EU226: Free to Learn, Part One

For the next while, I’m doing something a little different on the podcast.

With many people sheltering in place worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s become increasingly challenging to arrange interviews. At first that seemed curious because people are connecting online even more so during these uncertain times. But as I thought more about the things I was seeing, it made so much sense.

Personal circumstances are changing so quickly right now that guests have been needing to reschedule calls, sometimes multiple times. And with the increased Internet traffic on our rural bandwidth, sometimes I’ve needed to reschedule calls to off hours. All that is added stress that I don’t want to put on people’s plates right now.

So, a couple of weeks ago I started contemplating what else I could do with the podcast during this time. I can rebroadcast some older episodes that many newer listeners likely haven’t yet discovered—there are some real gems in the backlist! And I can put together some more compilation episodes. It can be helpful to do a deep dive on a topic, hearing how different guests have answered similar questions. Another idea that bubbled up was my long-standing wish to record audiobook editions of my published books.

You might wonder why I’d share them for free on my podcast when the books—and eventually the audiobooks—are for sale as part of my livelihood, but I quickly realized that I truly don’t see it as either-or. I want to share my thoughts and ideas about how unschooling works. I want to share my experience with the personal journey we each take as parents as we strive to cultivate a thriving unschooling lifestyle in our families. Having the ideas out there for curious and interested parents to discover, through all sorts of channels, feels good to me.

And that’s what I’ve chosen to start with. This week, I’ve recorded and am sharing part one of the audiobook edition of my first book, Free to Learn: Five Ideas for a Joyful Unschooling Life.

First published in 2012, since then Free to Learn has been translated into four languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hungarian.

If you haven’t read it yet, this is an opportunity to learn more about the paradigm-changing ideas that I found to be truly fundamental on my unschooling journey.

And if you have read it, I think it’ll be a wonderful refresher. Because you are in a different place on your journey today. You’ve peeled back some layers and have fresh eyes and new experiences to bring to the table. New things will likely jump out and connect for you; things that passed by unnoticed before.

I’m excited to share!

Free to Learn Description

Humans are born to learn. So why are we so determined to get in our children’s way?

Leaving the traditional education system behind is definitely unconventional and sometimes scary, but it enables us to preserve our children’s curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm for learning. And that means more learning, not less.

With more than a dozen years of unschooling experience, Pam Laricchia explains the five paradigm-shifting ideas about learning and living that freed her family from the school system’s compulsory schedule and typical teaching methods. Her practical examples and stories may make all the difference in your life and the life of your child.

 In Free to Learn, you’ll discover: 

• Why you want to look for learning, not teaching
• How to see the learning that is happening everywhere, all the time
• How judgement and shame short circuit learning, and what to do instead
• How saying yes more encourages our children’s learning and cultivates their confidence
• How to give your children a voice in your family, and much, much more! 

Through its concise, easy-to-understand language, Free to Learn explores the depth and potential of unschooling and how it can strengthen your family’s learning and relationships.

Links to Purchase the Book

Free to Learn: Five Ideas for a Joyfully Unschooling Life

Libre d’apprendre: Cinq idées pour vivre le unschooling dans la joie (French, translated by Malika Kergoat and Édith Chabot-Laflamme)

Libre para Aprender: Cinco Ideas para una Vida Unschooling Alegre (Spanish, translated by Roberto Lujano)

Szabadon Tanulni: Öt elv az örömteli élethez a szabadtanulással (Hungarian, translated by Marczin Orsolya)

Livre para Aprender: Cinco Ideias para uma Vida Unschooling Feliz (Portuguese, translated by Cipriana Leme)