The Call of the Wild and Free

Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education, A New Way to Homeschool

By: Ainsley Arment

Narrated by: Piper Goodeve

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Allow your children to experience the adventure, freedom, and wonder of childhood with this practical guide that provides all the information, inspiration, and advice you need for creating a modern, quality homeschool education.

Inspired by the spirit of Henry David Thoreau—"All good things are wild and free"—mother of five Ainsley Arment founded Wild + Free. This growing online community of mothers and families want their children to receive a quality education at home by challenging their intellectual abilities and nurturing their sense of curiosity, joy, and awe—the essence of a positive childhood.

The homeschool approach of past generations is gone—including the stigma of socially awkward kids, conservative clothes, and a classroom setting replicated in the home. The Wild + Free movement is focused on a love of nature, reading great books, pursuing interests and hobbies, making the entire world a classroom, and prolonging the wonder of childhood, an appealing philosophy that is unpacked during this audiobook.

The Call of the Wild and Free offers advice, information, and positive encouragement for parents considering homeschooling, those currently in the trenches looking for inspiration, as well as parents, educators, and caregivers who want supplementary resources to enhance their kids’ traditional educations.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Ainsley Arment (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Very enriching!

Excellent book! I love how the author explained the values of homeschooling. As a mother who does not homeschool, this book gave a clear understanding to the world of homeschooling & it breathed a passion for learning again. I would definitely recommend this book for all, those trying to understand homeschooling, those homeschooling & those beginning their journey to home school. This book was a very enriching! Good for both Christians and Atheists, some can be very passionate about their religious preference and I feel this book is neutral on the topic.

Makes you think...

There are definitely points this book makes that I think are very true. Traditional school has gone so far away from being about an individual’s journey to more of a herd mentality. Our children lose out on so much when they are taught to read and write and do adult things at an early age instead of just being a kid. Play is important. Nature is important. But this book also has a way of making homeschooling seem like this magical journey that your child will only truly be who they are meant to be if you homeschool. And if you don’t, well than you can kiss their uniqueness, drive and talents goodbye. This book has me thinking as we make our way into our first year of homeschooling.

This goes far beyond homeschooling...

This book helped me not only in schooling my children but in all aspects of my parenting as I grew in confidence that I am able and enough to help my children in this wonderous time of childhood. This book has also helped me in my journey as a foster parent where I have to work with a team with others with varying opinions on the best interests of vulnerable children. Often times some team members may try to hold the children to standards they can't meet due to trauma or just individual strengths and weaknesses. This book helped me become fierce in advocating for them.

INSPIRING AND EMPOWERING

For anyone who is homeschooling, wonders about homeschooling, has a friend or family member homeschooling, or just thinks it's a terrible thing to do, you MUST listen/read to this book!
I am a homeschooling mom in my 3rd year. I have three boys ages 7,6,4 and a 18 month old baby girl (at the finishing of this audible;). I am so grateful for this book stocked with inspiration and information backed with research. It is thoroughly and compassionately written. I will be referring this book for as long as I live!
Thank you Ainsley for writing! I can't even imagine how you did it! Such a labor of love.
Also, the narrator was amazing! it was like the author was reading to me!

Reclaiming Childhood

I absolutely love the encouragement and support that jumps off the pages in this book. I have print and audible version. These are my people and if your looking for encouragement on how to enjoy nature and add more wild to your family or on how to walk In freedom when it comes to your families education and be able to glean from methods and ideas and not be a slave to them and if you want a picture of what a slow peaceful and rich childhood can look like. Get this book. Plus it’s really pretty and has awesome photographs.

Love

This book was referred to me by a fellow homeschooling mother, before we started our journey. What a blessing! It has given us a beautiful beginning and has transformed me as a mother! Thank you Ainsley for your inspiration!

