nature journal homeschool corona virus COVID

Our Impromptu Homeschool Routine and Resources

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020Leave a comment

With the sudden call to self-isolate due to the novel CoronaVirus (COVID-19), a virus sweeping around the globe, families across Canada with school aged children are in the unexpected position of homeschooling their children. I am by no means an expert (it’s day 8 for us!), but I thought I’d share what we are doing as a way to show what I was able to put together fairly easily as a parent who isn’t experienced in homeschooling. (Although, over the past few years, out of personal interest I have read about homeschooling and discussed different approaches to it with homeschooling families). Apologies in advance, this post is long, as I’ve kept adding to it as more questions have come my way from enquiring families.

As a disclaimer I would like to say that parents shouldn’t feel pressure to homeschool their children, this is a stressful time and the most important thing is to maintain physical and emotional health. In our household, maintaining a solid routine helps with our overall mental health, and enables my husband and I to work from home while the children school.

Establish a Schedule

The first thing I would recommend is establishing a schedule each day, for each child. The schedule will help children feel grounded and know what to expect as the day goes on. They will also get a sense of durations of time and time management (a useful life skill!).

I establish a different schedule for each of my children, since they are 6 years apart and have different interests and school subjects. However, I assume that even if I had children very close in age that they would likely have their own schedules — in my view, schedules should suit a child’s interests and personality, because I think this will make it easier for them enjoy their schedule and stick to it.

For example, my youngest child needs a lot of physical activity in a day, so his schedule usually alternates between seated learning and movement (for example, building with lego, karate, household chores). Whereas, my other child likes long blocks of time (even a whole day) on one subject so she can really get into her work — for her, weekly balanced schedules are more suited to her learning style. For her, movement is best reserved for the later part of the day, when she needs to take a break from book learning. As her English teacher said “the brain can only absorb what the buttocks can endure”!

Here’s a little tip: Something that I have found very useful for gaining buy-in from the children is asking them what they want to see in their schedule, this way they feel they have agency in their learning and also don’t feel surprised by their schedule each morning.

Subjects and Work Blocks

For my younger child, who is in Grade 3, I am focusing on the core (essential) skills that are needed to progress through school. In general at this age, reading, writing and mathematics are essential to continued success through conventional schooling. We include these subjects in the schedule each day. I incorporate 2-3 other “work blocks” or other subjects that I think are important and that my son has identified as interesting, these include: science, illustration and art, art history, philosophy, geography, French and other languages. His movement activities include a rotation through: karate, yoga, free movement, outdoor walk, baking, kettlebells and meditation. I include household chores in the schedule every day, to ensure the children are learning “practical life” skills in the vein of Montessori teaching. Practical life is generally well-loved by children, they feel productive, get to do “adult” things, and get to move. Some example are: folding laundry, vacuuming, dishes, raking, hand sewing and so on.

My older child is in high school and was mid-semester through her geography, English, French and drama classes. As such, we ensure that she includes at least a day’s worth of work on each subject over the course of the week. The fifth day can be free learning based on her interests which so far have been: Korean and typing.

Here are a few examples of a Homeschool Schedules for my 9-year old who is in Grade 3:

Day 1

9:00 Breakfast
9:30 Math
10:15 Chores – folding laundry
10:45 Silent Reading
11:30 Journaling
12:00 Lunch + Free Movement
12:30 Art and Illustration
1:00 Science
1:30 Creative Building
2:00 Storytime
2:30 Karate
3:30 End of school day

Day 2

9:00 Breakfast
9:30 Math
10:15 Spelling
10:45 Chores – vacuum (handheld)
11:15 Silent Reading
12:00 Lunch + Movement (yoga)
1:00 Science
1:45 Typing
2:00 Storytime
2:30 Journaling
3:00 Philosophy
3:30 End of school day

Day 3

9:30 Breakfast
10:00 Creative Writing
10:45 Spelling
11:00 Baking + Clean Up (movement and chores)
12:00 Lunch + outdoor walk
1:00 Art + Illustration
1:45 Silent Reading
2:00 Storytime
2:30 Journaling
3:00 Science + Journal
3:45 End of school day

Here is an example of a Homeschool Schedule for my high schooler, although as mentioned above, we’ve adjusted it so that she mainly does one subject a day:

9:00 Breakfast
9:30 English – essay writing
10:00 Yoga
11:00 English – continued
12:00 Lunch + Movement (stretching, walk outside)
1:00 Languages: Korean or French
2:00 Typing
2:30 Silent Reading (novels, non-fiction)
3:30 End of School Day

Another day, she would substitute English for Geography, or spend an entire day on second language acquisition (French and Korean).

Our high schooler attends an arts high school and is studying theatre / drama, so to continue this learning her teacher suggested watching classic films, iconic television shows, an oeuvre of a particular director / actor / screenwriter / comedy writer, and then journaling about what she has watched. We created some prompts to guide and organize her journaling:

Name of the show / movie
Director, actors
Genre
Plot summary
Which part would you want to play? Why?
Why is this show / movie a classic or iconic?
Other reflections

Learning Resources

A few friends and parents have asked me about what learning resources I am using for the different subjects and work blocks. I’ll probably do a separate post with more details on each subject, to keep this post a reasonable length, but here is a good start.

Math and English (writing and grammar)

In Canada there are really great work books based on the Canadian school curriculum by subjects. We are using the Math and English books for grade 3. You can search “MathSmart” or “EnglishSmart” by grade on Amazon and Indigo books and find the books you need which are usually $10-25.

MathSmart Grade 3
EnglishSmart series

Journaling

Each child spends a lot of time writing, either making notes on what they learned or writing creatively. For example, after silent reading my younger child has to one of the books read and write 3 things they liked about it. “For silent reading today, my favourite book was Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers. I liked this book because: ….” He is encouraged to write without worrying too much about grammar and spelling, but to use full sentences, and to date the page (which I always write out at the top of each day’s schedule).

At the end of each week, I review the journal and make a list of misspelled words that form that week’s spelling list. I find this works well because the words are pulled from the child’s working vocabulary and feel most relevant to them, thereby engaging them in learning.

For journaling, you could use random sheets of paper, or notebooks. For my son, we started a fresh blank (no lines) notebook, so that all his work was in one place and he could look over his weeks of work and feel accomplished. Which, so far, has worked quite well, as he loves to flip through his work and say things like: “I did all this in 4 days!” We chose blank notebooks to encourage drawing and to help hone his hand-eye skills by not having ruled lines.

Something we haven’t started, but my son wants to learn, is cursive handwriting, so we will start that soon.

Art + Illustration

For art, I am using a fantastic book published by Usborne called Art Treasury: Pictures, Paintings and Projects. The book explains various art movements and styles, famous works and artists, as well as the various materials (canvas, pastel, found objects, bark, etc), and provides mini art projects related to the lessons. It’s simple and accessible enough for young children, from Grades 1-6 I would say, and covers a wide variety of styles of art, and not just the European masters.

The other resource I’ve been using are the video classes (new ones uploaded each day) offered by best-selling author and illustrator, Mo Willems of penguin loving fame! He uploads a new video each day to the Kennedy Centre website. Each 25-35 minute video begins with Willems doodling and explaining how he illustrates, he offers drawing prompts and encourages children (and adults to doodle in their own notebooks). After this he usually teaches a step by step of how to draw one of his iconic characters, and encourages children to find their own creativity and expressive style. After this he will do a walk around his studio and show sketches and drafts of books, and how the drawings and story developed, how he chooses colours and so on. My children have been fascinated to see the behind the scenes of a professional artist, and have been in awe of how much revision goes into such seemingly simple drawings.

Science

So far we have been relying on a Netflix show called “Brain Child,” which has a series of shows on fun and engaging real life science, such as hidden forces (gravity), dreams (what do our brains do when we sleep?), creativity, oceans, germs (timely!) and many others. I let my son choose which episode he wants to watch, then afterwards he is asked to journal about what he learned, to help him retain and reflect on what he learned (also encourage more “active” watching, since he knows he will have to journal). Like other journaling, he is asked to write full sentences and date the page. I usually give him a suggested opening sentence such as “For science class today I watched Brain Child and learned about ‘germs’. Six things that I learned were:…” I also ask him to draw something based on what he learned. After he finishes this series, we will probably start on the Planet Earth series, also found on Netflix.

For a screen-free science work block we are using the Natural & Earth Science flashcards, which are for ages 5+ according to the box, but I find they are good up to my age (I learned so much from them!) They have really beautiful illustrations and cover topics such as: birds and leaves, flowers and bugs, fossils and minerals, under the water, mammals and marsupials, weather and celestial. For the cards, I normally pick 3-5 for him to read and reflect on. He journals about what he found interesting or learned, and draws from the cards.

