A mum who refuses to put her kids in school has revealed that she lets her baby play in and eat mud to help build a healthy immune system.
Taylor Moran and her three children, Hudson, five, Thompson, three, and Gus, one, previously hit the headlines after revealing their controversial lifestyle.
The mum, aged 32, who doesn’t believe in the traditional schooling system, believes that classes and homework “kills kids’ spirits” and instead, teaches them through exploring.
While she’s received some backlash for “unschooling” her children, the former teacher believes it’s important to let kids be kids – no matter how dangerous this can be.
“It’s important for them to take on risks, like climbing trees, running barefoot or playing in mud,” Taylor, who has 73,000 followers on TikTok (@leafandlearn ), told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“It’s through these small challenges that they develop confidence and a strong mind-body connection.
“Taking physical risks, and succeeding, not only helps the brain function better but also increases self-esteem, which pours into every other aspect of life.
“Our one-year-old, Gus, crawls around the property, though supervised of course, and loves to climb logs, play with leaves, dig in the dirt, or throw rocks.
“He explores ant hills and when he gets bitten, he cries, I console him, show the hill, and say ‘ouch.’
“If you’re wanting to raise the happiest, healthiest kids possible, then this is a must.”
In a clip posted on TikTok, which has racked up 78,000 views and thousands of likes, she reveals a clip of her baby playing in the forest dirt.
She captions the clip: “If you want your children to be comfortable in nature, don’t be afraid to let your babies explore nature.”
Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many viewers left concerned.
“How do you stop them from eating whatever they find?” one person commented, to which Taylor replied: “You don’t.”
Someone else commented: “Rashes and ticks,” followed by a heart-eye emoji.
“Yeah and now all my kids have had Lyme disease. Not fun,” another user added.
One person said: “All those micro-bacterias and diseases in the dirt feel and taste so good.”
“Natural selection” another viewer commented, followed by a skull emoji.
Taylor, from Arkansas, US, said: “Letting my kids explore nature is so important on many levels – children are designed to be barefoot, balance on logs, climb trees and hang from limbs.
“Plastic and metal playgrounds are actually just replicas of what children should be naturally finding in nature.
“When our bodies are in contact with soil, rocks, and trees, we synchronise with the natural frequencies of the earth.
“This has been proven to improve sleep, calm the nervous system and so much more.
“The easiest way to avoid risks is to be knowledgeable, strong, and skilled.
“We’ve made sure they know about ants, spiders, insects, snakes, and plants – they know what will hurt them and what won’t.”
Taylor, and her husband, Nick, previously shared the alternative skills their kids have learned through the approach.
She added: “A few things my children have learned that they would not have in a traditional schooling environment, include how to butcher chickens for meat and use a knife safely.
“They’ve also learnt how to incubate eggs and hatch baby chicks, and how to brood and care for them, as well as how to identify poison ivy and treat a rash with herbs, how to plant a garden, sow seeds and how to cut down trees.
“Other skills include how to make sourdough bread and yogurt from scratch, how to catch and boil wild crawfish.”
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