How Will You Know if Unschooling Works?
How will you know if unschooling works? Will you know it works if your children get into good universities, earn degrees, and then get high status jobs, ones that are well paying, safe and secure? Will you grin with delight and say to those who criticised your way of life, “Look, unschooling works!” Will your friends and family be impressed?…
Is It Ever Too Late to Start Unschooling?
Is it ever too late to start unschooling? I’ve been asked this question a lot and my answer is always “No!” Even if a child is a teenager or older, there’s still plenty of time because unschooling isn’t a method of homeschooling that ends at the usual school-leaving age. It’s something that’s life-long. And it’s not just about life-long learning.…
What Kind of Home Do Kids Need?
The other day, while walking our dogs through the bush close to home, I met a neighbour who warned me to watch out for snakes. He’d almost stepped on one and had sighted others that had slithered away. Years ago, one of my kids yelled, ‘Mum, there’s a snake outside!’ I dashed to the window and saw a snake coiled…
Heavy Metal Music and Keeping Kids Safe
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Unschooling: Learning the Important Things Before Time Runs Out
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
How Do Kids Learn to Be Generous?
On Monday, my daughter Imogen and I were the filling in a truck sandwich as we drove from our quiet village, along the busy motorway, through the heavy rain, to the city shops. I wanted to buy some white sneakers, and Imogen suggested we visit the Converse shop. I protested: “Converse sneakers are too expensive!” but Imogen pushed me through…
The Dangers of Distraction
We often let ourselves be distracted, don’t we? But while we’re enjoying the excitement of pursuing something new and sparkly, there’s a danger we’ll lose the important things we already have. I dart from one project to another as they catch my attention. And then I have a brand new idea and get extra excited. This is it! I drop…
Should We Encourage Our Kids to Follow Their Dreams?
What did you want to be when you were a child? I wanted to be a writer. I had a cardboard box inside my wardrobe where I stored my scribbled stories about princesses, dragons and faraway kingdoms. At night, in bed, before dropping off to sleep, I’d think up stories about large happy families who were a lot like the…
Embracing Gaming: An Unschooling Challenge
What do we do if our kids want to play games for hours, and we’re not happy about that? We could limit their screen time. Make some rules about when and what and where children can play games. We could try ignoring our worries, remind ourselves of the benefits of gaming, and then let our kids get on with it…
Giving Our Kids Time to Discover Who They Are
Did you go to school? Were your teenage years crammed full of lessons, homework and preparation for exams? Perhaps, like me, you had very little free time for yourself. And when you did have a few quiet hours, were you encouraged to do something useful with them rather than rest or think or dream or chat? Many parents get concerned…
An Answer to the Chores Problem
We’d all like our children to be considerate, hard working and happy to help others. We’d especially like them to be willing to help out with the chores. Maybe we also hope they’ll be generous, to go beyond what they have to do, to be…
Tired and Difficult Days
Today I’m tired. “Have you got anything you really need to do?” asks my daughter Imogen. “I haven’t yet recorded my podcast,” I reply. “I should do that today.” “Well, you do that first, and then you must rest. We’ll look after you.” I’m very…
Having the Confidence to Ignore the Opinions of Others
Gemma-Rose is eight years old, and she still can’t tell the time. Well, that’s not quite true. If I put my watch in front…
Unschooling and Connections: How Learning Is All About Creating a Web of Understanding
When I finished my university degree, I threw all my botany and biochemistry lecture notes and books into the garbage bin with relief. And…
Learning to Read and Trusting Unschooling
It is absolutely essential that we are curious people who are excited about the possibilities in life. The atmosphere in our homes gets picked…
How to Get Our Children to Trust Us
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Is it Really Okay if Kids Play All Day?
Parents value play when children are very young. At this stage of life, we all agree that children should be playing. But what about…
Strengthening Family Bonds
My wonderful super computer won’t boot up. I turned it off the other evening and now it refuses to operate. It’s rather difficult…
The Changing Seasons of the Unschooling Year
I saw a friend the other day who asked, “When are you finishing school work for the year?” I grinned wickedly and replied, “Finishing?…
Unschooling: Trusting the Process and Letting Go of Control
“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…
Why I Concluded That Unschooling Doesn’t Work (When It Does)
When we first started unschooling, I used to read John Holt’s magazine Growing Without Schooling. Every couple of months or so, a new copy…
How We Can Trust Kids and Dogs
We look up from our cameras to see two lean and muscular dogs racing towards us. They grin and circle around us before disappearing…
Chess, Sudoku and Lazy Summer Days
I haven’t thought much about unschooling, records books, my blog… in a long time. We’ve been far too busy enjoying lots of lazy hot…