Creative Building

Building with lego, wooden blocks, cardboard boxes and household materials — the idea with this work block is to blend creativity and open-ended play with movement. I usually put this in the afternoon, when my son is getting restless and is less interested in book learning. I don’t give much guidance, except to say it is alone time and no screens are involved, but he can refer to books for inspiration or to tie his building back to something he learned.

Storytime

We use this block for reading aloud, so I will read something to my son that is maybe a bit challenging for him on his own, or he will practice reading a book aloud (to his imaginary and stuffed friends, or me if I’m not busy with work), or (and this is his favourite) we tune in to Oliver Jeffers live story time each day at 2pm EST. If you have access to Instagram, all you need to do is log in to @oliverjeffers and he will read one of his stories aloud. He also explains the moral of the story, the evolution of the book, and answers questions. My son absolutely LOVES this. If you aren’t available for the live reading you can access the videos archived on Oliver Jeffers website.

Another fantastic live storytelling account is by author, historian and literacy advocate Christine Platt, also known as ‘The Afrominimalist’. She reads from her book series Ana & Andrew.

Spelling

As mentioned in the journalling section, for spelling words what I’ve been doing is making a list of misspelled words from journal entries and forming a spelling list from those. About 20-30 words a week, which so far has not been a big challenge for him to learn. He writes out the list of words in a column, once a day, each day of the week. (One page with four or five columns, to save paper, and visually see the repetition).

French

We are working on vocabulary building, so I am putting together groups of 6-8 words that he then translates (using Google translate). Then he practices reading and saying the words in French. If you aren’t fluent in your child’s second language you can use the function on Google translate that will say words out loud (look for the icon below the translated word that looks like a megaphone, click it). My son is really enjoying using the laptop for this.

Groups of words are usually based around verbs (run, eat, walk, sleep, think, play), nouns (fruit, bread, chair, table, shoes, car), and adjectives (yellow, red, small, big, happy, sad). This way he is also learning about different types of words by group.

We are also starting on a work book called French 1: K to 5, which is fun and has nice pictures and activities to make learning enjoyable — and less burden on parents to come up with exercises.

Korean

Both children have an interest in learning Korean (thank you, sincerely, K-Pop). They are using a free app called Duo Lingo (I believe there is also a laptop version available online). The app, through small steps and fun exercises, teaches anyone of any (reading) age how to read and speak in Korean (and many other languages). My children are really enjoying it and progressing well.

Typing

The ability to type quickly is a real time saver in high school and higher education, which in my experience alleviated a lot of unnecessary stress when I was writing exams and essays in university, as I could type almost as fast as I could think. This was not the case for my partner, who really struggled unnecessarily due to a lack of typing skills. Our high schooler has already started to find frustration in how slowly she types, so she identified typing as a skill she wanted to develop. She found a free (and fun) typing skills website called Keybr, that she’s been loving. Our younger child also enjoys it.

Silent Reading

For silent reading, our high schooler reads a novel from her English curriculum or our home library, or else some non-fiction book of her choice. We try to maintain silent reading for books or reading that is more effort than magazines.

For our younger child I usually lay out 3-5 story books each day, or about 8-10 over the week based around a theme, and he can choose which books he wants to read. Some of the themes have been: water, plants, and Oliver Jeffers. I will make a separate blog post about my book recommendations, but feel free to ask in the comments section at the end of the blog post.

The objective for silent reading is to have quiet time, and for both children to see what they can achieve in terms of reading when they really focus. After silent reading, they write or journal about a book or something they learned (as explained in the journalling section above).

Baking

An example of one practical life work block is baking. We usually bake or cook something twice a week as part of school. I take the opportunity to teach things like units of measurement (math fractions, like ½ cup), as well as learning the names and uses of different kitchen tools (teaspoon vs tablespoon, spatula vs. wooden spoon), temperatures (different units used for stove settings and oven settings).

Sometimes we use the ingredients as a word list for translation in French class. There are all sorts of ways to bring conventional school subjects to life through baking (math, chemistry).

To decide what to make I usually ask the children what they’d like, or we look at what fruits and veggies need to get used up and we research a recipe on the web (for example, “recipe carrots, beets, turnip” turned up a delicious balsamic-glazed roasted veggies recipe). Part of baking is also clean-up (household chore), so the kids have to wash up the dishes, wash the counter tops, etc.

Philosophy

We are using a fantastic book called Big Ideas for Curious Minds to work through key philosophers through the ages and continents. The book explains very well what philosophy is, key questions in philosophy and is illustrated in an engaging way for children. The book can be used on many levels and is probably appropriate for grade 2 and up, but is probably targeted to 10-12 year olds (even adults would likely learn a lot from it). I usually read a section (for example, Aristotle, Buddha, Seneca, Descartes), we pause and discuss points that he has questions about, and then he journals 3 things he learned. I also ask him to write the name of the philosopher studied and indicate their years of life (for example, Seneca 4 BC – AD 65).

Yoga + Karate

For yoga, our children have a few books (this one, this one and a few others I can list in another post) and card decks with yoga poses and sequences, that they have been using for years. As well, for videos we are using the instructional videos available from Douvris (our son’s karate dojo), the videos include karate, yoga, meditation and other exercise challenges. You need to be a member to view them.

Cosmic Kids Yoga is a great YouTube channel with fun yoga videos for children. The videos are colourful and include stories, as well as mindfulness practice. The videos range from around 10 minutes up to around 40, so you can choose something that fits your schedule.

Meditation

We mainly use podcasts as well as the audio recordings (voice led meditations) included in the Global Guardian Project homeschool bundles. Full disclosure: My partner and I worked for Global Guardian Project and wrote and researched the majority of the educational content. The learning bundles are available for FREE (more about this below). The audio recordings included in the GGP bundles are amazing! My children love them! They feel like an adventure, have story or animal / nature elements are engaging.

The free podcasts that we use for children’s meditation are: Deepak Chopra’s Daily Breath (each Friday is a guided meditation episode, and while this is intended for adults, all the meditations have worked perfectly well for my kids). The other one is called Kids Meditation and Sleep Stories. These are great for calming a child. Both are available on Apple Podcasts, but probably on most podcast platforms.

If you want to try a screen-free meditation you can teach your children the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation, which I have a tutorial for on my blog here.

Geography

We haven’t begun any dedicated geography work blocks, so I’ll be figuring that out this week. Most likely, we will begin with the maps in the Global Guardian Project learning bundles, since they have a whole set of linked activities and exercise built around the maps.

I’ll update this section as I develop more resources.

Canadian and Indigenous History

Similarly, we haven’t done much in terms of focused history lessons, aside from cursory discussion of it in art and philosophy blocks. I’ll be developing some plans and share my resources here when I’ve figured things out better. For now, we are reading storybooks by and about Indigenous people, such as We Are Water Protectors, Ancient Thunder, and Birdsong.

We are also using educational colouring books, such as Explore the Animals: Northwest Coast First Nations and Native Art. I picked up our copy at the National Gallery, but I’ve seen it sold online. If you search on art gallery and museum gift shop websites there are usually a few colouring books available.

Global Guardian Project

My last recommendation is to access the free online learning bundles produced by the Global Guardian Project. Each learning bundle (capsule, packet, magazine, call it what you want) is organized around a country (Canada, Iceland, Colombia, etc) or a theme (Zero Waste, Endangered Animals, Leaders and Changemakers, etc). The bundle includes all sorts of educational content with activities, printable colouring sheets and art projects, recipes (related to the country), vocabulary, games, maps, yoga and meditation, personal challenges and content for adults too. The bundles are fantastic and can provide a week to a month work of learning, depending on the speed of your learner. The bundles are probably best for age 7 and up, but some activities suit younger ages, and some provide enough challenge for ages up to 13.

What’s different about the GGP content is that it has a sustainability focus, environmental stewardship and social justice are woven gently through the content. I have written a lot about (and for) the Global Guardian Project and I hope you will love it. If you search “global guardian project” on my blog, or click the ‘global guardian project’ tag at the end of this post you’ll find more information on it.

A note: The content is digital, but some families print out the content as it is formatted in a PDF like a magazine.

Please comment below if you have any questions, I’ll try to update this post often and make separate posts elaborating on the work blocks and best practices so far.

Thank you for reading this far down the post. Good luck and enjoyment with your homeschooling adventures!

