeting with friends, finding new things to do and loving our familiar favorites. As much as we love to be out and about, though, we love our days at home, too. I’m amazed at the creativity of my children when they have hours and hours to play and come up with their own projects. Some long-standing interests have included: geography, Legos, Scooby Doo, climbing, reading, painting, and computer games. Lately, we’ve been into reading the Magic Treehouse series together. Those books have led us down the rabbit holes of dinosaurs, Shakespeare, ancient Japan, the Titanic, the Amazon rainforest, and the ocean. We’ve also been into paper airplanes, bike riding, math games, the Smurfs, sand, and a great kit from the nature center on Illinois fossils. We love to travel. I believe travel is the most important learning tool available. If you always stay near home, you’re perspective of the world will always stay the same. You won’t have the opportunity to see the world in new ways and experience all the wonders this world has to offer. I believe God made this world for us to enjoy, so I’m trying to enjoy it as much as I can! By the age of five the kids have been to 14 States, one US territory, and one British territory. We’re planning on a trip to Italy next year. Our big dream is the travel around the world within the next seven to eight years.

SF: What made you begin blogging?

Chris: I originally started blogging to record the adventures of my family. I created my first blog, An Eclectic Odyssey at www.aneclecticodyssey.blogspot.com (which is still there), to give others a glimpse into the life of an unschooling, interest-led family. I started that blog when the kids were 3 years old, and my goal is to keep it going until they are at least 21. It’s a way for me to preserve memories for my family and to share with others how our family is living life to its fullest and learning in a natural way. I love reading other unschooling blogs for inspiration and ideas, so I hope to share the same with others. I just recently set up my own website this past March called Interest-Led Learning. You can find it at www.christinapilkington.com. I have several goals with this site. My main purpose is to post two articles every week that will give unschooling and interest-led learning families ideas and resources to help them on their journey. I also include many philosophical pieces about natural learning. I didn’t anticipate this, but many people who are choosing to send their children to school are also reading the site, so I try to include some ideas that will work for them, too. I am also working on writing several books and producing some audios that will provide more extensive resources and ideas. My first product should be up for sale on the site in the next few months.

SF: What made you decide to unschool your children?

Chris: I attended film school as an undergraduate, but that industry can be tough to get into; so I worked as a dental assistant, assistant bookstore manager, and bookkeeper, among other things, while writing on the side. When I wasn’t able to sell a few screenplays and needed to make more money, I decided to get my teaching certificate. I figured I loved reading and writing and it would be a pretty easy job with decent money. Wrong! After teaching all girls at a private school, honors students at a top-rated public school and junior high at a low-income, urban school, I was ready to get out. I worked so hard to make things “fun” for the kids, and they still lacked any motivation or enthusiasm. The honors students turned in work and were obsessed about grades, but they lacked just as much enthusiasm about learning as the 7th grade students from the rough school. Then I came across John Holt’s books, and that changed my life. I began to slowly implement his ideas in my class, and I began to see little sparks of excitement about learning. I told them they could learn about whatever they wanted to in my room, that I wouldn’t be giving them any assignment because they needed to come up with their own. I saw such a difference in the kids that last year. Unfortunately, the administrators said I should be glad that I was pregnant and not coming back because they wouldn’t have asked me back. I didn’t want to turn in pre-planned lessons, I wasn’t going to force the kids to do a certain type and amount of writing each week, and they didn’t like that. So, when I had kids I knew they weren’t going to go to school. As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t about whether or not the school was highly rated or not. No school was going to allow my kids to determine their own learning. They would be directed all day, be shuffled from one subject to another without having time to really focus on anything, and wouldn’t have time to dive into their own interests and develop their own talents and gifts to their highest potential. I tell people who ask that we homeschool/unschool because there’s no other environment that would provide the amount of freedom and opportunity that my kids have now. Plus, there’s no greater way to bond as a family or connect with your kids than then when you’re daily living life and learning with your kids.

SF: What is homeschooling like in your town/city?

