If you enjoy this edition, forward this email to a friend! First time reading? Subscribe and learn more at OpenEd.co.

IN THIS EDITION

🍎 The mom who discovered she wasn't as essential as she thought
🍎 Free Play Fridays spread as antidote to over-structured childhoods
🍎 Three tools for natural, hands-on learning at home

💡 1 THOUGHT

I THOUGHT I HAD TO BE TEACHING MY KIDS ALL. THE. TIME.

In a recent article for the Let Grow Foundation, homeschool mom Abigail Weidmer shared her journey from over-teaching to embracing free play. During her first year homeschooling kindergarten, she felt immense pressure to teach everything: reading, math, music, art, STEM, emotional health, money management.

Then she had a realization:

"I was not as essential to my child's education as I thought I was."

The breakthrough? Walking downstairs to find her daughter had created a space museum—complete with solar system map, rocket crafting station, and guided tours—all without adult instruction.

"My kids actually learned more when I did less."

Read Abigail's full story →

📊 2 TRENDS

1. THE UNSTRUCTURED PLAY MOVEMENT (Let Grow Foundation)

Schools and neighborhood play clubs are blocking off Friday afternoons for unstructured play. The Free Play Fridays program, launched by the Let Grow Foundation, designates 2-3 hours where kids get minimal supervision and maximum freedom. No lesson plans. No adult-led activities. Just basic safety rules and access to simple materials like balls, art supplies, and building blocks.

Schools report dramatic improvements in social skills, conflict resolution, and even academic focus during regular class time. In Philadelphia, one elementary school saw playground behavior incidents drop 30% after implementing the program.

Neighborhood play clubs are adopting the same model, with families rotating hosting duties while adults deliberately stay hands-off.

2. THE FORGOTTEN SCIENCE OF LIGHT IN EDUCATION (Brian Roemmele on X)

A short film from the 1970s shows something surprising: kids in a classroom calm down and focus—just by changing the lighting.

The film was made by Dr. John Ott, who believed that natural, full-spectrum light helps our bodies and minds work better. He even said bad lighting could affect us like poor nutrition.

His early tests claimed full-spectrum lights helped students focus and boosted test scores—sometimes by over 30%.

Today we often resort to medication. But maybe the light matters more than we think.

Watch the full documentary →

🔨 3 TOOLS

1. Let Grow's Free Play Friday Program - A simple framework for creating unstructured play time in your community with research-backed guidelines.

2. QUEN Note-Taking Method - Hillsdale's Classical Classroom shares this simple method (Question, Evidence, Narration) that turns passive history learning into active engagement.

3. Ancient Civilizations Hands-On Activities - The Homeschool Mom shares a list of resources to turn ancient history into a time-traveling adventure, complete with hieroglyphics printables, and virtual tours of ancient Rome.

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)