If you really want to understand unschooling, you have to let go of everything you think learning is supposed to look like. Forget the schedules, the lesson plans, the subjects broken into tidy little boxes.
Because real learning doesn’t happen in boxes.
It happens in motion. In obsession. In the middle of something that feels so fun and alive you don’t even realize you’re learning.
For us, one of those sparks was Parkour.
What started as a physical outlet turned into a full-blown, full-spectrum education. Not because I planned it that way. But because that’s what self-led learning does, it unfolds.
Here’s what I mean.
What Parkour Taught Us (Without Ever Being a Lesson)
1. Physics of Movement
Running up walls and vaulting over obstacles isn’t just cool, it’s physics in action. Momentum, gravity, angles, force. You feel it with your body long before you can explain it with words.
2. Architecture and Urban Planning
Suddenly, cities look different. Benches become launchpads. Railings become challenges. Kids start noticing how spaces are designed, what invites movement and what shuts it down.
3. Botany and Nature Awareness
Parkour isn’t just urban. It’s forest trails, creek beds, tree roots, uneven ground. Learning to move in nature sparks curiosity about plants, soil, insects, ecosystems.
4. Psychology and Emotional Intelligence
Fear shows up. So does failure. Parkour forces you to face your edge, pause, breathe, try again. Kids learn to feel their fear without letting it control them.
5. Cultural Awareness
The Parkour world is global. Different styles, different values, different communities. Learning about the culture around movement means learning about people, too.
6. Environmental Stewardship
You don’t wreck the places you play in. Respecting the land and your body go hand in hand. That understanding comes naturally when your learning is rooted in real experience.
7. Entrepreneurship and Creativity
Want to film your jumps? Post tutorials? Make your own gear? Suddenly you’re learning branding, storytelling, design, and business, without even realizing it.
8. Leadership and Community Building
Kids start organizing meetups. Planning events. Teaching others. They build confidence not from being told they’re leaders, but from actually leading.
9. Photography and Videography
Capturing movement turns into an art form. Angles, lighting, editing, music, it becomes about expression, timing, and visual storytelling.
And Not One of These Was a “Lesson”
This is what unschooling is.
Following what lights your child up.
Trusting that it matters, even if it doesn’t look academic.
Watching one interest explode into ten.
Letting learning be deep, joyful, relevant, and real.
I didn’t teach my son all these things. He taught himself, because he wanted to move.
He wanted to jump.
And the world met him with questions.
And he kept saying yes.
What has your child gotten obsessed with lately?
What if that was the curriculum?
Let’s talk about it.
– Moira