The Call of the Wild and Free

by Ainsley Arment

Published 3 September 2019

Allow your children to experience the adventure, freedom, and wonder of childhood with this practical guide that provides all the information, inspiration, and advice you need for creating a modern, quality homeschool education.

Inspired by the spirit of Henry David Thoreau—”All good things are wild and free”—mother of five Ainsley Arment founded Wild + Free. This growing online community of mothers and families want their children to receive a quality education at home by challenging their intellectual abilities and nurturing their sense of curiosity, joy and awe—the essence of a positive childhood.

The homeschool approach of past generations is gone—including the stigma of socially awkward kids, conservative clothes, and a classroom setting replicated in the home. The Wild + Free movement is focused on a love of nature, reading great books, pursuing interests and hobbies, making the entire world a classroom, and prolonging the wonder of childhood, an appealing philosophy that is unpacked in the pages of this book

The Call of the Wild and Free offers advice, information, and positive encouragement for parents considering homeschooling, those currently in the trenches looking for inspiration, as well as parents, educators, and caregivers who want supplementary resources to enhance their kids’ traditional educations.


Wild and Free Nature

by Ainsley Arment

Published 25 August 2020

The companion to The Call of the Wild + Free: styled in the lush aesthetic of the Wild + Free brand, a four-color book offering outdoor activities and essays, that parents, educators, and caregivers can use to inspire their children.

Wild and Free Nature is a beautiful, four-color resource book for parents, educators, and caregivers to enjoy doing hands-on activities outside with kids. One of the core philosophies behind Wild + Free is the belief that nature is the best classroom we could ever hope for. It unlocks the imagination and inspires creativity in ways that a schoolroom never could.

Being out in nature has a number of benefits. Studies show that children are more likely to interact with kids of different ages and learn to problem solve in natural settings. Being in natural settings stimulates the brain and restores cognitive function. Children who spend time in natural settings also interact better with kids of all ages and learn to solve problems more easily. They build muscle and coordination and fend off obesity. It cultivates a sense of responsibility for caring for the earth, not to mention, encourages imaginative play, curiosity, and other qualities necessary to spark a love for investigation and learning.

This resource book will help equip parents and adults who work with children to get them outdoors with activities such as:

  • Build a treehouse in the woods.
  • Cultivate a garden plot.
  • Make land art and nature crafts.
  • Create a mud kitchen in the backyard.
  • Go for a nature walk each morning.
  • Find a secret swimming hole.
  • Go to the creek to learn about the water cycle.
  • Plant a garden to see what will grow in your backyard.
  • Raise monarch caterpillars and feed them milkweed until they transform into butterflies.
  • Set up a birdwatching station in your front window equipped with binoculars, notebooks, and bird guides.
  • Make a wilderness fort with the fallen branches from trees.

With the same lush photography as The Call of the Wild + Free, this book includes step-by-step pictures that show parents how to do the activity, and essays on the importance of nature in a child's life.


Wild and Free Holidays

by Ainsley Arment

Published 20 October 2020

Imaginative holiday-themed activities from Wild + Free to spark children’s curiosity and wonder and help families connect with each other in the most wonderful season of the year. 

Wild + Free is a great resource for parents to engage their kids’ creativity using festive, holiday-themed crafts, outdoor activities, and essays that celebrate the warmth of the season. Curated by Wild + Free families around the world, this full-color book is filled with creative and intellectually stimulating ideas and hands-on activities parents, educators, and caregivers can use to nurture their child’s curious spirit and imagination. With step-by-step instructions, lush photography, and family-tested and kid-approved activities, Wild + Free is a valuable guide to helping children spark wonder in the most wonderful season of the year.




Wild and Free Handcrafts

by Ainsley Arment

Published 24 March 2020

The companion to The Call of the Wild + Free: styled in the lush aesthetic of the Wild + Free brand, a four-color book offering crafts, activities, and essays, that parents, educators, and caregivers can use to inspire their children.

Wild + Free Handcrafts is a beautiful, four-color resource book for parents, educators, and caregivers to enjoy doing hands-on activities with kids. A handcraft engages one’s hands, requires a level of learned skill, encourages children to do their best work, and produces an end product that is useful. It has been used in homeschool settings for decades as one way to encourage them to work with their hands and discover a skillful craft they love to practice. It also is a great way for traditionally educated kids who are home for the summer, or in afterschool programs, or with their families on the weekends, to do fun activities that will stimulate their imaginations and creativity.

This book will feature crafts such as:

  • Felted acorns

  • Paper beads

  • Nature wreaths

  • Cocoa mint lip balm

  • Woven willow hearts

  • Finger knit bracelets

  • Eco-dyed kitchen towels

  • Fairy tale treehouse

  • Flower crowns

  • Bug hotel

 

With the same lush photography as The Call of the Wild + Free, this book includes step-by-step pictures that show parents how to do the craft, and essays on the usefulness and purpose of handcrafts as a tool to spark children’s curiosity and wonder.


Wild and Free Book Club

by Ainsley Arment

Published 24 June 2021

From Wild + Free, a wonderful collection of creative activities for parents, educators, and caregivers filled with engaging and fun ideas to help kids fall in love with literature and reading.

Foster a love of reading in your child with Wild + Free Book Club. An invaluable educational resource curated by Wild + Free families around the world, this full-color illustrated book offers imaginative suggestions for creating themed book clubs for kids. Here are hands-on activities, games, food, and decoration ideas inspired by a carefully chosen list of beloved classic novels, as well as discussion questions about plots and themes that engage kids minds and sparks their curiosity.

Wild + Free Book Club is filled with fun ideas for each book, including:

  • Anne of Green Gables—host a picnic tea party
  • The Secret Garden—craft a terrarium, a secret garden of your own
  • Charlotte’s Web—host an old-time country fair
  • The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe—turn your front door into a magical portal to Narnia

With step-by-step instructions, lush photography, and family-tested and kid-approved activities, Wild + Free Book Club will help parents and educators inspire children and instill a lifelong passion for literature and the joy of books.

The Wild + Free Book Club reading list:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 

Anne of Green Gables 

Around the World in 80 Days 

Black Beauty 

Charlotte’s Web 

The Crossover

Esperanza Rising

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Farmer Boy 

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 

The Green Ember 

Heidi 

The Hobbit 

Island of the Blue Dolphins 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 

Little House in the Big Woods 

A Little Princess

Little Women 

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 

My Side of the Mountain 

Peter Pan 

Pippi Longstocking

Robin Hood 

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

The Secret Garden

The Swiss Family Robinson 

Treasure Island 

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street