Book Review: Free Range Learning; How Homeschooling Changes Everything

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Free Range Learning:  How Homeschooling Changes Everything

by:  Laura Grace Weldon

Purchase HERE from Amazon!

I had the pleasure of "meeting" Laura Grace Weldon during the time I was hosting a Blog Carnival.  While exchanging a few friendly emails, I found out she was working on this book  I boldly asked if  I could review the book upon its completion, even though we did not share the same opinions on the topic of "free range".  I was surprised to get an email from her some time later asking me if I was actually serious.  Well, I was.  So was she.  So I she sent it and I read it.

 Laura is hard not to like.  Here is some more on her if you are interested, and darn it, you really should be she is a delight.  However, I wondered more than a few times what I got myself into when accepting to read her book.  You see, we have different philosophies which lead to differences in opinion which may lead me to write a scathing review whereby I explain free range should only be used in a sentence that involves chickens. Yet, if she was willing to take the risk, so was I.

Now, it is usually at this point that I either surprise with how much I loved the book or go on to tell you how my instincts were correct.  However, let me first tell you a bit about the book before I drop whichever bomb I drop.

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.  You will find this book lifts the restrictions from the teacher as well as the student.  Learning is a journey, an experience, a lifestyle, and this book shows you how to grasp it all.  I have found a wealth of information in this book which is well written and presented.  Free Range isn't for chickens anymore!