happy not-back-to-school 2022!
i recently read a post from another unschooling family of 6. the words stuck with me long after i had moved on from the page and gone about my day. she wrote:
“Unschooling: the ability to change plans at a moment's notice because you saw the strawberry farm was open for picking and that seemed like a fun thing to do. A lot of unschooling is just doing what is fun/joyful/interesting, and that feels like a great preparation for life if you ask me. I am not on board with all the people who tell me we must spend years doing boring things that we don't want to do to prepare us for life. That's not the life we're preparing for.”
wow. “that is not the life we’re preparing for.” i love this. what a remarkable statement!
anyway, it was fitting that i carried that sentiment in my heart as i went on a 3-day-long adventure with all of the kids (all by myself… robo stayed home with a miserable cold) to kick off not-back-to-school 2022.
unlike other families, we don’t make a whole production in september because there’s no real “start” to our year—nothing differentiates our “learning time” from our “play time,” our weekdays from our weekends, our summer from the rest of our year. we are literally learning and playing and existing together all the time.
over the past 6 years, we haven’t equated september with school; rather, we equate it with autumn, and most of our favorite activities over the course of the month center the changing of seasons. since we moved to slovakia, it’s become even more natural for us to use september as an autumnal celebration because of our apple and walnut trees. rather than dispersing (us to work, the kids to school/daycare), we come together to manage our humble orchard and process our apples. i can’t imagine if the kids were away at school all day and missing out on our apple harvest (and that’s only a single example on a very long list of things i cannot imagine them not being present for/not being given the opportunity to experience in the name of “school”)—it’s truly essential that we have their help and companionship for this work, especially as they get older. we all divvy up the tasks and take a lot of pride in how we can manage this big undertaking together, all while making it enjoyable and special.
this year, i took the kids on a spontaneous trip to bratislava to welcome september (the apples aren’t quite ready yet). the truth is that, even though we did have an awesome time on our trip, it would have been just as special to stay home. for us, the point of not-back-to-school is always the simple fact that we get to stay together. reminding each other of this intention we’ve set forth, of this very deliberate choice we make every day, is the most important takeaway for us. we don’t need to mark not-back-to-school with pictures (though they’re cute!) or special clothes or perfectly planned excursions or fancy meals out—all we need to do, wherever we are, is be present with one another. when we remember that, we’re reminded why we’re on this journey in the first place.
the first thing we did on our trip was visit the cat cafe in Bratislava, which was something our older daughter has been asking to do for a while. while we were all glad we went and checked it out, the kids were disappointed that there were only 5 cats, all who seemed to be quite sleepy and content in their perches. when i first told them about cat cafes, they naturally envisioned some sort of cat paradise, where there are dozens upon dozens of cats, making themselves comfortable in patrons’ laps :) sadly, that was not the reality—they get many more snuggles from our 3 cats at home than they did at the cafe. still, we were glad that our purchases (delicious lemonades and chocolate cake) went toward helping the cats, as the whole venture is a non-profit that helps sterilize the cats and get them adopted. for those visiting Bratislava and spending time near the castle, i’d definitely recommend popping in.
we spent all day Friday at Schönbrunn Zoo, the oldest zoo in the world, located within the elaborate grounds of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. zoos are a mixed bag for us, as we don’t believe animals should be locked up simply for people’s enjoyment. on the other hand, it is incredible to be able to see so many species up close, and i do try to keep faith that the animals are cared for and given the best life possible, considering the circumstances. i don’t know—it’s hard for me to fully justify a zoo visit, but we went. this is a gray area for me for sure. anyway, there were a lot of gorgeous animals, but there was also heartbreak (the polar bear, hiding in the shade, clearly suffering in the heat). again, the takeaway for me is that it’s important to talk to the kids about these topics, see where they stand on the ethics of animals in zoos, see what they notice about the animals’ behaviors, and then engage in discussions with them. overall, they loved it. we packed a ton of food and water and also brought the kids’ scooters. when we got to the ticket counter, we were told scooters weren’t allowed, but they let us in anyway… phew! crisis averted. the kids did get in trouble a few times for riding them, but for the most part, it didn’t bother anyone. scooters are an essential travel item for us—i don’t know how we would have made it all 6 hours that day without them. parking was expensive at the Schönbrunn Palace lot (3,90€ per hour) and it was at least a 20-minute walk from the lot to the actual zoo. the zoo was also expensive (24€ per adult and 14€ per child ages 6+), so if you’re planning to visit, definitely plan to spend the entire day there to make it worth your while. the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace are free to enter and explore, so that can extend the trip a bit, too.
we spent all day Saturday at Podo Beach, which is in the town of Podersdorf am See on the shore of the enormous Neusiedler See. another member of a foreign moms group i’m in here in Slovakia recommended it and WOW—i am forever grateful to her! it’s funny what can be hiding literally in your backyard. Podo Beach is only about a 40-minute drive from both Vienna and Bratislava, and it is beyond worth it. parking was free and directly next to the lake, and entry to the playgrounds/lake complex was just about 7€ per adult and 5€ per child ages 4+. the facilities were immaculate and even though it got crowded midday (there was also a triathalon happening), it still felt like there was plenty of room. the kids had an absolute blast playing on all the different playgrounds—they are constantly bemoaning the fact that “there aren’t any good playgrounds in Slovakia,” and so to find such incredible spaces lakeside felt a bit like a dream. when they got tired of playing, we went to swim in the lake. we didn’t actually even swim, because you could actually walk out for what seemed like miles and miles—it reminded us of the sea in Sardinia. it was incredibly safe and gorgeous. 10/10 recommend visiting.
sometimes, the spontaneous moments truly turn out to be the best. we hadn’t planned on this trip at all, but it came together quite seamlessly. i spent most of the time saying “yes” to the kids, and that always feels magical. traveling solo and being super active for three days straight with 4 young kids required a lot of focus & energy from me, but it didn’t leave me feeling depleted; quite the opposite, it left me feeling so full of gratitude and joy that we are living this intentional life together, that spur-of-the-moment adventures are something we can actually make happen.
happy adventuring, everyone. hope your september is off to a magical start.