Chris: We’ve just begun to really connect a lot with other homeschoolers. My kids are still young, so we’ve been doing a lot on our own or with other friends and family. We just joined two groups in our area, one inclusive and one non-inclusive. We’re very blessed to be a twenty minute ride from downtown Chicago with all its awesome opportunities, and yet just twenty minutes in the other direction, we could be milking cows at a farm. So, we have varied and wonderful experiences. I belong to an e-mail group and am sent dozens of messages a week about experiences and classes for homeschoolers. I’ve heard about circus classes, opportunities to work with professional make-up artists who work on movie sets, trips to stores, chocolate factories and working farms. There was even a Jedi Academy where kids could work with professional stuntmen.

SF: Any advice for parents who are looking into home education for their families?

Chris: Take a really good look at your child. Is she happy? Is she excited and passionate about things? Is he able to spend a lot of time learning the things he wants to? Can he focus his time and attention during the day on meaningful work and projects that make a difference in his life and/or the lives of others? I would seriously consider home education, and especially an interest-led education, if you answer no to any of these questions. Even attending a Montessori school will not let your child get out into the real world and do real things.

Thank you so much Chris for being a part of this series!! We are blessed to have your input and to have found your site!

You can follow Chris on twitter here! Stay tuned for more interviews with other mom bloggers!

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Mom Blogger Profile: Amy from Worldschool Adventures

August 4, 2011 By 3 Comments


Well, I was going to wait until next week to continue with the series….but I am too excited. Seriously. We have so many cool mom and dad bloggers on board I just want to do as many as possible! And dads: don’t worry. Billy has some excellent dad bloggers coming up next week for his Dad Blogger Profile series.

When I began blogging, one of the first people who gave me encouragement was unschooling mom and blogger Amy from Worldschooled Adventures. Her inspirational blog details her family’s life in Canada and their preparation for their world travel, which will begin in Asia. She is a pioneer of the slow travel movement ( like the equally wonderful lainie & Miro duo from Raising Miro), where people enjoy each destination and become global citizens. I am thankful Amy took the time to give me an interview!!

SF: Tell us about your family! Where do you live and how old are your children.

A: We are a family of four, Mike, Amy, Lan (5) and Kayden (4). We live in British Columbia, Canada.

SF: When did you begin to unschool? What is unschooling like in your town?

A: Our first year of unschooling was last year although one could argue that we began unschooling as soon as our boys were born. Mike and I have had the plan to travel with our children so when it came time for our oldest to go to kindergarten we had to decide if we would put him into public school and then pull him out when we started to travel or just keep him out entirely. We chose to keep him out and to unschool because the method spoke to our heart. We live in a rural area and we have found it hard to find other homeschooling families. Because our town is so small there are not a whole lot of extra-curricular things for us to do so whenever we go to a different town we try to pack in as much as possible such as museums, art galleries, swimming pools etc. Much of our learning comes from being out in nature and we put a big emphasis on eating local food and learning about doing our part to protect the environment.

SF: What is a typical day like for you and your family?

A: Well, let me describe today for you…. First thing in the morning we went to the farm where we buy our eggs as we were invited there to pick raspberries. We spent a good hour in the bushes picking while the kids “helped” by picking their own raspberries and then promptly eating them. We came home and I made a batch of play dough for the kids and that kept them busy while I made raspberry jam. After lunch we went out to visit grandma and grandpa for a while and then we headed to the library to get new books and movies. The kids played lego for a few hours, we had dinner, and as I write this the kids are watching a movie about Sasquatch.

Our typical day is pretty normal, it’s what you would expect a family do to on a weekend except we get to to it every day! We hang out, read books, play, go for walks and bike rides, go to the beach, throw rocks in the river, visit with friends……

SF: You are about to embark upon a world travel adventure with your family. What prompted this decision?

A: Mike and I dreamed up the goal of traveling long term with our children while we were on our honeymoon in SE Asia. We knew that when we came back to Canada we wanted to start our family but we didn’t want having children to equate to the end of our traveling days. So we decided that as soon as our children were old enough (potty trained, followed direction, could articulate clearly) then we would take them on a grand adventure. We are so close to our goal now. The only thing that needs to happen is we need to sell our house, so fingers crossed it sells soon! Then we plan to travel for two-ish years in Asia. “Traveling slow with the little ones in tow, and letting the world be their teacher!”