Happy Earth Day: Free Zero Waste Magazine for Children

April 22, 2018April 22, 2018Leave a comment

Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Petits Villains Red Wood

Sen in a giant redwood in Victoria BC { Organic clothing by Petits Vilains }

Happy Earth Day!

In our household, we try our best to make it Earth Day every day. We aren’t perfect. But we keep trying to do better!

This year to help celebrate Earth Day, I’ve partnered with the Global Guardian Project, a non-profit NGO, to give FREE access to their digital magazine all about Zero Waste Living. This is a super fun, educational, interactive magazine that children LOVE! There are colouring sheets to download, compost infographics, basics about recycling, and lots more. My children have used more than a few of the Global Guardian Project educational digital learning packets (see their library of resources here) to do school projects about endangered species, climate change, and lots more.

Global Guardian Project Litterless Zero Waste

To help promote lighter, more sustainable living on this planet that *literally* sustains us by giving us air, food and water, the Global Guardian Project developed an issue called “Litterless” and it’s all about things we can do as individuals and families to make less garbage and to live closer to a “zero waste lifestyle”. Normally the issue costs $9.99 USD but you can’t get it for free here.

Here are some of the articles and activities you’ll find inside:

-What does litterless mean?

-Why is recycling important?

-How to start going litterless

-Compost infographic activity (this has been super popular with homeschoolers and children!)

-How to make litterless lunches

-Recipe: Zero Waste Cookies

-Art projects with recycled materials

-Digital download art work / wall poster about

If you’d like to get your free digital copy of the magazine just click here. And please tell all your friends, family and educators in your life about this! The more people make sustainable changes and live closer to a litterless life the better it is for everyone and the greater an impact we can have.

By the way, this Litterless issue was developed by the fabulous zero waste blogger, Celia, who I interviewed here for my blog. Read all about her zero waste lifestyle and get inspired!

For more plastic free and zero waste resources read my blog post here. Or search “plastic free” and “zero waste” in my blog search bar, there are lots of articles for you there — more than I can list here.

You can read more about the Global Guardian Project on their website or in a few posts on my blog. Full disclosure: Global Guardian Project in a non-profit NGO in the sector of environmental education, I am a writer and researcher for the GGP.

You can read about the amazing founder of the Global Guardian Project, Rebecca Lane, here.

Raising Global Guardians: Ecologically Conscious, Positive and Kind Children

October 20, 2017April 3, 2020Leave a comment

Shaadee Mae Hippie in Disguise Plant dyed organic clothing

UPDATE: The Global Guardian Project in now a completely FREE online resource available to everyone.

***

I have avoided writing this post, because I had hoped the Global Guardian Project would get the funding it needed without having to ask my loyal blog readers for help. But I need it, I need your help. We are now in the last 16 hours of our crowdfunding campaign and are not at our fundraising goal. We need your help to get there. Every dollar donated is invested into the project to create global sustainable education capsules and curricula for families and educators.

You can donate as little as $1 dollar. Starting at $5 you get a reward gift sent to you. Gifts include things like beautiful original art prints, world maps and digital magazines (you pick what gift you want). Please help sustain the work of the Global Guardian Project so we can keep our research and outreach going, in our collective effort to raise a generation of children who will be ecologically conscious, sustainable minded, kind leaders and positive changemakers.

I have written a lot about the Global Guardian Project on this blog, in the interest of keeping this post short I won’t go into more detail. I recommend you visit the Indiegogo page for our crowdfunding and watch the video we put together.

If you want to know more about the Global Guardian Project, please read my posts here, or ask me a question in the comments:

You can also learn more at the Global Guardian Project website.

Please help fund this project. If you don’t have $1 to spare, please share the link to the Crowdfunding campaign with friends.

Thank you very much.

Minimalism and Slow Living: Slow, Minimal Family in a Fast, Big City

September 14, 2016May 9, 20172 Comments

Global Guardian Project Hippie in Disguise Homeschool Slow Living Gardner and the Gang

Tomorrow the Global Guardian Project‘s Rwanda learning capsule will be released. As a little sneak preview, my interview that is included in the capsule (along with articles and information about Rwanda’s wildlife, local recipes, meditation, art projects, inspirational people and lots more) has been posted to the GGP blog.

In the interview, I talk about how our family brings our values related to minimalism and slow living into our everyday way of life and how these are motivated by our commitment to live in a sustainable manner. I talk about the importance of time in nature, unstructured days, our car-free lifestyle and lots more.

I hope you’ll find it interesting!

I would love to know what you think, so please come back and share your views in the comments below.

You can link to the interview here.

If you aren’t already a monthly subscriber to the Global Guardian Project, please consider signing up. For $14.99 a month you get a monthly digital capsule full of learning, art and adventure activities suitable for children of all ages, but especially ages 4-13. The capsules include facts, information and vocabulary related to wildlife and sustainability. They also include recipes (including video tutorials), meditations (including audio recordings to guide you), inspiring videos made by children around the world doing great things to support the health of the planet, digital downloads, art projects and more. Each capsule focuses on a different country. Upcoming countries include Rwanda, India, Canada, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many more!

You can read my post about the Global Guardian Project here. Visit their online shop to subscribe here.

BONUS: All subscribers are mailed a beautiful world map to use interactively with the capsules or just to decorate your wall with.

Discount code: Please use ‘HIPPIEINDISGUISE‘ at checkout to get 10% off your subscription.

***

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VSCO: HIPPIEINDISGUISE “Wanderlust and Minimalist Fun”
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*New* Private Facebook Discussion Group: Slow, Eco, Minimal Living just ask to join, we love to welcome new people

Global Guardian Learning Capsules Giveaway

September 7, 2016May 9, 2017Leave a comment

Hippie in Disguise Rideau River Ottawa Canada

I’ve teamed up with my friend Rebecca to *giveaway* a 6-month subscription to the new Global Guardian Learning Capsules. You can read all about them in my post here.

In a nutshell, the Global Guardian Project is a monthly online subscription focused on global stewardship for families and children, home educators and anyone who loves to learn about the world and help make it a better place. Each month subscribers receive a learning capsule by email focused on a country and its wild life. The first capsule was Brazil (released August 2016), in two weeks the Rwanda capsule will be released. Future capsules will feature other countries including India, Australia, England and many more. Each capsule includes beautiful photography, facts and information about the country, it’s wildlife, global change makers and inspiring people, recipes, vocabulary and much more. There are also art projects and free digital downloads, podcasts, videos and guided meditation recordings.
Global Guardian Project Rwanda Capsule Homeschool

The capsules are both informative and inspiring, helping us understand how simple, small actions can make a big difference. Most importantly, the capsules highlight some of the things children are doing around the world to make a difference, showing us that there is no need to wait to for adulthood to make a positive impact.

To enter the giveaway, visit my Instagram account (rules are explained there too) and look for the giveaway photo, and make sure to:

Sign up by email for the FREE sample capsule by visiting this link
Like and comment on the giveaway photo to let me know you signed up for the free capsule
Tag a friend in the comments who is a fellow global guardian, and if they sign up for the free capsule and follow @globalguardianproject too, then you’ll both win a subscription if your name is drawn the winner. Pay it forward!
For an extra entry: Share my Facebook post about this
For an extra entry: Repost my Instagram post about this with hashtag #ggpgiveaway

Contest closes Thursday September 8, 2016 at midnight (Pacific Standard Timezone) and is open worldwide. Good luck friends!

Let’s be friends! Please come find me in other places:

Bloglovin: to subscribe to my blog feed
Instagram: @hippieindisguise
Pinterest: Hippie in Disguise
Twitter: @hippieindisguis
VSCO: HIPPIEINDISGUISE “Wanderlust and Minimalist Fun”
Facebook: Hippie in Disguise
*New* Private Facebook Discussion Group: Slow, Eco, Minimal Living just ask to join, we love to welcome new people

Global Guardian Project Hippie in Disguise Fouremki

The Global Guardian Project: Home Learning

August 11, 2016October 20, 20171 Comment

Raising kind, caring, responsible humans is really important to me. I know I’m not alone in this. My goal as a mother is to raise my children to not only care for other humans, but to care for plants, animals and the planet. It’s not just about human survival, it’s about doing the right thing, and to me that means caring for all life.

Since January I’ve been working with my friend Rebecca on an idea she called the Global Guardian Project. Rebecca’s dream was to launch a global stewardship learning capsule for children, families and educators. The capsule would contain facts and information, activities, art projects, challenges, and inspiration for children to learn about the planet and how to take better care of it. Each month a new capsule would focus on a different country, it’s flora and fauna, endangered species, local advocacy organizations and so on. The goal is to educate children and inspire them to become little change makers: Global Guardians.

