24 September 2012

Another Free Giveaway: A Little Way of Homeschooling

Can it really be a year since I last offered 3 free ebook versions of Suzie Andres’ book A Little Way of
Homeschooling: Thirteen Families Discover Catholic Unschooling?

Last September I wrote…
I am emailing my dear
friend Suzie Andres: “How about I do a free giveaway of your book, A
Little Way of Homeschooling on my blog?”

Suzie is excited and
emails straight back and suggests not one free giveaway but three. “Three for
the Blessed Trinity,” she explains.

“Shall we offer paper
books or ebooks?” is my next question. We spend a few emails discussing this
important decision and then…

“Shall we do an ebook
giveaway? … Ebooks make it totally fair for readers wherever they might be on
the globe…” No postage costs. Everyone can enter!

Suzie adds, “… post
the idea, sometime in September, perhaps. Ooooh, we could have the drawing
October 1st for St. Therese!!!”
And here I am thinking I should repeat the giveaway in honour
of St Therese who intercedes so often for us.
Maybe everyone has her own copy of this famous book by now. But
just in case you haven’t and would like a chance to win one…
I will give away 3 Kindle copies of A Little Way of Homeschooling: Thirteen Families Discover Catholic
Unschooling. (
They can be read on a computer or tablet if you don’t own a Kindle.)

All you have to do is leave a comment here on my blog. If
you’d like to tell others about the giveaway that would be appreciated!
And I will draw the winners on October 1st, just like last year!
Maybe you’d also like to say the novena to St Therese. I
think we have missed the first couple of days but I don’t think that matters. Better to start now than not at all.
So… leave a comment, spread the word and pray the novena. It’s worth entering the giveaway… This book could change your whole homeschooling life! 
St Therese pray for us.

Sue Elvis

I'm an Australian blogger, podcaster, and Youtuber. I write and speak about unschooling, parenting and family life. I'm also the author of the unschooling books 'Curious Unschoolers', 'Radical Unschool Love' and ‘The Unschool Challenge’. You'll find them on Amazon!

53 Comments

  1. Teri, I didn't publish your comment just in case you don't want your email address published, but I have entered your name in the draw!! Thank you for entering.

  2. A huge thank you to Sue for launching another giveaway of A Little Way! I'm thrilled to see so many comments and want to let y'all know I'm including you (all those who visit this post, those who comment and those who don't, and Sue and her family too) in my novena to St. Therese. I'm very excited for those who will win, but if you aren't chosen in the drawing, know that you can still expect some version of roses from St. Therese because she loves to answer our prayers, and I'm sending up prayers for you!

    with love and gratitude,
    Suzie

    • Suzie,

      It is always such a pleasure to promote your wonderful book. Yes, I am a fellow St Therese lover (as you mentioned in your email), and want to honour her as her feast day approaches. I think the Holy Spirit must have nudged me the other day when I decided to do this giveaway!

      As you can see, I have begun posting here again on this blog. Another nudge to help spread the word about Catholic unschooling???

      Thank you for your prayers, Suzie, and your comment. You've popped in and left your own beautiful touch to my comments.

      With prayers and love for you too.

  3. Thank you to everyone who has left a comment so far. There's still several days until St Therese's feast day if anyone else would like to enter the draw!

    I am so pleased to be able to promote Suzie's book. I thoroughly agree with those who have said they love A Little Way of Homeschooling.

    I'd like to thank everyone for visiting my blog and stopping to comment.

    I also appreciate the kind words some people have left regarding my blog. Thank you!

    I am sorry I haven't answered all the comments individually as I usually do. Our family has been away for a few days having 'a museum education'. There was lots of mail to catch up with when we returned home this afternoon!

    God bless!

    PS There have been a few double comments which makes me think some people are having trouble commenting. Thank you for persevering. I hope I have published at least one comment from everyone who wants to enter the draw.

  4. Hello Sue! I am starting my third year of homeschooling and have found that my oldest might actually be in need of unschooling (fights the work). I have a hard time with "letting go" and have been wanting to read this book for some time now… Please add me to the raffle! Thank you and God bless!

    In Christ,
    Marsha

    • Marsha,

      Yes, it's hard to let go, I agree! I guess that's because we feel it is a risk trying something new. We wouldn't want to put our children at a disadvantage. What if they just want to play and they don't learn anything?

      What made me let go was realising that I was using up valuable time, fulfilling outside expectations when I should have been listening to my own children and their needs. I could see that our family relationships were being affected because I was forcing my children to do things other unimportant people said they needed to do.

      I wonder how much valuable learning actually takes place when a child feels pressured into a particular learning activity. Fighting work can't make for a good learning atmosphere. But when children want to learn, they don't need to be pushed and they achieve so much. These are just a few random thoughts. I wonder if I am making any sense! I am sure you'll find a wealth of better thoughts to muse on in A Little Way of Homeschooling.

