Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting off the Beaten Path, Unschooling, and Reconnecting with the Natural World

(Paperback)

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The charming story of one family's mission to build a deeper, lasting connection to land and community on their Vermont farm When Ben Hewitt and his wife bought a sprawling acreage of field and forest in northern Vermont, they were eager to start a self-sustaining family farm. But over the years, the land became so much more than a building site; it became the birthplace of their two sons, the main source of family income and food, and even a classroom for their children. Through self-directed play, exploration, and experimentation on their farm, Hewitt's children learned how to play and read, test boundaries and challenge themselves, fail and recover. Best of all, this environment allowed their personalities to flourish, fueling further growth. InHome Grown, Hewitt shows us how small, mindful decisions about day-to-day life can lead to greater awareness of the world in our backyards and beyond. In telling the story of his sons' unconventional education in the fields and forests surrounding his family's farm, he demonstrates that the sparks of learning are all around us, just waiting to be discovered. Learning is a lifelong process-and the best education is never confined to a classroom.

Reviews

"In this fine and eloquent and moving book, Ben Hewitt takes a principled stand for the unconventional childhood, for the intellectual and emotional and soulful nurture of nature."Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle

Ben Hewitt walks you along the lanes of his small family farm right into the heart of parenting. He does not judge the new normal of lifes fever-pitch pace but fills you with the courage to follow your hopes, which may well transform your family.Kim John Payne, MEd, author of Simplicity Parenting, Beyond Winning, and The Soul of Discipline

This fine book may make you wish youd grown up in a very different way.Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home

What kind of parent doesn't send his kids to school The kind that thinks maybe kids learn best when learning cannot be helpedwhen kids are so excited about the world that they master the skills they need to explore it, the same way they mastered crawling, walking and speaking. Lenore Skenazy, author of thebook andblog, Free-Range Kids

Hewitt provides a beautifully written handbook for those of you considering unschooling. And if you're already unschooling, buy ten copies to hand out to friends and family who ask you how it works.Penelope Trunk, blogger, entrepreneur, and home-schooling advocate

This is a beautifully written, honest, introspective, soul-revealing, and soul-stirring account of one familys choice to live close to nature and to allow their children to learn naturally, without school, in a self-directed manner. The books biggest message, I think, is that we do have choices; we can chart our own lives, we don't have to follow the crowd if we dont want to.Peter Gray, Research Professor at Boston College and author of Free to Learn

"This book fills me with both sadness and joy. My sadness is for the millions of children locked in schools, looking out the windows as the precious days of childhood pass them by. My joy comes from knowing this eloquent book will inspire many to choose a different path.Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible

"Ben Hewitts thoughtful and elegant prose cuts through the noise of modern life to reveal the incredible public value and personal satisfaction of being rooted in ones environment, nurturing meaningful relationships among family and friends, and learning with and from children. You dont have to live in a cabin in Vermont like the Hewitts to benefit from the book; you can enjoy their story and embrace their spirit to take control of your life and learning to achieve your own unique ambitions.Patrick Farenga, publisher of The Legacy of John Holt

"An inspiring read thatreminds us the world can offer more toour children than classrooms and cubicles; and they, in turn, can contribute more than test scores and paychecks."Shannon Hayes, author of Radical Homemaking

"Everyone with a relationship to children should read this book... for the sake of tomorrow's generation. Joel Salatin, farmer, Polyface Farm, and author of Folks, This Aint Normal

Author Bio

BEN HEWITT is the author of Saved, The Town That Food Saved, Making Supper Safe, and articles for magazines such as Bicycling, Discover, Gourmet, Men's Journal, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, the New York Times Magazine, Yankee, Taproot, and many others. He and his family live in a self-built, solar-powered house in Cabot, Vermont, and operate a forty-acre livestock, vegetable, and berry farm.