You can find out more about Amy on her lovely blog, and make sure to follow her on twitter and facebook!

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Mom Blogger Profile: Dr. Jessie Voigts of Wandering Educators

July 31, 2011 By 1 Comment


 

 

 

My darling husband and I have begun two new series of interviews. I am doing Mom Bloggers and he of course is doing Dad Bloggers. We have met so many incredible people online, from traveling families to single parents and unschoolers, to a combination of all these attributes and more. We wanted to showcase them and their wonderful families, and their sites.

Billy began his series with the lovely 1 Dad 1 Kid duo, who we both have loved ever since we first cyber met them. I am beginning the series with one of my favorite mom bloggers and unschooler, Dr. Jessie Voigts. Jessie and her husband Ed run the site Wandering Educators, which showcases the musings of world travelers and education enthusiasts. If you want to learn more about cooking classes in Tuscany or the best hotel in Maine ( or Oslo….or Bangkok) check out their wonderful site.

SF:    when did your love of travel begin?

JV: Growing up, we were surrounded by global culture – stories, photos, textiles, and things from around the world. Whether it was mother’s family living in India, or my father’s ties to Germany, the world was open to us. My brother and I were encouraged to travel the world, and we hosted exchange students as well. When I was 14, I went to Japan – and it changed my world. I loved being in such a different environment, with amazing food, language, culture. I was hooked. Since then, I’ve planned entire college degrees around all that is international, and have studied and traveled the world. In turn, now we are raising our own daughter as a global citizen – interested in learning about and traveling the world.

SF: What inspired you to start WE?

JV: I was really ill for many years, and then started to slowly get better. We wanted to do something together as a family, that would interest all of us. What came out of many discussions was travel and learning about the world. We decided to start Wandering Educators – and have been amazed at what has grown! All three of us work on the site – our daughter Lillie writes as the Traveling Kids Editor, I write and manage the content, and my husband runs the technical and business sides of the site. It’s been incredible – we’ve learned so much, and have been blessed to meet so many incredible people on our virtual and real journeys. And, we have SO many more places to visit and people to meet than I ever expected. Every time we write about something cool, I think, oh we need to go there! Needless to say, our travel list is VERY long.

SF: Your daughter is a world traveler: how long has she been traveling? What are her favorite places to visit?

JV: She’s been traveling since she was a baby! We moved from Minnesota to Michigan when she was a few months old, and her ease at car travel has been a boon to our many road trips. She first flew when she was 3 – heading out to Seattle and Oregon, where she even went whitewater rafting! Her favorite place overseas is Scotland, and her favorite place in the US is Chicago. She can’t wait to get to Paris and Egypt. Because she’s always lived on a lake, and I am a water person, most of our travels revolve around water. We rent houses on lakes, plan entire vacations around where we can swim. It’s wonderful. She’s a mermaid!

SF: When did you begin to homeschool/unschool?

JV: Lillie has always been unschooled. She is such a creative, artistic person that I knew from the start that unschooling would be the way to go. When she was 3 or 4, she became extremely passionate about Ancient Egypt. That summer, we made papyrus, created sand sculptures of Anubis, a scarab, pyramids, and more on our beach. We’ve read just about every children’s biography and book about ancient Egypt, and she is quite adept at hieroglyphs. We also learned about culture, religion, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, language, class, money, agriculture, history, and more. This well-defined interest in such a topic (which continues to this day) just confirmed to me that kids love to learn, that they will learn what they love, and that they need support for that learning. I’ve never regretted our direction.

SF: What is your top five must visit places that you have been wanting to visit?

JV: We can’t wait to go to France, and to Japan. I also think that our next places to explore will be Southeast Asia (specifically Thailand and Malaysia), more of Europe, and Central America. The world is a wide place and we love learning about it!

You can learn more about Jessie and her family on Wandering Educators and follow her on twitter. Check out Billy’s first Dad Blogger Profile here.

 

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