All Stories

Would You Like the Key to the Secret Unschooling Garden?

The other day, I stumbled across a ‘hilarious’ radical unschooling collection on someone’s blog, and there was the graphic for my post When Rules for Teenagers Aren’t Necessary. People online were laughing at me. Now, I’m not surprised when others think my ideas and opinions are ridiculous. In a way,

Unschooling: How Do We Know They’re Learning?

Podcasts, registration and records, Unschooling

There are loads of unschooling questions we could ask about learning: How do we know unschooling kids are learning? Should they be learning particular things? Is there knowledge that all kids need? Are our unschooled kids learning enough? Can they get behind? Should we just trust our kids are learning?

Unschooling, Homemaking, and a Mother’s Role

Christian Unschooling, Parenting, Unschooling

Erin wrote: What does the idea of homemaking mean to you? Is it a certain skill set or talent? Does it need to look or happen a certain way, or is it a flexible term? What role does homemaking play for you in home ed life? Do the two need

The Math Myth: How Do Unschooled Kids Learn Math?

Maths, Podcasts, Unschooling

There are many unschool maths questions. Here are just a few of them: Can kids really learn maths without formal instruction? What does unschooling maths look like? Can we strew unschool maths? Is it possible for registered homeschoolers to unschool maths? How can we provide evidence kids are learning maths

Are There Times When You Should Never Give Up Unschooling?

Difficult Times, fears, Unschooling

Are there times when you should never give up unschooling? Are there circumstances that could cloud your judgement and lead to poor decisions? Life might not be going well, and you could blame unschooling. You decide everything will be better once you take control and get everyone back on track.

Passing on Our Fears to Our Kids

Parenting, Unschooling

How do you feel when your children try things out in public with everybody looking on? Do you admire their courage and say, “Have a go!” Or do you worry they’ll fail? When my kids were much younger, we made a last-minute decision to attend a five-day homeschool camp. When

Unschooling Is Carried by Conversations

Curious Unschoolers, Podcasts, registration and records, Unschool Books, Unschooling

Dinner tables, car rides, bedtime chats, and café corners are the real places where unschooling lives and grows. Conversations—often unscheduled, informal, and unplanned—can become the central structure of a learning life. Gathering at the Dinner Table In our house, we never met for breakfast or lunch. Those were meals where

Why We Should Freely Choose to Do Difficult and Unpleasant Things

Parenting, Radical Unschooling, Unschooling

Let’s be realistic: no one will freely choose to do what’s difficult and unpleasant, will they? A mother once told me this is exactly what she believed: “My kids won’t do things like chores unless I force them.” I asked how she knew that, and she replied, “Because I know

Is It Okay if Parents Want to Influence Their Unschooling Kids?

Christian Unschooling, Parenting, Radical Unschooling, Unschooling

Is it okay if we try to influence our unschooling kids? What if we’d like them to acquire particular values? Can we expose them to our beliefs? Or should we stand back and try to keep quiet about the things we base our lives on and let our kids work

The Role of Repetition in Learning, Unschooling, and Shaping Identity

Podcasts, Unschooling, Videos

Sandra Dodd: I was on Sue’s site and I saw an article called When a Child Wants to Read the Same Book Again and Again. And she was writing about her thoughts when one of her children wanted to repeat a book and she wasn’t getting it. She wasn’t finding

More Unschooling Math/s – What Does Learning Mathematics Naturally Look Like

Maths, Podcasts, registration and records, Unschooling

My love and I make coffee using our little machine. We pour it into our Yeti travel mugs and set out for the lake. Half an hour later, we’re sitting at a picnic table, sipping from our mugs while soaking in the glorious autumn day. Andy munches on a

Why Parents Should Help with the Family Chores

Parenting, Radical Unschooling

When I was at school, my friend Beatrix never had to do any chores. She didn’t have to wash dishes, clean bathrooms, or sweep floors. I wonder if she had to clean her bedroom. Beatrix’s mother said that once she was grown up and had a home of her own,

Does Respecting Older People Begin with Respecting Kids?

Me, Unschooling

Whenever someone says I look young for my age, I grin. I accept the compliment. But recently, I’ve wondered: what’s wrong with looking my real age? Do I need to appear younger than I am? There’s an older woman who sits in the front pew at Mass. One day,

Learning to Read and Trusting Unschooling

Podcasts, Unschooling, Videos

It is absolutely essential that we are curious people who are excited about the possibilities in life. The atmosphere in our homes gets picked up by our kids so they think it’s normal to learn, to be curious, to follow thoughts and ideas and try things out… I was battling

Do Unschooled Kids (and Parents) Need Time Away From Their Devices?

