Guiding Principles

Life is interdisciplinary.  Being joyful and responsible participants in a just world requires the active and integrated practice of thoughtfulness, academic practices, disciplinary knowledge, group decision-making, conflict resolution, accessing and evaluating information, compassion, self-knowledge, physical activity, creativity, imagination, and a connection with oneself, others, and the environment.   

Children are naturally inquisitive and always learning. The world is our classroom at the Freedom to Grow Unschool. Outdoor and community-based experiences provide unlimited opportunities for children to inquire into natural and social phenomena. Our focus on inquiry through action allows an organic curriculum to be jointly constructed by adults and students that inspires, motivates, and meets children’s abilities and interests. 

Children are empowered through choice.  Children’s choice is imperative at Freedom to Grow Unschool. Adults and children work together in a community process and make decisions about individual or communal projects connected to a theme, topic, or question of interest. Children then pursue projects in a self-directed fashion or with an adult or more knowledgeable peer serving as a facilitator and mentor for that work.