I’m excited to tell you that this idea has come to life! The first learning capsule on Brazil will start going out to inboxes tomorrow!

While my children attend public school, there are always subjects they take a special interest in or that I want to expose them to, so I’m happy to have these monthly capsules to feed their inquiring minds about all the beautiful places around the world and how our actions can affect the whole planet in a positive way. I imagine that homeschooling families will also find these very useful in their home education. While the capsules are intended for children roughly aged 4-8, my children are 5 and 11 (and quite brilliant if you ask me!) and they’ve enjoyed the capsules start to finish.

Since we read the free sample capsule on Oceans (get it here), which talks about many things, including the dangers of plastic for sea animals, Sen has become positively obsessed with picking up stray garbage. And I say positively because he feels happy and empowered by his actions. He gets excited about making a difference. While it might feel a little inconvenient when we are biking around town and he calls out “Hit the brakes! I see a plastic cup!” it’s also pretty amazing and a little action I can’t deny him and should probably do more myself.

Aside from facts and other written information, like vocabulary lists, the capsules contain videos about children who are making a difference, for example, children working to protect turtle populations. My children know about Jane Goodall and other inspiring humans, but no one inspires them more than other children, so the videos have really touched their hearts and minds in a new way.

Each capsule also contains an audio recording (with a text version too) of a meditation for children. There are art projects and printable downloads to work with. There are plans to include more in the capsules each month, so stay tuned, there will be local recipes and historical figures and much more coming soon!

If you would like to sign up for the capsules I have a discount code: HIPPIEINDISGUISE that will give you 10% off. However for today only (August 11, 2016) my code will give you 20% off. Click here to sign up.

The monthly cost is $14.99 (minus my discount) and you can cancel at anytime and will only ever pay for the capsules you received.

Bonus: Subscribers will get a gorgeous world map digital download emailed to them to use with the monthly capsules. The map is also available printed on beautiful archival art paper for purchase in the GGP shop. Below you’ll see a copy of the map with the downloadable art for the month affixed to Brazil.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or know of other great resources like this.

If you want to see what other parents are saying about the Global Guardian Project visit here.

UPDATE: The Global Guardian Project is currently crowdfunding to support the project. Please consider supporting the work, as little as $1 will help! Crowdfunding ends October 20th, 2017!

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Interview with a Minimalist: Rebecca

August 1, 2016September 27, 20183 Comments

How we live minimalism is very personal. Sure, when you search Pinterest you might think minimalism is all about white walls and owning less than 100 things, but this is only one version of minimalism. When I say that minimalism gives a sense of freedom, it can be hard to reconcile the word ‘freedom’ with the version of minimalism that gets the most visibility on Pinterest and in the news (because it’s the most photogenic). Minimalism, having and doing less, releasing and unburdening ourselves from unnecessary habits, thought patterns and emotions, is freeing. And with this freedom we can choose how we use our time, our energy and our money. That is, we have the opportunity to craft a life more closely aligned with our dreams, our beliefs and our values. For me, this is the real appeal of minimalism – the freedom it affords me to live in a way that is more aligned with what is most important to me: family, community, adventure and sustainable living. So, what is important to you?

Think about what you can stop doing, stop spending money and time on, and what habits do not serve you, so that you can do more of what you love and do more good for yourself, others and the world.

Rebecca Lane is a friend of mine. We first met about a year and half ago on a project to raise funds for Free2Luv, an anti-bullying organization dedicated to empowering youth, celebrating individuality and spreading kindness. I feel so fortunate that we happened to connect through this project because Rebecca is a truly amazing human, mother, artist and activist. Over the past year I have witnessed Rebecca push herself to align her way of life with her values. This meant she had to make big, scary changes – but her commitment to live true to what was, at the root, most important to her: family and global stewardship, did not shake. What was important to her were her boys and giving back to the world by raising environmentally-aware change makers.

In what follows, Rebecca explains how re-embracing minimalism helped her find a path to aligning her life with what mattered most to her. Not only this, but she was finally able to bring to life a project she’d been dreaming of for years, the Global Guardian Project, by letting go of the parts of her life that were weighing on her focus and productivity.

By the way, for those who want to know more, I will be making a separate post about the Global Guardian Project later this week, so come back for more details about that! In short, GGP will develop learning capsules for families about different countries and ecosystems around the world with a mind to cultivating a sense of global environmental stewardship and cross-cultural appreciation. If you’ve already heard of it and want to sign up you can use my code: HIPPIEINDISGUISE for 10% off a single capsule or full subscription.

I hope that Rebecca’s story inspires you, as it did me, and that you are able to find your own path to a contented life aligned with what matters most to you.

Rebecca Lane Global Guardian Project Minimalist Homeschool

All photos in this post were taken by Coleen Hodges

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

My name is Rebecca Lane. I am a (very new) single mom of two lovely boys, Giovanni and Matteo. I’m an artist and the creator of a couple social businesses, including Children Inspire Design, Fresh Words Market and Kindred Sol Collective. I’m most recently the founder of my most favorite creation (besides my children), the Global Guardian Project. I also consider myself a reborn minimalist.

What part of the world do you live in?

We currently live in Southern California, but we travel every chance we get. We split our time between the north woods of Wisconsin, where I grew up and Isla Mujeres, Mexico where I lived for 3 years during which time my first son was born.

What are your children like?

I have two lovely, creative boys. Giovanni is 13 and Matteo is 9. They are my inspiration for the Global Guardian Project. I built my businesses around teaching them about the world and how they can be a positive force in global change. They are my muses.

You have an unconventional approach to educating your children. Can you tell me more about this?

I’ve been fascinated with homeschooling and world schooling since my children were born. I knew from my own past experiences, that traditional public schools weren’t going to be enough to help me cultivate a globally educated, well rounded child. And I knew travel restrictions would prevent us from extensive exploration. After much thought and a few trials I realized that with my work demands straight homeschooling wouldn’t work for us. So I found a lovely charter school in Southern California that supported and embraced education through travel and we moved from Arizona to California to enrol them in the program. They’ve been there for four years and it’s been such a blessing. I’m able to pull them from the on-campus program when we travel, homeschool them while abroad, then reintegrate them when we return. It’s worked very well for us so far.

The education my boys have received from travel has been incredible, and ended up being the seed from which the Global Guardian Project was born. Each time we travel, my boys research an environmental organization. We tour the organization, learning as much as we can about the good work they do. Then the boys create a video about their work and teach ways kids can help their cause in everyday life. It’s a brilliant way for them to both learn and teach.

What is your story, how did you start on a path toward a minimalist lifestyle?

I kind of started as a minimalist, fell off track, and then recently re-centered myself. I’ve been a gypsy at heart all my life, so when I was younger minimalism was easy. It’s not convenient to acquire a lot of things when you’re on the move. But it became more of a challenge when we rooted ourselves back in the United States. We started to consume more, in part because we bought a home and thought we needed to fill it. We fell into the ease and convenience of US consumerism. I have to admit, at first I didn’t see it for what it was. But there was always this ambiguous knot in my gut that reminded me that something wasn’t right.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you? And, in what ways are you a minimalist?

I think my transition back to minimalism came by force when my life was flipped upside down. This past year I went through a divorce. And, as painful and challenging as it’s been, it was also a gift. It provided me with the opportunity to release: physical items, emotional baggage and my negative patterns. At the same time as my divorce, I also sold my business, Children Inspire Design — which was a huge part of my identity. Within the period of a week, I filed for divorce and sold my business. I had, in a very big way, pulled the rug right out from me and stripped away my identity. And when the dust settled, it ended up being a beautiful mess because I was able to look at everything in my life, the physical, emotional, spiritual parts of who I’d become, all the accumulation of the good and the bad, and I got to choose to pick up only the pieces that served me and my boys from that moment and into the future. I was given the opportunity to create a new blueprint. It’s been the scariest time of my life, but also the most transformative and empowering.

What has been the greatest benefit of minimalism?

For me, the sense of freedom is the biggest benefit. With every thing I release, whether it physical or emotional, I feel less suffocated. I can breathe. Pressure lifts from my chest.

Is your parenting influenced by minimalism?

Yes, in a very big way. My boys have had the experience of living on the road and in a physically rooted home. At this point, they’ve spent more time rooted than wandering, and I’ve started to see their attachment to things grow and become a problem. This is part of the reason why I’ve decided to sell our home and homeschool for most of next year while on the road. They are at such a critical time right now, being 13 and 9. I have a window of opportunity to take them back to a truly minimalist lifestyle, so I’m going to take advantage of it.

