A short report

This event was held at the farm of Jenny Endresen and family at their self sustaining organic farm in the mountains of Telemark, Norway.

It was a cozy gathering of about fifty people. Some people slept in the house and some in the barn, but most camped out in tents. Also a few stayed at a campground a short distance away.

Many informal meetings and discussions took place in this area as well as downing some excellent, healthy, home grown food prepared by Jenny.

It was a very rustic setting, but one which contributed to a strong feeling of community

 

 

 

 

The uphill walk to the discussion area and the house (see below) caused me to lose some weight, which was an added bonus for me.

The water we drank comes fresh from the creek and was very refreshing

There were no real formal talks however many important discussions regarding Natural Learning / Unschooling took place daily

 

 

The kids had a wonderful fun time,playing and learning as they go. Here several children are experiencing the wonders of Jenny and Ole’s bicycle driven washing machine.

Observing the children and how they interacted with each other has been a key factor in pursuaded some parents, to go for it and integrate a natural learning environment for their children.

One excellent example of this was the exchange between a boy of 15 who was being taught how to break dance by a boy, on the high side of 9, previously unknown to him. I wish I had a picture to show you.

The 15 year old, Kai was completely open and accepting of being instructed by this 9 year old, Luca,  who was gentle, articulate and clear in his instruction and demonstration.

This kind of exchange is IMHO rarely, if ever, observed in the public school environment.

This and similar observations have been made at all the gatherings I have been to in various countries. I have never witnessed bullying or other anti social behavior between the children at these events. Quite the opposite, and age variances does not interfere at all.

 

 

Here, an old timer friend of Jenny and Ole is showing people how to make "Flat Bread".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was also lots of music in the evenings. Jenny’s husband, Ole, is quite a musician and sings well so we jammed allot at night myself and Kai provided drumming on whatever we could hit.

The gathering in Norway, though small in comparison to some others, was a great success, and I look forward to returning.

Kent Eaton