In a beautiful photo essay published to her Instagram account, mother Niki Boon documents her four “wild and free” children, as they grow up unaffected by sitting in front of a TV screen.
The breath-taking shots show Niki’s kids playing on New Zealand’s beaches, in streams and mud pools, swinging from trees and handling animals.
Speaking to ABC News about her decision to raise her brood without the distractions of modern media, Niki said they simply don’t know anything different.
“We haven’t had TV since the eldest was an infant. So they don’t know what life is like with a TV and likewise with electronic devices.”
Niki’s kids Arwen, 6, Anton, 8, Rebecca, 11, and Kurt, 12, all enjoy their outdoorsy life in Marlborough, where the family own a 10 acre property.
Via Niki Boon on Instagram
“If we need to find information out, we use books and other tangible resources, and a lot of their learning is done hands-on in their environment,” she said.
However, Niki isn’t totally hard line about things, and admits her house does contain a computer and some appliances.
“Electronics are in their lives by default, living in the world we have these days, but we encourage our children to turn their natural curiosities to the riches of tangibles like books, the outdoors, nature and our immediate environment as a whole.”
Check out Niki’s portfolio through her website here.
Via Niki Boon on Instagram
