As We Step Out- Parenting, Unschooling, and more

When we travel, travel especially with kids, our effort is always towards offering them experiences which are outside their daily life. We try to bring fun into their lives through these experiences. Now these usually are a mix of ‘trending’ places, new finds, and tourist attractions. But if you are traveling to a place where you spent your childhood, there’s an interesting twist! You also try to incorporate experiences that you have lived as a child! Here I am going to share the 5 experiences, which are a yummy mix of all the above :P some trending, some new, some from the good old days! So let me transport you to the city that's so close to my heart - Pune (and read it as पुणे not पुने ;) ) We were in Pune with kids for a few days and out of all the places we went, listing the top 5 based on kids' rating. And food? While it deserves a separate write-up altogether, it will sure find its way here and there in this write-up :P  Let the virtual tour begin! 1. The Railway Mu...

 I had just finished my exam and already was facing severe withdrawal symptoms! Tejas luckily had not so tight work schedule (he was still working on the go). Kids unschooling had the flexibility to plan their days. We thought this would be just the right time for a roadtrip!  At this point, we all reflected- what does each one of us seek from this adventure? It varied from fun to seeing new places, change, being together, etc.  And like always we worked as a team rather than child vs. parents, to help meet everyone's needs. Where to?  Rajasthan, a state none of us had explored earlier. We had already heard a lot of good things about the state from friends and family. And decided- "We will explore Rajasthan".  How: Yes, we did explore other modes of travel like train and flight, but then choosing these meant losing the flexibility we would get in our own vehicle. At the same time, car travel that far would translate to a longer duration as well. For us the pros ...

 This city was calling me for a long time! One day, as I was suggesting my friend- 'Go take a break, go to an unknown city, spend a few days and you will be a new you' and I thought well, not a bad idea to implement it myself! Only change, I asked Viaan and Vibha (now 7) if they would like to join. Reluctant at first, to leave their 'Summer Holiday' mode, they agreed. And we started planning our 'Unschooling Expedition' to a city we have never been before. Coimbatore: Here we come! One week- No agenda, no checklist. Sharing here a few takeaways, from planning and execution which I feel helped us 'Enjoy the trip' inspite of being the solo grown up with kids. 1. The Planning Stage: Like any other work, this stage is important to plan any holiday for that matter. What were our objectives in doing this circus of travel? No it wasn't a luxury holiday. My objective was to get myself and kids an experience, an experience to understand: We have never done th...

Aarohified - Yet Again When we started upon this journey of unschooling, we took the leap of  faith and decided to trust our instincts. Unschooling being a less trodden path, we had to find answers to our questions ourselves. Questions like 'What about future', 'How will they learn', 'Do we follow a structure or a curriculum' and more. One of the resources which has been a part of our unschooling journey is - Aarohi ( Aarohi Life Education ), through their multiple avenues like Jagriti, Saturday Open Learning AMA (Ask me Anything) calls, social media updates, opportunity to visit the campus etc.  Last month, I had this surge of emotions- feeling lost, feeling 'I have to string everything together', we are drifting off our path, kids are listening, kids are not interested in learning, how to I balance my work and their learning journey- you get the drift! I am sure school or no school, these emotions hit many parents on and off.   How do I resolve my inte...