Parents Or Friends? Or Can We Be Both?
A few weeks ago, my gorgeous adult daughter, Imogen, said, “Mum, we need a break. How about we go to the beach together for a few days?” Oh my, that was a fabulous suggestion. We’ve both had a hard time this last year or so. A holiday away from the cares of everyday life sounded perfect. Actually, it sounded like…
How to Turn Cooking into Unschool Maths Homeschool Records Notes
When you hear the words ‘real life maths’ or ‘real world maths’ what do you think of? Cooking? That’s the usual example, isn’t it? “My kids did lots of real life maths today. They cooked a cake for morning tea.” When my children were younger, they often made cakes and biscuits and even whole meals. And each time, I’d jot…
An Adult Learning Unschooling Challenge
I have an adult learning unschooling challenge for you! It’s part of a series of challenges that I’ve written that, hopefully, will help turn unschooling principles and ideas into something real in your lives. Years ago, I used to think education was for kids. I’d been to school and completed my education. Now it was my children’s turn to work…
Judging and Other People’s Opinions
Why do we judge each other? Why do we worry so much about other people’s opinions of us? And what would everyone think of me if they knew what I did? In this vlog, I tell a story about a duck murderer, and another one about death and a bar of chocolate, as I ponder the above questions. Something…
Delights: An Unschooling Challenge
I‘ve experienced many dark days over the last couple of years. There have been lots of times when I’ve wanted to run away, but that hasn’t always been possible. Where can one go when no one is allowed to leave home? I’ve had to find another way to survive the strange times we’re living in. I decided to search for…
Have I Changed My Unschooling Mind About Screens?
If I had younger children, would I give them iPads of their own? Would I encourage them to spend as much time as they liked using technology? Is this the right unschooling thing to do? I’ve pondered these questions a lot. Not so long ago, I’d have said, “Kids learn a lot from the Internet and their devices. Books are…
How to Be Brave
The other day, I was thinking about bravery. What is being brave all about? Are we brave when we do something that might make people stare, such as having our hair cut startling short? Or is there more to bravery than that? After pondering a few thoughts for a while, I headed to my front doorstep with my phone camera…
Meander the Unschooling Way
There are two routes to our local town. The first one is the efficient way. Once we’ve left the road that leads out of our village, we drive along the highway, through multiple sets of traffic lights before we arrive in town. The other route is the meandering one, the one that winds its way through bush and paddocks, round…
How Unschooling Saved the Dragon Mother
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Unschooling: Good Education
When I open the front door, a man with a winning smile immediately launches into a slick presentation. Do I have children? Yes, I have two. Would I like them to receive a good education? Yes. Do I want to give them the best start in life? Of course. It’s my lucky day. The young man tells me he has…
Unschooling: Dishes
This evening, after dinner, I didn’t want to help with the dishes. I just wanted to relax on the sofa and leave everyone else to clean the kitchen. I could have done that. I could have taken advantage of my position as parent. Or I…
Fan Mail and Lots of Unschooling Thoughts
This morning I felt very discouraged. Perhaps it was the result of being overtired. I don’t know. It’s strange how grey the world looks when we’re tired. Earlier today, nothing excited me. I didn’t want to blog or podcast. Sharing unschooling didn’t seem important. All…
When Our Help and Strewing Are Rejected
My daughter Charlotte used to be openly enthusiastic about everything. Every evening she’d be eager to tell me about all the things she’d discovered…
When an Unschooler Isn’t Interested in Maths
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What to Do When Unschool Kids Have No Interest in Topics They’re Required to Learn
‘… if we’re curious people, the whole world is a source of fascinating things to investigate. But this doesn’t mean we will all enjoy…
My New Book!
Quinn barks loudly at a man in a mask who’s walking up our driveway. I open the front door, holding back the dog, and…
Let’s Talk Maths
My girls have been learning maths in a formal way rather than as a consequence of life. But I have been thinking… The girls…
How to Have an Unschool Adventure, No Camper Van Needed!
Wouldn’t you like to go on an unschool adventure, maybe climb into a camper van and travel the world doing amazing things? My girls…
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…
The Unschool Challenge: Writing an End-of-the-Year Review
The changeover of the years is an excellent time to examine our lives, isn't it? As Socrates said, An unexamined life is not worth…
Learning from Experience and by Reading Crime Novels
Recently, I’ve immersed myself in Australian crime fiction. I’ve read novels by Chris Hammer, Jane Harper, Patricia Wolf and S.R. White. I like the…
Life after University: Following Dreams
My daughter Imogen has finished her Bachelor of Arts degree. For the past three years, she’s been studying Professional Writing and Publishing. Now Imogen…
With So Much Freedom, Will an Unschooler Choose to be Lazy?
If a child is given the freedom to choose what she wants to do every day, isn’t there a risk she will choose to…