I’ve received mixed responses when I tell those close to me about my plans. And every negative response boils down to this question: “aren’t you afraid of raising your kids without a home?” The answer is no, not at all. It’s so important for me that my children really understand that home is a feeling. A house is walls and a roof. I need them to know that wherever they are in the world and in life, they are home. I am their home. Our family is their home.

In what ways do you struggle with keeping things minimal? What is your weakness?

I cry just about every time I have to let go of one of the boy’s art projects. If it were up to me, I’d have a storage unit filled with finger paintings, noodle necklaces and monster doodles. { Me too, Rebecca, me too! }

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

The minimalist philosophy was a challenge in our marriage. We had very different views about acquiring physical things. Which is, in part, why I feel now that I’m a minimalist reborn. It’s a new opportunity for me to become more true to myself.

What have been some unexpected experiences you’ve had with minimalism?

There have been moments where I’d get this overwhelming feeling of panic when I toss out an art project. But, other than that, for me the less the better. We recently went on a camping trip in Idyllwild, CA and I was so smitten with the very few things we had and needed to function. I’d wake up extra early in the morning to make a pot of coffee on my tiny burner. One cup, one spoon, a thousand trees. That’s it. That’s all I needed. { Long-time readers of this blog will remember Tiffany shared a similar experience }

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Baby steps are great. There’s no need to change the world in a day. That’s actually a philosophy we’re teaching with Global Guardian Project. In each monthly learning capsule, we include a family challenge for the month. A simple, sustainable change that the entire family can get on board with. In this way, each month you can build on your efforts to live more sustainably. Small acts transform the world.

You recently launched the Global Guardian Project, can you tell me more about this? Why did you start it and what does it mean to you?

Global Guardian Project (GGP) is a subscription based learning platform designed for global families who understand the importance of teaching children how to care for the Earth and all who inhabit it.

Each month, we launch a digital Learning Capsule, filled with educational stories, videos, interviews, art projects, and challenges designed to teach families how to become global stewards and changemakers in their own home and in everyday life.

GGP content focuses on three topics: Explore, Inspire + Challenge.

Explore focuses on a specific country, it’s culture, natural environment and endangered species.
Inspire focuses on introducing families to important causes and individuals who are already making positive changes both in that area and globally, specifically little changemakers.
Challenge offers activities, or challenges, to help become a more sustainable, environmentally aware family.

Global Guardian Project has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. From the very first business I launched, I knew that my role in this world was to empower individuals to make positive changes for the Earth and all who inhabit it.

I designed GGP so that I could allow my children to be a part of the solution. They watch me dream, design and launch something with promise for positive change. That experience alone is so valuable. They are not learning in theory. They are watching their mama in action. They are learning that they can do something like this too. I intentionally incorporated travel and interviews as a way for my boys to continually learn about our world. They get to see new places, interview changemakers, come up with videos to teach other kids how to help in everyday life. They are an integral part of the Global Guardian Project. I feel like these opportunities are rare and important and will help form their sense of global responsibility as adults.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

This year is a huge transition for us. We’ll be renting out our home and traveling for a year beginning in January (2017). We’ll be researching, planning, digging deeper into creating more for Global Guardian Project’s offerings. We have plans to launch our first volunteer family retreat by the end of 2017 and also have long term plans to create the Global Guardian Foundation, where we can offer resources and programs to global youth changemakers. We see community programs, workshops, retreats and international challenges, all for Global Guardian kids and families. There’s never a lack of ideas when it comes to educating on how to care for the Earth!

***

Thank you Rebecca for sharing your story and way of life. Readers you can follow Rebecca on Instagram @globalguardianproject on Facebook or on her site Global Guardian Project.

There is currently a free Oceans learning capsule available for download while we await the release of the first full-size capsule in mid-August. If you are interested in subscribing to the Global Guardian monthly capsules you can use my discount code: HIPPIEINDISGUISE for 10% off.

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Ecominimalism & an Interview with a Minimalist: Robin

February 22, 2016December 22, 201610 Comments

Minimalism is about many things, much more than just aesthetics and trendiness. Often, to my dismay, minimalism is distilled into one or both of these things. And while, yes, minimalism is a style of interior design and is currently a trendy lifestyle, it really is so much more. The benefits of minimalism are not having a beautifully styled home or being on target with trendy fashions and interiors. No, the benefits are what having less affords us, the space it creates in our days, in our homes, in our activities, in our lives. Among other things, having less gives us more time. Time is the most precious resource. I am always chasing time. But I digress.

Another aspect of minimalism that I’ve wanted to write about for a while now is sustainability. Acquiring few things (by shopping less), having less to clean, repair and replace is just simply better for the earth, kinder and gentler on our planet. In the comments from my post about how to get started with minimalism (here) the sustainability aspect came up. I mentioned that I’ve wanted to start my own term ‘ecominimalism’ to talk about my brand of minimalism. I know, the word brand is a bit icky, especially in this context, but what I mean is my version of minimalism is ecominimalism. My minimalism is about having less, but most importantly acquiring less (It’s not about having little but constantly acquiring new things and pitching old things out the door, so that you keep few things). Too often I read on minimalism message boards requests for advice on how to replace 5 things with 1, or how to start a personal wardrobe from scratch in order to have a capsule collection. Yes, this is minimalism, but not sustainably-minded minimalism. And I know that minimalism isn’t necessarily about lessening one’s impact on the earth, but I really wish it was.

So, I was really happy when I read Robin Kay’s interview answers (see below) because she talks about the sustainability aspect of minimalism. Not only do we (hopefully) lessen our acquisition through minimalism, but we are also inclined and more able to choose products that have minimal impact on the earth. With a little more money in our wallets (from not mindlessly consuming and impulse buying) we can hopefully afford to purchase products that are ethically and sustainably made, like organic and fair trade clothing and food. And if we can’t afford these then at least we are not further indebting ourselves for the sake of fashion.

When we sit back and reflect on living with less, living simply, living minimally (all variations on the same thing) I think we can see that the true benefits have nothing to do with trendiness and everything to do with having more time for the people and activities we love, and feeling better about the things that we do acquire, whether they are organic or not, because our acquisition is much more mindful, considered and intentional. Of course, it’s easy to live minimally when we have very little money in the bank, when living minimally isn’t a choice. When we are fortunate to have money to spend on frills and fashions, on vacations and commuting, that is when our true test of minimalism and environmental consciousness comes up. Buying eco products when we *actually* need something is the best choice, but if we don’t really need it, maybe the best choice is to go for a hike…?

Below, you’ll hear from Robin Kay, a fellow Canadian and minimalist. I hope you’re inspired not only by Robin’s beautiful images and home, but more importantly by the substance of what she shares in her answers. Thank you Robin for sharing your story!

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

I am a twenty-seven year old wife, mother and teacher, currently on a year of maternity leave. I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, where I was homeschooled from age nine (except for one semester of high school). As an introvert, being able to learn on my own terms was very important, and I definitely thrived outside of the traditional classroom. Having a non-traditional education also sparked my interest in how others learn.

I was drawn to Early Childhood Education, and after I graduated my program I worked as an assistant teacher at a co-op, a nanny, and finally a teacher at a non-profit preschool/early years centre. I love the career path that I chose because I believe that it better prepared me, personally, for motherhood.

It’s sometimes hard to remember what I did with my free time before I became a mother, because my days are now fully devoted to my daughter. We play, read, and sometimes nap together. I try to make time to brush up on my photography skills, and occasionally write while she naps. As a family we love to go on walks, visit new places and vegan bakeries, and just stay in together.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

I have one daughter, Ramona Jean, who is 9 months old. From the beginning, I feel like she was brimming with so much personality – she was so alert and vocal even as a newborn (and I thought it would be such a boring phase!). We jokingly call her “nosy” because she’s so hyper aware and curious about everything, constantly straining her neck to see what’s around the corner.

I find that she’s such a mixture of quiet and loud, calm and wild, spirited and sweet. It’s such a balance of strengths on either end of the spectrum. She’s quick to smile and laugh, but on the other hand deeply sensitive. She’s full of sass and determination, but has such a calm, thoughtful nature. She’s opinionated, yet easygoing. We’ve just been over the moon in love these past nine months, and cherish every second we spend with her.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.” – Ansel Adams

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you? And, in what ways are you a minimalist?

Minimalism means, in the most basic terms, living simply. And I really think that applies to all things.