      Thank you for your comment. May God bless you too!

    • I cannot agree with you more! Hopefully the upcoming birth of our fourth blessing will give me the "perfect excuse" to try out unschooling… Hope to win and have something inspiring to read while "resting" 😉

      May Our Lord bless us all for trying to do what is right for our children!

      In Christ,
      Marsha

    • Marsha,

      You are indeed blessed! Yes, new babies give us both the incentive and the 'excuse' to try something new, something that may be a better fit, maybe. I can understand needing an excuse. We homeschooled our very first year 'undercover' as I was afraid friends might criticise me. I didn't feel they would understand as they were all sending their children to school. I guess taking the further step to unschool is another situation where some people won't understand and will not be very supportive.

      "May Our Lord bless us all for trying to do what is right for our children!" Amen!

      May God bless you. I hope you'll return and share your baby news after the birth!

  5. Hi Sue. I tried unschooling. My nine year old just played all day. Not sure how to get aroung that one. Would love to win the book. Might change my mind.

    Cathy

    • Hi Cathy,

      I had the same problem when we began unschooling many years ago. I gave my daughter a lot of freedom and sort of expected her to go off and discover all kinds of interesting things. But she didn't actually do much. She certainly didn't do all the wonderful things other unschooling children were doing. I wondered when she would find some interests and start some self motivated learning. I have since changed my mind about how unschooling works. I think children need help in seeing the possibilities. These days I strew loads of things in the pathway of my children, and many times their interest is captured and they have great learning adventures. I also no longer expect my children to learn entirely on their own. I can't tell them to go off and learn great things while I sit back and watch. Instead I share my children's learning. They pick up on my enthusiasm and love of learning, and see learning as something we all do as a natural part of life. Leading by example, maybe.

      So I spend a lot of time with my younger daughters. We read and talk and do lots of things together. It's different with my older girls. I don't directly share much of what they are doing. They know what they want to do and go off and do it. But I stay in contact with what they are learning by showing an interest, discussing things with them, and I am always on the look out for resources to help them do whatever they want to do.

      I don't know if that is any help! A Little Way of Homeschooling will be a help. Yes, maybe it will help you change your mind about unschooling!

      Thank you for entering this giveaway.

    • I really liked the book Sue is giving away. I also highly recommend the book, Project-based homeschooling by Lori Pickert. You can read her blog or forums at project-based-homeschooling.com. Sue, it sounds like you became a mentor for your children which is what PBH is about. I really enjoy your other blog. I'm glad to know you have this one as well. 🙂

    • Elizabeth,

      I hadn't heard about project-based homeschooling before. The book sounds interesting. I looked it up and found out there is a Kindle version. I shall have to read it! Thank you for the recommendation.

      Thank you also for reading my blogs. It is lovely to 'meet' you!

  6. I love the theory of unschoolng… and still struggle with accepting it in my everyday life… with TRUSTING God and my kids to be who they ought. If nothing else, I am happy to be included in Suzies's novena prayer with the hope of receiving the grace of complete abandonment to God. Thank you!

    • Ellie,

      Your comment about trust and abandoning ourselves to God made me think of this quote from A Little Way of Homeschooling:

      Therese was a realist, and knew there was work to be done, but she decided to do whatever came her way without fear without worrying about the outcome, without the false notion that it depended on her…

      … I think that one of our methods for multiplying worries is telling ourselves that our job in educating our children is to do our best, to pack as much knowledge into them as possible. How much more profitable to us to begin from Therese’s reminder, “It’s only in Heaven that we’ll see the whole truth about everything. This is impossible on earth.”

      God will give each of us the time that we need to learn everything He wants us to know; this applies to both ourselves and our children. Why do we expect we must teach it all to our children in our homeschool? And why do we automatically assume that this burden of prospective learning will be painful for them, arduous for us? There is a less frightening way….

      … In the spirit of St Therese, we as Catholics ought to realise that Jesus has set us free. If we believe His words, if we strive to believe Him more and more, we will start by living one day at a time, letting tomorrow take care of itself. Already we will have made progress if we refuse to see the whole future of a child contained in today’s accomplishments, successes and failures…

      …Spend time listening to Him, and let Him tell you what He desires for your family. It may be unschooling… Whatever it is, you will recognise it by the peace it brings to you and your children. Do not settle for anything else.

      I think that is so reassuring!

      I am sure there will be many graces coming from Suzie's novena. I am so glad you are included. Thank you for your comment!

    • Lisa,

      I really love the connection between unschooling and St Therese's Little Way. It all makes so much sense to me. I am sure you would enjoy the quotes from St Therese that Suzie has used in the first part of the book.

      Thank you for your comment. You are in the draw!

  7. found this giveaway via Karen Edmisten…but have read here before via Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things.

    thank you so much for this opportunity!

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