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!

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Real Maths Running

At the bottom of our road, only 100 metres away from home, is a park surrounded by bushland. And winding through the bush are fire trails and tracks where the girls and I run. A few times a week, we head towards the gum trees to enjoy some exercise. We usually run along the same circuit. We have made up names for different points along the route: We start at…
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My Homeschool Records Book

Tomorrow is the first day of the final term of the school year. Andy is busy preparing lessons for his school class (he is a primary school teacher). And I am not busy preparing lessons. I have hardly thought about the new term.  I don’t really need to. Andy will get up early and head off to school, and we’ll slip back into our normal term time routine. It always happens that…
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An Education at the Museum

I have read stories about teenagers who’ve dropped out of school and into the world, in order to obtain a real education. They spent their days, not at home behind a desk, but out and about, visiting places of interest such as museums and galleries… seeing the world.  And I’ve always thought, “What a wonderful way to get an education!”  But we don’t have any museums and art galleries close…
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Another Unschooling Holiday

Last night I said to the girls, “Tomorrow is the last day of the school term.” Sophie and Gemma-Rose groaned. Years ago, we used to count down the days to the holidays. We’d limp through the last week of term desperate for a break. Sometimes I’d call a halt early. “That’s enough,” I’d declare. Everyone would cheer. No more school work for several weeks. But these days things are different.…
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Remembering to Trust

Our family is problem solving. The oven is broken so we can’t cook scones, muffins, cakes, and biscuits: all those treats we really enjoy. We talked over the problem while we ate lunch. “We do have a microwave…” I started to say. And then someone mentioned the donut maker, the toaster and the sandwich toaster. We wondered what treats we could cook using these bits of equipment. “We’ll do some…
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A Main Course of Reading Out Loud

This morning we took a trip into town. While Imogen and Charlotte had piano lessons, the younger girls and I made the most of our waiting time, and did some grocery shopping. It was gone 11 am before we arrived back home. We carted all the shopping bags into the house and unpacked them, before putting on the kettle. A few minutes later, I sank with relief onto the sofa…
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So How Do You Feel On a Monday Morning?

When I was a child, I’d awake on a Monday morning with a pain in my stomach. I was always reluctant to get out of bed and face the week. Five days of school stretched out ahead, and the weekend seemed so far away. I lived for Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the week was to be endured. My children know nothing about that ‘Monday morning feeling’. Every day…
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Some Maths to Share on One of Those Tired Mornings

Last Friday morning, I had to take Imogen to an appointment. When I returned home, Sophie and Gemma-Rose were waiting for me, hoping I’d spend some time with them. But what I really wanted to do, after driving to and from town, was sit quietly with a cup of coffee. I looked at the girls’ hopeful faces and then I remembered something.  “If you make me a cup of coffee,…
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Comparing Homeschooling Styles: a Child’s View

 Sophie and I are strolling up to the village together, arm in arm. Sophie is chattering but my mind is a million miles away… until I hear her say, “Miranda does much more school work than we do.”  “What do you mean?”  “She knows every language.”  “She can’t know every language. Which ones is she learning?” I ask.  “French… Greek… and Latin.”  “Well, you were learning Latin. You could learn…
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My ‘Bad’ Homeschooling Days

Some years ago I offended a friend.  She was telling me about her bad homeschooling day. I should have offered some empathy but I didn’t. Before I could stop myself, I tactlessly suggested the problem might lie with the mother rather than her children. I regretted my words instantly when I saw my friend’s upset face. Later I returned with a huge bunch of flowers and apologised profusely and my…
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Sharing Jane Eyre

“The cinema is showing Jane Eyre,” says Imogen, her voice full of longing.  “Would you and Charlotte like to see it?” I ask.  A big smile spreads across Imogen’s face as she answers, “Yes, please!”  “You could come with us!” adds Charlotte.  I look at the girls’ eager faces. They really want me to go along and I think, “Why not?”  I’ve only seen two movies on the big screen…
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