To me, there is a huge sustainability aspect to minimalism – buying less, consuming less, and choosing products that have a minimal harmful impact on the earth. I came across a quote by Vivienne Westwood the other day: “Buy less, choose well, and make it last” which just felt so appropriate for this time in our lives. My husband and I choose to buy mostly used goods from an environmental standpoint (they don’t use up new resources, often don’t have packaging, etc), and when we buy new we try our best to support brands that use sustainable materials or practices, and that are high quality that will last over time.

With this mindset we strive to live with less, and to be more mindful about what enters our home, separating want from need. We try to apply this simple, more thoughtful way of life to all aspects of our lives, even the food we eat. We buy as much organic and locally grown produce as our budget will allow, and prepare all of our meals with whole ingredients. Ultimately this simplified way of life allows us to focus on what’s really important, which is spending time together as a family, and tending to our passions.

I’ve heard from others in this series that they wouldn’t call themselves a ‘minimalist’ and yet the notions of ‘less is more’ and ‘live simply’ permeates their life perspective. So, what is your story, how did you arrive at a point where simple, less, minimal feel right to you?

When my husband and I were married five a half years ago, for the first little while I carried on living the way I was raised, filling our home with things we didn’t really need, often that we thought we needed. Growing up, it had been very normal for me to be surrounded by “stuff.” Good deals, roadside finds, intentions for projects, things we might need later, multiples of almost everything. There were more things than there was space or time for. And there was also this attachment, this innate need to hold on to everything.

As newlyweds, it felt like we were always organizing or trying to find places for things. There seemed to be an ongoing conversation about buying MORE furniture or moving into a bigger place just to hold our stuff, which is just ridiculous to me now, thinking back on it. There was just so much waste – waste of time, resources, money – and this general dissatisfaction with what we had, even though we had so much.

So two things happened all at once, and that was realizing how wasteful we were being, and deciding that we didn’t need more to be content.

And from there it was a process of undoing everything that I was taught, both in my upbringing and by our consumer society. Each year our resolve grows stronger – we declutter more and are more realistic about what we really need (or don’t need, which is more often the case). When we moved last April I realized how much stuff we had accumulated that was out of sight and unused – we de-owned almost half of our furniture and possessions in the move, and have since shed even more.

Early on in the simplifying process a friend told me that everything he owned could fit in his car and that he could uproot and move anywhere at a moment’s notice – it was such a beautiful, inspiring thought, but also gave me a little anxiety thinking about the size of car I would need to fit all the things I currently owned. Ideally, everything that we own needs to have a “home.” I often strive towards the popular William Morris quote:

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

(And even better if it’s both!)

The more that we commit to this way of life, the easier it gets, and the more at peace we become with ourselves and our lifestyle. It’s almost addictive how freeing it is – I find myself wondering how little I can possibly live with. Is there even more I can get rid of? I don’t think I could strip down to standard-car-size level (at least yet), but I’m working my way down bit by bit.

Since Ramona was born I find I am a lot less attached to things, maybe because it’s readjusted my focus on what’s really important. I know that I want her to grow up in a calm, uncluttered space, with more time to spend together instead of our possessions.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

I have heard great things about the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, which I have yet to read myself. This website (Hippie In Disguise) has been a great resource, and always gets me thinking and revisiting my ideas on sustainable minimalism. [ editorial note: Thank you Robin! ]

Other than that my method is fairly unstudied. I’ve always felt inspired by the clean, minimal look of Scandinavian homes, which is very apparent from my Pinterest boards (minimalism, of course, doesn’t mean all white and lots of negative space, but that’s what inspires me personally). I’m also quite inspired by Waldorf education, which to me has always felt very minimal in its simplicity and focus on nature.

In what ways do you struggle with keeping things minimal? What is your weakness?

Books, without a doubt. When we moved 10 months ago, most of or boxes were filled with books. I generally only ever buy secondhand, and it’s the one thing I never feel guilty about having too much of. But I do feel guilty for not having read all the books we own.

My other weakness is holding on to certain things for too long, wondering if I ever might need it again.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

My husband is right on board with me, and also sees the benefit in having less. Sometimes we differ in our opinions of what is essential, but we respect what is important to other. As an artist, he needs to have a lot of supplies and mediums, as well as paintings or set pieces he is working on – and while I sometimes am frustrated at having to find places to store giant canvases (there’s a stack beside our dresser at the moment, and two 5×5 foot canvases in our dining room), it also beautifies our space, and encourages creativity.

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

There’s this Swedish proverb that says “He who buys what he does not need, steals from himself.” It frustrates me to think of all the time I’ve spent rearranging, reorganizing and moving clutter from one place to another, when I could have been writing or taking photographs or any number of more useful things.

Less really IS more. It’s more time, more energy, more focus on what’s important to us. And that has improved my life by making more present, more appreciative and content with what I do have, rather than always seeking more of something.

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

I think the term “minimalist” always frightened me because I thought I would be judged or misusing it if I didn’t have tons of bare space, or if I didn’t live off the grid, surviving off the land, growing my own vegetables and knitting my own clothes.

There are no rules – minimalism looks different to everyone. You have to start somewhere, and it begins with just trying to get rid of the excess in your life (the old blender you never parted with even though you bought a new one, three of the five frying pans you own, etc.), and then in a few months, revisiting what your idea of excess is. At first it might seem difficult and a slow process, but after actively working towards your own vision of minimalism, it eventually becomes second nature.

Do you have any goals for this year or next few that you want to share?

I want to read more – not online articles, not emails, and especially not Instagram captions, but actual physical books. I was an avid reader growing up, and it pains me that so much of my time these days is spend “plugged in.” My goal is one book a month, at least. I also want to learn a new skill, whether that’s knitting or bookbinding or woodworking or doing a cartwheel.

As a family, one of our goals is to try to exclusively purchase from ethical brands. It often means saving up and buying less, but it is in harmony with our lifestyle.

***

Thank you Robin! Readers you can find Robin on Instagram @twentyventi or over at her blog Twenty Venti.

Find all the other interviews in this series here. Please share this post if you liked it!

***

You might also like my post:

How to Get Started with Minimalism

13 Ways to Simplify Your Wardrobe

The Slow Living Project

Let’s be friends! Please come find me in other places:

Bloglovin: to subscribe to my blog feed
Instagram: @hippieindisguise
Pinterest: Hippie in Disguise
Twitter: @hippieindisguis
VSCO: HIPPIEINDISGUISE “Wanderlust and Minimalist Fun”
Facebook: Hippie in Disguise
*New* Private Facebook Discussion Group: Slow, Eco, Minimal Living just ask to join, we love to welcome new people

Interview with a Minimalist: Andrea

February 1, 2016June 30, 2016Leave a comment

Minimalism draws us in different ways. The reasons range from environmental concerns, to stress and anxiety reduction, financial freedom, aesthetics, and simplicity. And surely there are others. But it seems that over time these start to converge, at least they did for me. Week after week people generously share their stories on this blog, today I’ll tell you a little about mine before we get to Andrea’s.

I’ve always loved a tidy, sparse space, and been concerned about my impact on the environment. As as child I would secretly take things out of the garbage and recycling bin, if I thought my family could still make use of them, and stash them away in my room. Later in life, as a busy parent of two I started to feel excessive stress and anxiety related to our home space, the constant mess, even though I was always tidying and really we don’t own that much it was still: Constant. Mess. I craved simplicity and aesthetic comfort in our home space. Tidying daily wasn’t working, so I changed gears. I started by drastically reducing the amount of stuff we had, goodbye duplicates, goodbye infrequently used items, and so on. And just like that things started to lighten. I felt calmer. I gave things away to people who would actually use them instead of keeping them “in case” (in case we didn’t have the money to buy it later on, that was usually my fear), our home life gradually became simpler and our space was aesthetically more pleasing. We spent less money and had more time — the greatest resource of all — to do the things we loved doing. With all the ways minimalism has benefitted us, it’s no wonder I think of it as a way of life.

Today, Andrea is sharing her story of finding minimalism and how it works for her family of four and what opportunities it has given them. Andrea is a mother of two, secular homeschooler, and creatively self-employed. I hope you feel inspired by her story. And if you would like to share yours please email me.

Andrea, let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

I am a 30 year old homeschooling stay-at-home mom of two bright children. Before meeting my husband and having children, I was a very career oriented hard working woman in the healthcare industry trying to buy my first home on my own. After moving to the Maritimes, I met my relaxed husband and adapted to the slower, laid-back lifestyle. I started to really explore New Brunswick and the neighbouring provinces, focused on having joyful and meaningful experiences, I learned a lot from him. It is the experiences we have that create our story and not the things we accumulate.

What part of the world do you live in?

We live in the beautiful Maritime province of New Brunswick, Canada.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

We have two children ages 5 and 3. Our eldest son is an extremely chatty, no non-sense, inventive child with a passion to create anything out of a piece of string, some painters tape and binder clips. Our younger child is fun-loving, empathetic, loves to be silly and is determined he is a Fire Rescue Man. They are complete opposites of each other in appearances, attitudes, and preferences, but are inseparable

What are you passionate about?

I am very passionate about the family I have created and what we want to accomplish together. We are currently homeschooling our children and are working to build an off grid, self sufficient small minimalist home and homestead. We want to go ‘back to basics’ in a sense, to show our children how to appreciate what we have, to have the ability to be happy and fulfilled with little possessions, and to show them to have gratitude for what we do have.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you? And, in what ways are you a minimalist?

To me, minimalism means living with only what you need, in all areas of our life, not just the amount of possessions a person has. Our family takes a minimal approach to everything, the amount of toys our children have, how we shop for our groceries to reduce waste, the size of our small rental apartment, the lack of a television, even the amount of debt we are willing to create for ourselves when purchasing a vehicle.

So, what is your story, how did you start on a path toward a minimalist lifestyle?

It’s funny actually, because a few years ago, I would never have considered myself a minimalist, certainly not a hoarder but definitely lost in the middle of all that meaningless stuff! Once we became pregnant with our first child the maternal instinct to collect and nest kicked in and next thing I knew, I had a three story 1500 square foot home full of ‘stuff’. It was three years later when we moved across the province that I realized how ludicrous it was to fill a 26′ long truck full of things we rarely used. It was all laid out in front of me and I knew I needed to change our lifestyle not only for myself, but to be the kind person I hoped my children would turn out to be.

Are there any websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism? Favourite books?

I have always flown by the seat of my pants when making minimal choices for our family, but I strongly relate and agree with a quote from William Morris, “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” The simplicity of our home and everything in it really reflects the guidance the quote has offered to us.

In what ways/areas do you struggle with keeping things minimal? What is your weakness?

Homeschooling my children while living a minimalist lifestyle is an oxymoron! It’s really hard, I won’t sugar coat it! Homeschooling requires a variety of tools, books and other resources to home educate the children in all subjects just like children who attend a physical school. However, children that are sent to school have an entire building dedicated to their learning environment, with endless resources, books and sometimes separate rooms for various subjects. My biggest challenge is to find multi-use resources, games, or toys to effectively homeschool without accumulating a lot of possessions and making it all fit in our small apartment.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

In our home we have no issues with people and our minimal choices because we are all on board with this lifestyle. However, there are a few extended family members or colleagues of my husband, who wonder why we haven’t ‘settled down’ and purchased a large expensive home, that our apartment is too small for our family, or that we need to sell our car and purchase a newer pricey vehicle. These remarks are all well meaning because society rewards us for purchasing these big exciting and expensive things, but it doesn’t affect our choice to live our minimal lifestyle with less debt.

What have been some unexpected experiences (positive or negative) you’ve had with minimalism?

The most exciting and unexpected side effect of living in this minimal lifestyle is how well our 5 year old understands it. It is amazing when a birthday rolls around and he is showered with gifts, he will consult with us on which toys he would like to part with and give to another boy who may not been as fortunate. I cannot think of another child who would be so willing to part with toys. Occasionally he will ask for a new toy and to bargain with us, he will name off all the toys he would gladly live without to get a beloved new toy.

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Start small. Take a look around one room in your home and remove everything that you think is not useful to you enough to keep it or beautiful. There are so many people in this world that may need many of those items. We found once we began to remove more items the easier and easier it got! I remember when the microwave left the house, my husband didn’t notice for 2 weeks!

You are planning to move off the grid, can you tell me more about your plans and how far you’ve come?

We are going to purchase a piece of raw land in New Brunswick within one year and build a small 16’x20′ home that is power and water self-sufficient. We plan to continue homeschooling our children while growing most of our own food and eventually be able to supplement our income enough that we won’t have to work outside the home. So far, we have downsized our possessions to approximately a fourth of what we originally had, and downsized from our previous 1300 square foot home to a 700 square foot apartment. We still have a long way to go before we are able to live on our land in our small home but it will be worth the wait and hard work.

You are also focused on waste reduction, can you share what you are doing to eliminate garbage from your life?

We’ve been trying to reduce the garbage we create when we shop because really that is the only waste we create, everything else is recycled or donated to families in need. When we grocery shop we use reusable shopping bags and try to buy everything in a reusable or recyclable container. Many things needed for our pantry can be purchased at The Bulk Barn which uses recyclable bags and containers and after shopping we put everything in large glass storage containers. Often the only thing that needs to be thrown away is our receipt. We try to shop for used items like clothing before we purchase new and very rarely do we bring anything into the home that isn’t groceries or crafting supplies from the dollar store.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

My goal this year is to continue living this lifestyle because it brings much more meaning to our life and family.

***

Thank you, Andrea! Readers you can find Andrea (her pseudonym) and follow her family’s adventures on her blog or her Facebook page.

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Interview with a Minimalist: Katrien

November 27, 2015November 25, 201610 Comments

Continuing on in my Buy Nothing Day programming, I have a second interview with a minimalist, Katrien.

Check out my first post of the day to read a bit more about Buy Nothing Day — a day of protest against consumerism.

Minimalism isn’t just or only about having and buying less stuff, as I’ve tried to explore through this series of interviews. It is more about applying the notion of ‘less is more’ to one’s life, or aspects of it.

Katrien Growing Wild Things Interview with a Minimalist

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Katrien is a Waldorf-inspired homeschooling mother to twin toddlers, she’s passionate for all things natural and handmade. She’s Belgian by birth, a traveler by nature, and living in Italy for the sake of love. I only recently started following Katrien on Instagram, probably at some point last summer or spring. I was drawn to her images of her gorgeous mountain top life and the beautiful simplicity of it. When she mentioned her interest in minimalism to me one day, I jumped at the chance to interview her for the blog. And I am so glad I did. Katrien shares insightful and inspiring stories and ideas that will interest parents raising young children, but also professionals looking for more meaning in their life and adults pining for a simpler existence.

Katrien, let’s start with you. Who are you? What’s your background?

Before I met my husband I was working my dream job as a freelance writer and researcher for a Belgium Museum. I was a workaholic (with secret dreams of finding a house on a quiet hill somewhere). I loved the high of being at the very end (or very beginning) of a project. That rush of work. The late hours, and sleepless nights, the apotheoses of a grand opening… And in between these exhausting projects I usually threw some stuff into my backpack and traveled the world to find a place where I could rest and heal the damage I had previously done to my health and my spirit… But then I met this boy from Italy. He was a traveler just like me, and when we met he was taking a break from being on the road, and working on his parents organic farm. They had sheep and horses, and made their own beer, and suddenly that secret dreams of a house on a hill came flooding into my daily life. One year later I started working part-time, and two years later I resigned from my job to move to Italy. It was about then that I realized that it is possible to have a meaningful life without the roller coaster of highs and lows. And so I chose to live with less. Less work, a lower income, but more time for life itself.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

We have two three year old identical twin boys. They were born two minutes apart, and although they are very similar in some respects, they are complete opposites in others, complementing each other perfectly. E. (who is the older twin) is a real ‘Big Brother’. Strong, independent, extrovert. He loves to help and get his hands dirty… His ‘younger brother’ A. is more sensitive, more of a thinker, a dreamer. (I often feel like his feet never really touch the ground.) He takes his time to get to know people before opening up to them, but makes really deep connections when he does. But no matter how many differences there might be between them, they have the strongest, most amazing bond I’ve ever seen between two persons. Being an actual, physical, part of each other, much of what goes on between the two of them can remain unsaid. They simply understand. Sure, they also know exactly how to get to each other as well, and we do get quite a bit of fighting at times, but in the end they always seek out each other’s company.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“Our children come to us with a deep destiny that needs to be honored…A little grace is needed…for them to develop into the people they’re meant to be, especially in a world that is constantly bombarding them (and us) with the distractions of so many things, so much information, speed and urgency. These stresses distract from the focus or ‘task’ of childhood: an emerging, developing sense of self.” (Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne)

We live in a society that wants us to ‘need’, to desire, to crave. Marketing strategies speak to us of more, and more and more. But reading this book we realized that our children were craving the exact opposite. They needed less. And as we started making some changes in our parenting style, we discovered the same was true for us.

You say you’ve only just begun to pursue minimalism, what is your story?

