A child development expert decided to 'wild school' her children - home schooling them using nature while travelling and living out of a van. Birdie Wood, 28, used to work as an early childhood education teacher and saw how formal schooling could leave children "burnt out".
So, when it came to her daughters - Fifer, four, and Mavie, two - she chose to home school them, but in a unique way. Single mum Birdie opted to 'unschool' her little ones - a method of home schooling with no set curriculum where she lets them study "whatever they want".
The family live out of a van and travel around looking for natural spaces to settle where the little ones can learn and do whatever they like. The mum-of-two says people criticise her choice and claim she is 'setting her children up for failure' - but she says they just don't understand it.
As an expert in child development, Birdie believes it's the best way for children to be raised - because "it protects rather than damaging children's mental health". Birdie, who is also a full-time content creator, said: "When I was getting my education degree, I was really interested in learning which creates wellness too.
"A lot of cases of anxiety and depression in adults are linked to the traditional school system - I went to public school and I was bullied. I was looking for alternative education for my own children and I decided on unschooling, or wild schooling - letting my children follow their own interests.
"It could be anything - nature, crafts, reading, languages - and we learn things like maths and spelling around those interests. My eldest daughter loves space at the moment, while my youngest currently loves animals - so we do maths and science based on that.
"They love it and they're so happy - I think part of the reason depression and anxiety are so high is that we are so disconnected from nature. People often have very black and white thinking and say my children will struggle but they'll have just as many opportunities in life."
Birdie first decided to wild school when her eldest daughter, Fifer, was just one - after years working as a parenting coach and teacher taught her the potential risks of mainstream education. She said her research for her master's degree in childhood development taught her that rates for anxiety and depression are higher in adults and children currently than in the past.
Birdie believes this is in part due to the school system and students developing "burn out" - becoming overworked and lacking freedom to grow.
So Birdie looked into 'wild schooling' - which she defined as 'a method of home schooling that is child-led and interest based'. She said: "I learnt that lots of people working in education with PhDs were choosing not to send their children to public education.
"I had already started her on play-based education right from birth and let her follow her interests, and I made this permanent when she was one."
After also having her second daughter she continued, and a year ago, after separating from her husband, Birdie bought a van for them to live in. She and the girls began driving around the country exploring the world and learning.
Birdie explained: "We do lots of nature outings and crafts like painting. Or look for animals - my youngest daughter loves snails so we count them and use them to do maths and science.
"Using activity books and games, I could teach a whole unit on botany by going on a nature walk and identifying plants and insects."
With a background in early education, Birdie said she created her own curriculums based around what's going on in the world - such as Halloween and autumn. She says it can be tiring juggling her own business - a blog called Rooted in Abundance Farm where she posts about 'unschooling' and sells courses and workshops.
"It might take me months to finish a project," she said. "But I make sure to take slower days, so we don't feel burnt out - as long as the girls are always in a learning environment."
Birdie said despite her training in child education, a lot of people question her methods - and accuse her of 'setting her children up for failure'. But she explained that being home schooled won't prevent her little ones from doing anything - and she still teaches them essential skills like maths, science and languages using educational videos and games.
In fact, she feels it might prepare them better to grow up and live their lives - without extreme academic pressures many schoolchildren face. She said: "I went to public school and was bullied a lot - I was academic and suffered with a lot of anxiety.
"I felt my whole life was to be productive and get As, and it was very damaging for me - why would I want to teach my children that way? A lot of people make wrong assumptions and think we don't do anything - but that's educational neglect.
"I do child-led education - it's not an excuse to just not educate my children."
She explained that when the time comes, her children will still be able to go to college if they want to, because they are still able to get a high school diploma through home schooling. Following the local policies and state laws of wherever they are living at that time, Birdie's home schooling curriculums will set them up for whatever career they choose.
Birdie said: "I don't plan anything, but I definitely think my oldest has artistic tendencies. My youngest loves nature and science. She might want to go into something like farming.
"Whatever they want to do, my teaching will give them just as many opportunities as others - along with good mental health and coping skills."