Parenting, Technology, Unschooling

If we conclude that good mental, physical, and spiritual health requires silence, nature, real people, and exercise, what does this mean for our unschooling kids? Should we limit their screen time? Should we force them off their devices and make them exercise and spend time with us? Perhaps we should

The Discomfort of Letting Go and Allowing Our Kids (and Ourselves) to Grow

Christian Unschooling, Parenting, teenagers, Unschooling

We organise life so we’re not challenged too much. We don’t want to stray outside our comfort zone because that could be painful. We say no instead of yes to our kids, not wanting them to go to parties at night, ride their bikes on the road, run through the

Unschooling: Trusting the Process and Letting Go of Control

Podcasts, registration and records, Unschooling, Videos

“I kind of love my title for this podcast. It’s very ambitious. Let’s fix it all!” And so begins another Ladies Fixing the World conversation in which Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd and I dive deep into unschooling, sharing our thoughts and experiences. In S2E4, we discuss Unschooling: Trusting the Process

Some Not-Your-Average Maths Websites for Unschool Strewing

Maths, Unschooling

Do you strew maths resources for your kids? I used to. I offered books, games, links to websites, and videos because I was legally required to offer maths learning opportunities to my children, and they protested when I presented them with traditional workbooks. They even rejected attractive online interactive maths

An Unschool Challenge: Name Conversations

Family, Unschool Challenges, Unschooling

It seems to me that names can lead to many interesting conversations and much learning. While we’re sharing our name stories, we connect with the members of our family, present and past. We might learn more about each other, different places, historical events, books and a lot more. Sometimes choosing

When Parents Want What Is Best for Themselves, Not Their Unschooling Kids

Unschooling

I stretch out my legs in front of me and immediately realise I’ve brought something back from my recent dog-walking expedition in the wet bush. I leap to my feet and scare Quinn by screaming, “Get off me!” A leech is feasting on my blood. I try flicking the leech

Unschooling and Connections: How Learning Is All About Creating a Web of Understanding

Podcasts, University, Unschooling, Videos

When I finished my university degree, I threw all my botany and biochemistry lecture notes and books into the garbage bin with relief. And I said, “No one will ever make me learn anything ever again!” I have a science degree, which was presented to me while I was wearing

Unschooling Maths – What Does Learning Math/s Naturally Look Like?

High School, Maths, Podcasts, Primary School, Unschooling

Many parents say, “We unschool except for maths.” I understand why some people are reluctant to let go of maths because, years ago, we were in the same situation. For some reason, it seemed hard to let my kids learn maths naturally from being exposed to it in their lives.

Unschooling: Trust, Autonomy, and The Realities of Learning

Podcasts, starting unschooling, Unschooling

The Ladies are Fixing the World again! Cecilie, Sandra and I are discussing the words ‘self-regulation’ and ‘limits’. When we say, “I’ve let go of control, and now I’m waiting for my child to learn how to regulate his time playing video games (for example),” do we have expectations

What if Our Unschooled Kids Complain or Reject Everything We Hold Dear?

Difficult Times, Parenting, Unschooling

I took my blog offline to fix a few technical problems, but at the back of my mind was a question: Have I had enough of blogging? Maybe I should keep my blog hidden permanently from public view. Perhaps it’s time to become an ex-unschooling blogger. Contemplating retirement as a

Why This Unschool Mother Doesn’t Care

Podcasts, Unschooling

He who doesn’t care has more power. I heard those words somewhere, scribbled them into my journal, and then pondered them. Are they true? Should we care? Or are there some things we shouldn’t waste our time caring about? One thing I do care about is my son Callum and

The Unschool Fangirl Returns

Blog/podcast/write, Me, Podcasts, Unschooling

I’ve been a guest on other people’s podcasts, but I haven’t made a new episode on my own Stories of an Unschooling Family podcast for many months. But that has changed. Yesterday, I plugged my mic into my MacBook and started talking. (Unfortunately, I forgot to check my GarageBand settings,

Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Curiosity, Flexibility, and Trust

Podcasts, Unschooling

I’m a Lady Fixing the World! Cecilie Conrad kindly invited me to join her and Sandra Dodd for Season 2 of her podcastThe Ladies Fixing the World. We recorded our first unschooling conversation together in November 2024 before life got extra-busy with Christmas, and it has just gone live! The

Examining An Unschooling Life

Blog/podcast/write, registration and records, The Unschool Challenge, Unschool Books, Unschooling

I drop a peppermint teabag into my favourite glass mug, add boiling water, and carry it to the living room. Opening the blinds so I can see the sun as soon as it rises, I settle on the sofa with the cat, who keeps trying to sit on my head.

Why I’m Content to Be a Blogger and Not an Instagram Influencer

Blog/podcast/write, Me

There was an ad in my feed for a quirky quilt cover, but how did Instagram know I was searching for something a bit different to throw over my bed? I hadn’t mentioned quilts in my posts. “The app must listen to our conversations,” I told my husband. We tested

How to Beat Time Who Jolts Us Forward Without Permission

Parenting, Unschooling

Time moves us forward without our permission. If we don’t want to look back with regret, we should stop worrying about the future and focus on the present moment, extracting joy from each unschool day before it disappears. The carol bird has gone. Maybe a week or so ago, he

Who Would We Be Without Unschooling?

Me, Unschooling

Unschooling changes parents as well as kids. We learn, face life’s challenges with courage, soak up the joys, do things we never expected. We grow and become different people from those we were when we first set out on our homeschooling adventures. Who would we be without unschooling? As we

Like this: