WHAT CAN A "NATURAL LEARNING" TEEN LOOK LIKE?

(Photography by our daughter)


When our daughter was 13 years old she made some lists showing a few things she'd been interested in over the last wee while.  All self-directed learning.

I'm putting this on our blog not to boast, but to show people HOW MUCH much learning a child can do when they're not under pressure to PRODUCE something to PROVE they are learning, and when they're not driven down avenues they have no interest in, labouring hours and hours reading dry text books and writing papers ...

Not every child at 13 would be interested in researching and enjoying such a wide variety of things, sometimes I think she is truly the "poster girl" for natural learning.  And I enjoy that all the more because our other six children are all boys who have EXTREMELY different learning styles.  

But if they were to make lists about their interests and recent learning areas I know I'd be pretty impressed too.
 



Late 2015

Manners and General Must-Dos of the 1900s
WWII and Winston Churchill
Royal Family
Natural Skincare and Health Supplements
Essential Oils
Instruments and Reading Music
Typing and Computer Skills
Natural Makeup
Scrapbooking
Embroidery
Needle Felting
Making Doll's Clothes
Soap and Candle Making
Knitting and Crochet

Early 2016

Childbirth and Motherhood
The Viking Age
Art
Natural Education and the reasons it Works
Foreign Languages
Making Short Movies
Gardening
Fitness and Exercise
Natural Health for Pets and other Animals
History of NZ and other Countries
Making Clubs
Discipleship
Jewellery Making
Interior Design
Acting/Performing on Stage
Maths
English
Stamp Collecting
Doodling
Birdwatching
Lettering and Hand Design Elements
Gothic and Medieval Castles
Making Blogs and Websites
Lecturing
Writing and Illustrating Books
Auschwitz



Mid 2016

Forensics
Special Air Service
Survival
Search And Rescue
SPCA
NZ Police
and Police Informants
Martial Arts
Self Defence
NZ Air Force
Civil Defence
Gun Handling and Target Shooting
Fictional Writing
Macro Photography
Bushcraft
Natural Disasters
Geography
Making Computer Games
Poisonous Plants and Animals
Persecution
Terrorism
Human Trafficking
Swords
Character Design and Animation
Designing Survival Electronics  -  i.e. GPS/Compass/Weather Forecast
Legal Studies
Armed Offenders Squad
International Contact and Codes