We live in the jungle on an active volcano – our children are wild, it’s embarrassing
A COUPLE have been heavily criticized for choosing to raise their children on an active volcano.
Zoe and Brian moved to the jungles of Hawaii two years ago to build their own home and live a more sustainable lifestyle.
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Their house is completely off-grid and powered by solar panels, and they collect rainwater from the roof to use for cooking and washing dishes.
They built the entire house from scratch, including the bunk beds where Zoe and Brian sleep.
“It works for us because I still co-sleep with my baby,” Zoe said Real.
The house has a compost toilet and the family grows their own fruit and vegetables and collects eggs from the abundance of chickens they own.
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Zoe said her children love this lifestyle because “living as a kid in the jungle is a lot of fun.”
However, she said their life in the jungle has caused her two children to become “wild.”
“Sometimes I’m almost ashamed to take them out because they’re so crazy,” she said.
The couple’s children, Zaina, 7, and Isla, 3, don’t go to school and Zoe “unlearns” them instead, which she says means teaching them whatever they want to learn, rather than a set syllabus.
“Growing up, I learned the most impractical things,” Zoe said.
She added that she teaches her children life skills such as cooking and gardening.
Zoe said she understands that living on an active volcano can be seen as ‘stupid’, but added that she feels safer there than in a city.
Around their house there are lava tubes that can be up to 22 meters deep.
“There can literally be a hole the size of a leg that you can slide into,” Zoe said.
The family tries to fill in the gaps to prevent disaster, but there are still plenty of gaps for the children to fall through.
Zoe uses social media to give insight into her unusual family life, but her videos have come under a barrage of criticism.
How do volcanoes erupt?
- Volcanoes are formed when a hot liquid-like substance called magma breaks through the Earth’s crust
- Once the magma reaches the surface and spews into the air, it is known as a volcanic eruption
- Volcanic eruptions can release lava, rocks, dust, volcanic ash and toxic gases into the atmosphere
- Some eruptions are huge and kill many people, but other eruptions can be small lava flows that can be easily avoided
- Volcanoes normally release warning signals before an eruption, such as tremors or gases, and this gives people nearby time to evacuate
“People say I’m neglecting my kids, which is crazy,” she said.
Social media users have also questioned whether it is safe for the children to live on a volcano, but Zoe said that when lava started erupting from the top, she saw it as a ‘homeschooling lesson’.
“I know in my heart that it doesn’t matter what people say,” Zoe said.
“I feel really good about this life, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
