Learning While Living
An afterschool adventure in
self-directed education
Unschooling for
school kids
Learning While Living is a self-directed program that gives children ages 9-12 the opportunity to design their own afterschool experiences.
This 10-week program is held at Abundance Farm in Northampton and facilitated by educator and parent, Natasha Gill.
Learning While Living offers an immersive experience in self-directed education (SDE) to children who attend school. It’s a space where young people can rediscover their passions, claim their autonomy, engage with members of the community, and access the whole-body learning that’s often missing from their school lives.
Details:
Where
(253 Prospect Street, Northampton)
When
Mondays from 2:15 to 5:30
May 6th — June 10th
Two drop off times (2:15 and 3:15) for different schools
Ages
9 to 12
Cost
Sliding scale, no one will be turned away for lack of funds
How is this program different from SDE homeschooling?
SDE is a lifetime practice—a fascinating, challenging, and immersive form of unlearning and relearning. Children and families who unschool (usually homeschoolers) do so every day.
But I believe that all young people deserve to experience liberated learning practices.
While an afterschool program cannot replicate the full-time experience that SDE provides, it can open a door for children to see themselves in new ways by allowing them to:
Take ownership of their education
Rediscover embodied forms of learning
Actively participate in community projects now vs. waiting until they’ve transitioned into adulthood
Engage in collaborative play and creative projects with peers
Work with mentors as equal partners in the learning process
Program facilitators
Natasha Gill is Learning While Living’s primary facilitator and program leader. We also collaborate with community members who wish to share their skills, experiences, and wisdom with young people in our program.
We invite you—parents, young people, and community members—to reach out if you’re interested in joining the Learning While Living network of mentors.
Program overview
When it comes to self-directed education (SDE), there is no “day in the life”
Learning While Living does not have preset structures or specific outcomes. We take seriously that every child is unique, with different interests, rhythms, challenges, and lived experiences. Young people come to this program with their own needs and expectations. We aim to learn from each child how they want to use the time, interact with others, and experience the space.
That said, there are a few things we can share in advance:
What your children will find at Learning While Living and Abundance Farm
The ways we will relate and come together as a group
How individual children might design their experience
Program cost
This program is sliding scale, $0-$400. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
We estimate that the cost of running this program is $250 per child. Your fee supports site costs, staff time, visiting community mentors, and a light snack. If you can pay more than $250 you will be supporting families who cannot afford the full fee.
Workshops on SDE/Unschooling for parents
I am offering workshops on SDE or unschooling for LWL parents who would like to learn more about the ideas and practices.
Interested in this work?
If you are a graduate student interested in alternative education and would like to learn about this process firsthand or intern in our program, we’d love to hear from you!
If you’re a teacher who wants to explore SDE or visit our space and collaborate, let us know.
If you’re a member of the community interested in offering your skills, wisdom, or experience to young people, come join our revolving door of learning between young people and their community.
What is SDE?
There are many ways to describe the ideas and practices that guide SDE/unschooling and the variety of spaces in which it manifests itself across the globe.
People learn about and practice SDE in home school coops, community learning centers, through online forums or online communities, in SDE drop-off centers (unschooling schools). And although most people think SDE is only for home schoolers, there are SDE centers in libraries, public schools and even in a prison!
See our resources page, where you can find links to the many people and places supporting liberated learning practices across the globe, and learn about the relationship between unschooling and movements for social change.
Natasha Gill
Writer, educator, parent
