Ben Greenfield

And that's interesting because traditional homeschooling, which of course has become more popular lately,

It involves sitting around the kitchen table, learning from books and curriculum overseen by your parents and going to prom by yourself and kind of doing the traditional form of schooling but at home.

Whereas I, with my own sons now who are 15, we do unschooling.

schooling is different.

You don't even use books or curriculum much.

You essentially tune into your child's passions and interests and desires and then just surround them with as many experiential immersions as possible, whether it's building a tree fort in the backyard to learn math, going on field trips in the local community, or learning a language like Spanish for six months leading up to a trip to Spain to also engage in Spanish cooking or

Spanish social studies, et cetera.

Oh, a trip down memory lane, huh?

But in my case, I was just homeschooled using books in the sticks in North Idaho with my two brothers and two sisters, and I was a total nerd.

Well, you're right.

I did have a little bit of unique childhood.

Specifically, not only did I grow up in the sticks in North Idaho, which already makes you kind of weird, but I was homeschooled.

The interesting thing is that I was not interested in sports or exercise or fitness at all.

So K through 12, I was homeschooled.

And that's interesting because traditional homeschooling, which of course has become more popular lately,

The world that I'm immersed in now for a career, I played the violin, I was president of the chess club, I was like a total fantasy fiction nerd.

It involves sitting around the kitchen table, learning from books and curriculum overseen by your parents and going to prom by yourself and kind of doing the traditional form of schooling but at home.

I loved to read and write and hang out alone in my bedroom and hike the hills back behind my house.

When I was 14, I discovered the sport of tennis and I began to play tennis quite a bit.

Whereas I, with my own sons now who are 15, we do unschooling.