As always, the universe offers up a theme for me, just before I sit down to write our Worldschoolers Passport Weekly Digest. Actually it sometimes happens that I plan to talk about something else entirely and I am caught off guard. But always I know that I will write the exact thing someone will need to read.
As I have been attempting to interest my children in English folklore and history, the word STORY just kept popping into my head over the last few days.
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We are living quite close to Nottingham and so it seemed ideal timing to delve into the legend of Robin Hood. Are my kids interested? Not really. But they are living in their own story and it is theirs alone. Sometimes they invite me in and our stories will merge for a time.
There’s much talk in the world right now about the need for a NEW STORY. Throwing out the old and moving into something different. Certainly humanity needs, and is getting, a shakeup!
I like to think of stories as being alive and vibrant and dynamic. Carrying with them the great power of transformation. Transformation holds more than mere change. Transformation doesn’t throw out what was but keeps it, regards it with the weight and reverence it deserves and then moves forward into a different version of itself.
Transformation allows us to remember what went before, to learn important lessons, to acknowledge the way things were done but refrains from judgement. Transformation allows us to step into a different story while allowing for us to hold onto the old pages.
As Worldschoolers, we are asked to explore the beauty and diversity of this world with open hearts and open minds. Most of us have, or are on the cusp of embarking on a new and transformed story with our families. There will be challenges, particularly as many of us are questioning the construct of adventure and travel that we thought we were stepping into!
I encourage you to lean into the idea of STORY in your own life and as you relate to others. Remember our ancestors who passed on wisdom and values, in story form, in song and through dance; around the fire, as they foraged for produce, cared for children or worked in the fields.
And most of all, remember that all stories hold beauty.
As always, we include a piece of free content that will give you a taste of the types of themes we explore on the We Are Worldschooler’s website and in our Worldschooler’s Passport membership package.
This is a short article, in the form of a blog post, about the power of story in my own life and how I use the collective wisdom of this tradition to relate to others.
We love to feature Worldschooling families on the We Are Worldschoolers website and these family stories are free for anyone to access – we want to inspire you in your own story!
Karen Ricks is a master story teller. In fact her business in founded on the idea of sharing stories through food! She also loves a good yarn (that’s Aussie for ‘story’!).
-click here to watch this amazing interview-
Lainie and I chat about how I’ve incorporated STORY as a tenet in my family life and how it has driven some of my core values as I relate to my children.
-watch our insightful conversation-
Stories aren’t just books! We tell stories and explore cultural tradition through mediums like dance, poetry, singing and other types of performing arts. Almost all cultures manifest their tradition through performance in some way.
Melissa Armanick Church, a worldschooling mum and performer, shares how her family incorporate this kind of cultural exploration into their Worldschooling life.
-click to access this inspiring conversation-