My child has Down Syndrome and we have been home-educating/homeschooling her since she was a baby. This means she doesn’t go to school or follow a set curriculum like other kids her age. Instead, she learns by exploring and making mistakes. She discovers her own unique way of learning. She has the freedom to choose what, when, and how she learns.

She is unique. Her journey is unique. Her life is different, and she learns differently. So, she will get education differently. So, the question is what is she learning & how !!!

Learning from “experiences”

She learns from life experiences. She enjoys being social and meeting people of all ages in the park and public places. She observes the differences between individuals, like how they dress, for example wearing saris, turbans, or toe rings. Before having Veda, we use to travel a lot and it hasn’t changed with her. Instead of confining her to a classroom, we travel a lot.

Travelling makes her happy, more adaptive and provide opportunities to meet new people. After every road trip, we come back with a much more independent, happy, expressive and confident child. During our recent trip to Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, our little explorer hugged cedar and pine trees. She found some pine cones. She learned how to pronounce “pine cone.” She also explored the tea estate. She talked to the people working in the estate. She smelled the tea in the production unit. She tasted some green tea. She learned that we get “Chai” (tea) from leaves.

With her, I noticed the moments when we were not trying to make her learn. During those times, she was learning the most about life.

Veda is a member of our family. Like us, she loves to contribute. She takes care of our house by performing daily chores. She participates in daily chores like cleaning. She folds her laundry, even if it’s not perfect. We don’t crave perfection. She cleans her bookshelf and helps in watering plants. Additionally, she cooks, cleans windows, and cuts fruits.

She was almost 3.5 years old when she started walking and getting involved in the day-to-day chores. She loves to clean up and organize everything around her. I assigned a few chores to her. Today she has become much more responsible in her daily household chores.

She loves to get involved in the kitchen. She has loved this since she was a baby. For the past two years, she’s been helping us make breakfast (not every day). I make sure to set things up for her to join. We have been practicing bringing a step stool, cutting fruits, and setting the table for a while now.

It’s still not easy for her to cut her fruits but that’s okay. We are learning and try to focus on the process, not the result. She’s learning to be responsible and independent in this whole process. That is what matters.

In our unschooling journey, we find joy in practical life skills, being engaged, and learning through play. Making a mess while learning brings us happiness as we embrace a lifestyle of exploration and continuous learning.