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Christy

@fromthestates

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📍Alaska
Homeschooling mom of three!
Our adventures in the outdoors and homeschooling!

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And there is a link!

The current lack of age appropriate risky play has a direct link to the present spike in childhood anxiety disorders.

If this is your first introduction to the concept of risky play, know that it doesn't refer to dangerous play. It simply references developmentally appropriate challenges such as using tools, climbing trees, balancing, etc.

How does lack of risky play lead to anxiety disorders?
1. Children never learn to regulate or assess danger
2. Avoidance reinforces anxious tendencies
3. Competence and confidence is never built
4. Dependance on others to assess risk increases fear
5. Without exposure to positive stressors, stress is seen as overwhelming

Audio: @andrewsleighter

#riskyplay #wildandfreechildren #letthekids #1000hoursoutside #childhoodanxiety by @fromthestates

It is hilarious to me that the videos of my middle child eating mud always gets people so very angry.

Raise your hand if your child has ever eaten dirt! 🙋‍♀️

All three of my children have sampled sand, taken a sip of their mud soup, or stuck a stick in their mouth.

However, my middle made a sport of this. I remember her being one-year-old. We had gone to a lake as a family and my children had spent a lot of that day snacking on the shore. At a certain point my husband had decided the snacks had gone on for too long. He packed up all the snacks and said we were done with them for the day. My one-year-old stared her father in the eyes, grabbed a handful of rocks, and shoved them into her mouth.

I quickly came to the realization that if you told this little girl not to do something, she was 100% going to try her best to do it. This led to her eating handfuls of sand, clumps of dirt, and SOOO VERY MUCH MUD. In time I became wiser and learned to ignore this behavior, thus so it eventually stopped.

Not once did she ever become ill from eating these natural materials. In fact, my children are healthier than most of their friends.

In truth, I have friends who blame my children’s good health on the fact that they eat dirt. 😂

Do I recommend having your children eat dirt?
No.

But do I think it’s a big deal if they do?
No.

As long as this dirt, mud, sand, etc. is out in nature, and not close to a possible contaminate, then my suggestion is just don’t worry too much about it.

And if you have a kid similar to my middle child, take a deep breath and recognize that it's just strengthening their immune system!

Audio: @drjoshaxe

#immunehealth #1000hoursoutside #wildschooling #forestschool #letthekids by @fromthestates

No one living can remember a time when public education wasn't the norm.

This has lead to some believing that a classroom is the only environment suitable for learning.

This is so far from the truth!

In fact, classrooms are often one of the least suitable locations for true learning.

Active engagement is needed for a child or adult to truly learn.

A person needs to have a contextual understanding, applicable knowledge, not to mention personal motivation in order to truly understand a concept.

These things are rarely found within a classroom.

#homeeducation #homeschooling #wildschooling #forestschool #homeschoollife by @fromthestates

🥾🏉🏕️🛶🫐🚲🍂🌳⛰️🫎>💻📺📱🎮🕹️

#wildandfreechildren #1000hoursoutside #playoutside #childhoodunplugged #screenfreechildhood by @fromthestates

She went through a stage where if she was having a snack outside, she needed to find a puddle to dip it in before she could eat it...

#1000houroutside #theoutdoorchild #mudplay #momlife #wildandfreechildren by @fromthestates

I've always admired chalk art and figured a Halloween themed obstacle course would be a great way to try my hand at it!

We used both regular chalk, wetted chalk, and chalk paint.

Note to anyone attempting to create a chalk obstacle course, if you use chalk paint make sure it is dry because your children try out the obstacle course! Otherwise you will get some colorful footprints around and on top of your art like we did. 😅

#chalktober #halloween2026 #happyhalloween #halloweengames by @fromthestates

I've been friends with the wrong friends before. Through chance and my own realization that they actually weren't great people, I was able to pull away and find better people to be around. However, if the random interaction that opened my eyes hadn't happened, there is a very good chance I would have stayed friends with them. If I had, my whole life would look very differently today.

Friends make a big difference in our children's lives. This should never be overlooked.

Before anyone says it, yes, we need to teach our children to be around people they may not like or agree with. However, friendships and general kindness are two very different things.

Audio: @imscottdonnell

#findyourpeople #momlife #parentinglife #homeschoolmom #childhoodunplugged by @fromthestates

The three things they were most excited to see in London:
Big Ben
Double decker buses
Warner Brothers Studio London (The Making of Harry Potter)

I have to say, WB Studios London did not disappoint!

#HarryPotter #wbtourlondon #london #potterhead #england by @fromthestates

For some children, it is easy to crash and pop right back up to try again. However, for many kids, this is a hard learned skill.

Helping children to realize that failure is normal, that it is simply a stepping block to success, is something that should be taught young and built upon.

Kids can do hard things. We see them at it, from crawling, to walking and running, all the way to bike riding and beyond. It is imperative that children learn they can do things on their own. This is what leads to them becoming confident adults.

Seeing your child go from struggling to succeeding, there are few words that describe the happiness and how it mixes with pride and a bit of relief.

@bikybikes are lightweight and comfortable, making it easier for children to learn to ride independently.

#parentinglife #firstbike #momlife #playoutside #wildandfreechildren by @fromthestates

Sometimes it seems like we are raising children in the hardest possible time. However, there have often been trails for the generations before us, many of which were greater than what we are facing now.

That being said, raising strong, resilient, and brave children who are not afraid to take on life's challenges is such a great privilege and blessing.

#dragonslayer #blessed #parentinglife #motherhood #boyhood by @fromthestates

Over here raising a little girl who has been climbing mountains her whole life! 🙌

#raisingcapablegirls #littlegirl #girlmom #mylittlegirl #mylittlegirl

Audio: @grannybibbins by @fromthestates

Mom bods are often talked about as a bad thing.
However, as a mom I am physically stronger than I ever was before having children.
I've spent the last 10 years weight training by carrying my super chunky toddlers on my back, often up mountains.
That is something to view as a blessing, not as an insult.

#mombod #motherhood #parentinglife #momlife #momswhohike by @fromthestates