Stumbling from Worldschooling into Homeschooling

Mid January 2020 together with our children we embarked on a new worldschooling adventure in the jungle. Having been fortunate to experience first hand (pre-)schooling in Singapore, Bali, Australia and Germany, a new country and an exciting schooling approach on the other side of the globe were waiting for us. We had been recommended by a friend to engage with the intimate, international school called Life Project Education (LPE) in Ojochal, on the South-Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Founder Alys is inspired by a holistic education approach, that is happening in a mostly outdoors environment surrounded by the rainforest. The school also has a pool and a small farm with chicken, cats, rabbits, visiting dogs and goats, that offers amongst others permaculture based farming experience. Some of it reminds us of our Kinderabenteuerhof and Waldkindergarten in Freiburg, Germany.

Picking out just two of the MANY things that made a huge impression on our children were for example the mindfulness/yoga and ecoliteracy classes.

“I want to become a yoga teacher” said one of our daughters smiling after coming home in the 3rd week. She then closed her eyes and sat crossed-legged for a short meditation.

“By the end of the term I’ll be able to do a headstand said my acro-yoga teacher today”, exclaims our other daughter exited.

A week later I find myself in a guided meditation by my child. She repeats slowly with a calm voice from her memory: “And now you put on your jetpack and gently zoom away from our little, blue planet…”

“I discovered my spirit animal today. Guess what it is? It is a racoon”, my daughter bursts out excitedly another week later. The connection with nature and (re-)sharpening our senses to its voices are just some of the aims of the Ecoliteracy curriculum. Needed more then ever in our times!

Over the last 2 months we have been able to build up an inspiring network with some of the teachers and many of the other families. Some are visiting for the first time, others return on a regular basis and others again are local or have blended in locally.

BUT THEN….

“Our homeschooling schedule will be pretty different to our LPE schedule before!”, summarises one of our children drily after writing a draft daily structure on our first morning at home this week.

Because now, like in many other countries, our lovely school is closed for 5 weeks up until after Easter, at least… The enriching worldschooling experience turns into an unexpected homeschooling experience. And this with Amiram and myself being two very un-trained educators, that had concluded before, that we are no made for home-schooling, yet … And with all the challenges of keeping 2 active children busy for 24h, while following up on work and other ongoing projects. Not to forget preoccupations related to living in a foreign country and with a still emerging economy. There are still silver-linings at the horizon. But these will have to wait for the next blog:-) More to come…