When Children Decide What To Do

If you tell people who are unfamiliar with unschooling how it is done and that parents allow the kids to have the freedom to shape their days, choose activities or topics to explore, they seem to almost always instantly imagine children stuck in front of the computer or TV. Maybe that's what they'll do if they were not given the freedom or only allowed restricted number of minutes a day or a week to use the technology for a long time that they have developed cravings for them and now they are on a binge. Also, it is possible that technology has provided them great resources that are interesting and entertaining and they find that it's worthwhile to spend a day or days just learning from them, which is actually not a problem at all.

On the other hand, if you let your kids just do whatever they want, they might also...

do this

and this

yeah, this one too

and this!

...which is not bad at all.

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Exploring Naujan, Oriental Mindoro

About a minute after I started researching about the things we can do in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, I received an electronic notice that informed us that we missed paying our internet bill and then the connection was cut immediately. Usually I would panic, but we resorted to our original plan instead: to explore and be surprised by the things we will find on our own, to be lost and ask about places we can visit, instead of having a list of "things to do". Actually, not-knowing adds a distinct flavor to adventures, which offers a thrill factor when you navigate through places you have not seen an online preview of. This free-style travel plan also help us take our time and just enjoy the experiences instead of rushing from one destination to another. So here are some of our new discoveries: The municipality of Naujan boasts a good collection of ancestral homes that took us to another era in our history. For only P100, yes one hundred pesos, you can afford a

Trip to Benguet Day 2

Despite our peaceful and cozy slumber under warm blankets on a cold La Trinidad weather, we had to wake up to our phone's alarm. We set it at 7am to give us prep time before our 8am strawberry farm tour. It's just walking distance from the house so we got on our feet right after a cup of warm coffee (also produced up North) and some Valley Bread (local brand of white bread loaves), toasted and topped with coco jam. We passed by a local market filled with fresh fruits and vegetables harvested in the valley and lines of souvenir/pasalubong shops brimming with strawberry products, as well as wooden and woven crafts. As soon as we reached the booth where we had to sign up for the strawberry picking, an ice cream vendor handed us spoons of irresistible strawberry ice cream to try. With the sun warming us up for the adventures of the day, we helped ourselves indulge a bit with cones of this cold, sweet treat. Then we headed to where the strawberries are, finding out that w

Day#2: Learning How to Trust Even More

Sleeping was a challenge, with our tent's broken zipper, mosquitoes bugged us even after generously applying citronella repellent on our skin. It was also uncomfortable sleeping on a mat (banig) with a bumpy surface underneath. So our first missions on our list today were having our tent repaired and raking the sand under our tents. Daddy took care of both errands as I cook and look after the kids swimming with their new friends. After a while, I noticed that James and Adam were left alone and later found out that the other boys went to the rock formation at the end of the shore. I am amazed that my kids were able to decide for themselves and say no when they are not interested and they know how to listen to their intuition when something might be dangerous for them. In the afternoon, James had his first diving lesson. He loves swimming and has tried snorkeling before, but this was his first formal diving class with a licensed instructor, Kuya Bok. I can't help bu

Unschooling James and Adam

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