Beautiful and Inspiring

I am a person who was educated in the public school system K-12. I am also a person who plans to try public school for my own children. However, this book has open my eyes to the idea that every child learns differently, and that education happens in all moments of a childhood. It brings me such inspiration to how I can make their childhoods one of wonder, curiosity, and imagination. It also gave me the inspiration to look for alternative education options. I leave this book feeling like I may totally homeschool my children. I only have a one year old at this point in my life, but this book inspires me to rethink options, and makes me excited to be a mother ❤️ Thank you Ainsley!

Inspiring and educational

New to homeschooling, I find myself overwhelmed with the various methods available. The author takes time to address many educational approaches, and examine how it may work for various families. She presents a philosophy that can be applied regardless of the method (or combination of methods) a homeschooling family chooses. The ideas are not only inspiring, but liberating from the structure and pressure to achieve. (whether we put it on ourselves or by others)

I highly recommend this book as a place for all homeschool families to go for insights on how to merge learning and regular life into a single package until one is indistinguishable from the other. I recommend it for anyone who wants to help their child grow and explore as an individual, and work through the hard parts of what interests them most. The book does not shy away from the struggles of homeschooling and reality of raising children on tough days, but rather it presents realistic ideas for how to continue moving forward and not lose ourselves in the timelines of rigorous curriculum. Finally, this book touches on one of my deepest desires for my children, reclaiming childhood.

Confirmation for what your soul already knows about homeschooling

Within the first few chapters of listening to this book I felt relief, affirmation, validation, confirmation, peace and at home with my decision to homeschool. I listened to see what resonated as my heart wanted to homeschool before I even had children and then life made me think that wasn’t possible. How would I pay the bills? Would they get social interaction? Would people judge them or us? Many questions got in the way the past 8 years. Fast forward to 2020, a global pandemic and consequential lay-off from what I envisioned was the job and company of my dreams. And with that came a pause— the gift of slowing down, time and a giant reset.

In that pause for reflection the homeschool nudge was there again —so I began to research books, stories, people’s experiences and when I heard the words of this book in particular— I cried tears of relief and knowing that this is our path. There are a few things I recall questioning in the book but mostly it was a strong yes for everything intuition, our ancestors, and knowledge of child and human development tells us.

So for me— this book was the mindset and confirmation of what I felt would work for my family. And to hear so many others sharing the same questions and philosophy was helpful at a time when I needed it most.

It will likely be something I come back to again and again for inspiration and motivation.

My only question is if I would like the hard copy as well. The audio version allowed me to listen when reading a hard copy wouldn’t have been possible.

Thanks for sharing it in both formats!

W&F

Needed this book!. It is encouraging and really helps the mama who hears the call but is afraid to follow. Validates feelings of wanting more than just a standard education and more importantly life style for your kids. Also Debunks and shoots down topics and concerns that family members, neighbors and maybe even spouses think is associated with the idea of homeschooling.

Every new homeschooler should read this

Brilliant read, really gentle but informative and all inclusive of different home education styles. This book reminded me of why I chose this path for my own children's education

loved this so much

wonderful book, helped build my confidence in home schooling. lots of lovely ideas and insights into the home schooling world, as well as interesting facts and research

love love love

loved it it was our first homeschooling book everything resonated with me getting out into nature allowing your children to be free and themselves wow inspired mummy here

Magnificently wonderful!

What an absolutely beautiful book. I couldn’t stop listening. As I have recently joined the world of home ed, this book truly spoke to my soul! I highly recommend it to anyone!

Comforting and joyful!

A very easy listen, with some excellent references. Really encouraging for new Home Schoolers. Will be buying the paper version!

So inspiring!!

If your homeschooling or deciding whether it would suit your family if you feel there should be another way , There is!
I’ve just finished this and want to start it all over again! It’s left me so excited for the possibilities of my children’s learning journey and the lives, without school without boundaries being themselves Wild and Free!

Phenomenal

As someone who loves school but is fascinated by homeschooling, this has totally inspired me. I love the idea of wonder and reclaiming childhood....amazing read during lockdown to be a transformed family post COVID-19.