Five years after moving to Italy, my dream of living in a house on a hill came true. A friend told us about this amazing house that was going on sale, and even before I had seen it, I just knew this was the one. A traditional stone house, perched on a hill, and surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of forest. The price was exactly what we could afford, and it looked like she didn’t need much work, and so we made the jump and started packing to move to a different region, and a whole new life.

But as I started filling box after box, I felt I wanted to go with nothing. Leave it all behind, and start afresh with only the things that could fit into the car. Me, Francesco, the boys, and some of our most precious things. But of course we didn’t. Instead we packed up as much as we could fit into a rental van and stored everything in a room we were told was ”nice and dry”.

As soon as the worst of winter was over, Francesco started working on the house. We started off with the renovation of an old, partly ruined barn that was to become our kitchen and living area, and then the rest was going to need a mere ‘freshening up’. Much to our horror though, we soon discovered there was a lot more to do than we had anticipated. We ended up having to change most of the roofs of the house we had just bought. This came as a huge shock. Especially since that meant that the budget we had calculated to rebuild the house, and to live off for a year, was now insufficient. And so we needed to adapt. In the end we could only prepare a small portion of the house for us to live in, and even there, much work remains to be done. But we didn’t give up, and were happy when we were finally (sort of) ready to move in. It was then that we noticed that most of the things we had stored, had been damaged by water leakage. Books, furniture, clothes… Gone. Ruined. And no money to replace them. But to my surprise I wasn’t sad or angry about losing so many of the things I previously thought indispensable or precious. Instead I was relieved. A weight had been lifted. We owned less. And it felt great. And so the desire grew to get rid of more Things. Things that hàd survived the winter, but that somehow didn’t feel like they had a place in our lives anymore.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you? And, in what ways are you a minimalist?

Being fuelled by the fact that we live of a very tight budget, minimalism first of all means spending less money. We only buy the strictly necessary, and try to make, produce or grow as much as we can ourselves. We grow our own organic vegetables and potatoes in the garden, as well as most of the herbs and spices we use in the kitchen and for herbal remedies, and soap. Furthermore I spend every quiet moment I can get knitting or sewing clothes for me and the boys. That way being minimalists saves us money. But that’s not all. To us minimalism also means making ethically sound choices about the things we do need to buy. Spending less is one part, but we also feel very passionately about the environment, and about not harming others through the choices we make, and so whenever we do need to buy something, we prefer to buy organically produced, ethically made or second-hand. And lastly minimalism has brought us to be (very) selective about how we spend our time. We put family time before anything. Even if that means turning down social or professional engagements. We all need to work, and we can really use the money, but we do not want to take jobs that somehow compromise the way we have chosen to live our life as a family, or go out on social occasions for the sake of going out.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

I haven’t read any books, or visited many websites about minimalism, but the book Simplicity Parenting has had a big impact on our parenting style, and on our lives in general. Kim John Payne advocates a (Waldorf inspired) form of minimalism when it comes to the toys, activities and information we expose our children to. He suggests we strip their lives of the ‘unnecessary’ to allow them to come to themselves to realize their full potential, their destiny, their spirit.

We haven’t got a TV in the house, and live a very quiet and simple life, so cutting down on activities and information wasn’t much of an issue. (Except for that part about not talking about adult stuff in front of your children…) But where toys were concerned, we both felt there was room for improvement. Our boys never had much toys, but since we took out some of the toys we felt did not stimulate them to engage in meaningful and creative play, we’ve seen a change in ways we didn’t expect. Long stretches of uninterrupted independent play have now become quite common, and we noticed that they tend to pull out much less toys (only to dump them two minutes later) than they used to do. Toys that are being taken out are now actually played with. And so things started to shift… we started talking about what a similar change could do for us; as parents, as a couple, and as individuals. And suddenly this idea that it actually feels really nice to live with less had a name. It was called minimalism, and we firmly believed there were very good reasons for pursuing it, and to take it a step further than we had so far.

In what ways/areas do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals? What is your weakness?

Yarn. I know this might seem silly, but I love beautiful yarn, and if my budget would allow for it, I would probably buy insane amounts of it. Natural, hand spun, plant dyed… No chocolate or clothes, bags or shoes could measure up to that. But unfortunately there’s only so many hours in a day, and so I struggle to use up all the yarn I buy. Hence I tend to ‘stock’ it for later projects, but then of course, meanwhile, more beautiful yarn comes my way… Time to start emptying my knitting chest before buying any more I’d say.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

Not really. We expected it was going to be hard to eliminate some of the toys we had traveling around the house, but in the end it wasn’t. We started out by talking to the boys about ‘getting rid’ of all the things that were broken. After that, we took away some of the plastic toys we didn’t really like to begin with, and as a last step we reduced the amount of books they had in their room by putting together a seasonally inspired bookcase, and storing all the remaining books for later. In the end we were really surprised to find that our boys initially didn’t even notice some things had disappeared, and when they did, they were ok with the fact that we gave them away to charity, because we had enough anyway…

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

This last year and a half things haven’t always been very easy. Going from having enough money to do whatever you want, whenever you want, to having none at all can be terribly daunting. And yet the most difficult times weren’t the ones when we struggled to buy the things we needed. The most difficult ones were the moments where I wànted something. Just for the sake of having it. A dress. A pair of girly shoes. A pizza night out. Something to give to the boys as a present… To not be able to hàve those things made me feel ‘poor’, and frustrated. But now I find those moments just don’t happen so very often anymore. I guess I’m just happy with what I do have now… even if paradoxically, that is much less than at those times when I felt I needed more. Sure, sometimes I do see a nice dress, or that Perfect Bag that would match every single thing in my closet, but then I remind myself I don’t really need it. (Especially when it comes to ‘fast fashion’ items.) And for some reason that feels great. To be able to say no. To have only what I need. To not spend ages in front of my wardrobe, trying to decide what might possibly look nice on me. (And to know that I won’t be bringing that dress or that Perfect Bag to the charity bin next time I feel like the contents of my closet are coming at me like an avalanche of resentment and guilt.)

What have been some unexpected experiences you’ve had with minimalism?

When I started getting rid of things I felt were just ‘too much’, it was all about making space in rooms and cupboards. I strived to create a visually pleasant and calming living environment. I wanted to have a minimal home. But as we’ve come further in this journey, I have been amazed to see that minimalism has brought us so much more than that. I guess somewhere down the line the meaning of this transformation we are currently undergoing shifted from ‘having’ to ‘being’… it wasn’t so much about things anymore. It was about us. About who we could be. And how we could live.

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Start small. And start with things that you feel you aren’t going to miss. You don’t have to start by throwing away your baby’s first pair of shoes. (In fact, maybe that is one of the few things you might want to keep.) But as you start reflecting about all the things you surround yourself with, I’m sure you’ll find that a lot of things aren’t quite that important to you. Or better even. That you might be better off without some of them. Every object you own has a life, a story, a message. And not all of them are nice messages, so why not get rid of those things first? They are an easy place to start. Think of that ugly thing you got as a gift (but can barely stand to look at), those clothes you bought because someone told you you looked fabulous in them, but that always get taken off just before you leave the house. And then think of keepsakes that somehow remind you of painful experiences. (Yes… those letters from your ex-boyfriend for example (my case), or souvenirs from a holiday that was actually the Worst. Ever.) And then take a break. Just see how it feels.You’ll know what to do next.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

Oh yes! Next year, we’re clearing out the basement and the store room. The basement is still full of things that belonged to the previous owner. Things like old windows and half rotten furniture, so that can go. Furthermore we have decided that everything that hasn’t been taken out of the boxes in the store room since we have moved into the house can either go to charity, or will be thrown away. If we haven’t ‘needed’ it the last 18 months, I guess we won’t really need it in the future either.

Thank you, Katrien, for such a lucid interview, so much to think about! Readers you can find Katrien on Instagram @growingwildthings

Check out these other great interviews in this series:

Interview with a Minimalist: Kellie (artist, children’s book lover and mother of 4 boys living in a small space)

Interview with a Minimalist: The Devine Family (off the grid family with 4 children living in a tree house down under, completely garbage free)

Interview with a Minimalist: Amanda (mother of 2 girls with a third on the way, minimalism in the home to unleash her children’s creativity)

Interview with a Minimalist: Carina (artist living in the small space capital of Canada with her 2 children and partner, maximizing life through the great outdoors)

Interview with a Minimalist: Alison (mother of one, the small space living queen of Canada)

Interview with a Minimalist: Brian of Less Means More (travelling around the US with his partner and unschooling their boy)

Interview with a Minimalist: Kylah (organic farmer and vegan chef raising 2 girls off the grid with her partner)

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Interview with a Minimalist: Andrea

Interview with a Minimalist: Katrien