By The Green Parent
30th August 2022
She founded invitationstoplay.org, which offers courses on creative play
“We have been on a self-directed learning journey since birth, but I suppose we formally stepped away from the mainstream when Elsie was four and didn’t start school. Elsie is a summer born, and at just four years old she wasn’t physically or emotionally ready to start school. She was still breastfeeding, napping after lunch and wasn’t yet sleeping through the night. She was not ready to be separated from her primary carer for such long hours each day. She is also a kinaesthetic learner, which means that she learns best by moving and doing. As an ex-primary school teacher, I worried that she would find the school experience stifling. When Elsie was around three years old, I began to gently introduce project work. We started by learning about the seasons, through books, nature crafts and play. We learned about colours, the weather, feelings, the night sky. I planned just one activity for each morning, and another for the afternoon, with no expectation that she had to engage in them, but because they were planned with her interests in mind, she usually lapped them up. The rest of our days were very much absorbed in uninterrupted, child initiated and child led play, which I have always believed is her most important work. We are still working in much the same way six years on. Our days have a flexible but familiar rhythm to them. They are productive and fun. I feel confident that Elsie is learning everything she needs, with access to a broad, stimulating education, tailored to her interests. She is thriving. Finding a supportive home education community has been the key to my feelings of confidence on this unconventional path. Instagram has a filled the gap for me this past year, with a huge, warm and friendly HE scene.”
Follow Rowan on Instagram @invitationstoplay.uk
