River and Terran Greenfield are my twin 12-year-old sons. They are unschooled, hyper-creative, can survive in the wilderness with a knife, backpack, and wool blanket, know more kitchen and cooking tricks than most adults (and have an amazing cooking podcast), and they are generally crushing life.
So, in this very special episode, I put my twin boys in the podcasting hot seat to discuss life, creativity, cooking, healthy eating for kids, fitness, and much more.
During this discussion, you’ll discover:
-Best breakfast to crush the day…4:40
-How to tell River and Terran apart, especially on audio…6:50
- The twins address each other by name…
-Books River and Terran like to read…8:15
-Unschooling and becoming self-directed learners…19:04
- Essay by Naval Ravikant that Ben mentions on the 5 core skills needed for life
- Reading
- Writing (long-form)
- Logic and/or computer programming
- Arithmetic
- Rhetoric/persuasion
- Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger
- Mathnasium program River and Terran use for their schooling
- Unschooling allows learning how the world works alongside the subjects being learned (math, logic, etc.)
- Advantages of AI and robots outweigh the negatives (skills becoming obsolete)
- Rhetoric game (board or the app)
- Tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ’em; then tell ’em; then tell ’em what you told ’em
-A typical evening in the Greenfield home…35:00
-An average day for River and Terran…37:35
- Feed rabbits, play a game, play piano, work out, shoot bow
- More scheduled or structured play/learning ’til 3-5 pm
- Is life school, or is school life?
- Podcasts on Unschooling:
- Journal on daily activities
- St. Andrews College in Moscow, ID
- Liberal arts studies is a good way to get a well-rounded education
-Favorites things River and Terran do for their fitness…44:30
-River and Terran’s diet tips…50:45
-Whether or not there exists a perfect diet all humans should follow…54:40
- Mediterranean diet seems more agreeable than other diets
- Eating with people, long family dinners
- Making your own food helps you appreciate it more
- Easy to overeat from packages vs. food prepared yourself
-River and Terran’s views on screen time and video games…57:00
- They both have an iPod Touch, which is for business purposes (podcast)
- Computer used mostly for school
-About the GoGreenfields cooking podcast…59:15
- Started 4+ years ago
- Began learning to cook at age of 3 (made mom eggs for Mother’s Day)
- The Four Hour Chef by Tim Ferris
- Eggs are a great starting point for learning to cook
- Favorite recipes:
- Top baking tip from Terran: Don’t overcook; don’t rely on looks to determine if it’s done
- Top risotto tip from River: Keep stirring, pay attention constantly
- Top tip from the chef: Don’t add too many seasonings; keep it simple
- Clean up as you go
- Pay attention to recipes
-Tips on hunting and plant foraging…1:09:30
- Do it a lot at home to appreciate the diversity in other locales
- Bowhunting is more natural and dependent on physicality than hunting with a rifle
-How to care for yourself spiritually…1:12:45
-River and Terran’s own life purposes…1:15:30
- “To make the love and joy of God through writing and art”
- “To use my art to make people feel strong emotions”
-River and Terran’s take on 2020 with COVID-19, lockdowns, masks, etc…1:16:35
- They enjoy seeing dad more
- Different reactions with kids vs. adults
-One thing River and Terran think everyone should know or experience…1:19:40
-And much more!
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
– River and Terran’s podcast GoGreenfields
– Podcasts and articles:
- How A Steady Diet Of Standard Education Is Choking The Creativity, Health & Fitness Out Of Our Kids And What You Can Do About It, With Ben Hewitt
- The Ultimate Guide To Unschooling: Top Tips To Create Free-Thinking, Resilient, Creative Young Humans Who Can Thrive In A Modern World, With Judy Arnall
- The Renegade Pharmacist: How To Increase The Effects Of Psilocybin, The Secrets Of Colostrum, Fixing Constipation With Breathwork & More, With Niraj Naik.
- Why College Sucks (& Better Alternatives), How To Win At Any Game, What You Need To Say No To, & Much More With James Altucher.
- How To Blast You (And Your Child’s!) Physical, Mental, & Spiritual Resilience Through The Roof With Breathwork.
– Books, graphic novels, and games:
– Food and supplements:
– Other resources:
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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for River Greenfield, Terran Greenfield, or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!
