Perfect
I raise my camera to my eye and frame my daughter Sophie within the viewfinder. She grins before raising her own camera. I almost protest and say, “Hey, I look terrible! Don’t take any photos of me!” But I don’t.…
Discouraged
I’m feeling discouraged. I wonder: why am I doing this? Why am I blogging and podcasting? I know the answer: I want to spread the word about unschooling. I want to pass on what I’ve learnt. Tell others about the…
Homeschooling Heidi
“Can we have another chapter of Heidi, please Mum?” begs Sophie. It’s the third time I’ve been asked that question today. “If you make me a cup of coffee and get the book ready, I’ll be there in a minute.” The girls…
Realising What’s Important
Many years ago, I discovered that a friend of mine never irons her clothes. She doesn’t even own an iron. I thought this was rather strange. Surely clothes need ironing? At the time, I ironed nearly everything. (I didn’t iron…
Learning from Life, Record-Keeping, and Strewing
Last week, life was very busy. And even though there was no time for such things as ‘school’, we had a week jam-packed with learning. By the time Friday rolled around, I had an equally jam-packed unschool records book. Yes,…
Words Packed with Unschool Maths
‘Today will be 17 degrees cooler than yesterday: 20 degrees.’ This morning, I wrote those words in an email to a friend. And then I added this: ‘That sentence reminds me of unschool maths.’ Oh yes, those ten words are packed with maths! Numbers: 17 and 20 Temperature: degrees C Comparison: cooler than Time: today and yesterday There could also be addition if my friend is tempted to add the temperatures together – which she probably will – to find…
Why Do Unschoolers Do What They Do
When we first set out on our homeschooling adventure, we thought we were unschoolers because each day, I stood back and let my kids get on with learning. I thought I’d got unschooling all worked out: I recognised my kids were wired to learn, and I was careful not to interfere with their natural curiosity. So all went well for a while. But then, I got tired of keeping my distance. I yearned to leave the sidelines of homeschooling and…
Unschooling Strong
Yesterday we did lots of complaining because it felt like a very hot day. We were glad when evening arrived, and the sun went down. Hoping for a cool breeze, we ate ice cream and swapped hot stories. Here’s mine: I reminded my family of the scorching hot and bone-dry summer we experienced three years ago when a roaring and seemingly unstoppable bushfire surrounded our village for many weeks. One weekend, at the height of the crisis, we decided to…
Be Brave and The Unschool Challenge
Sometimes we have to be brave, don’t we? We might need to ignore people’s opinions and possible criticism and do whatever fulfils the needs of our kids. We could need courage to ignore our fears about how our work will be received and go out there, use our talents and fulfil our dreams. Sometimes we need to be brave and step outside our comfort zones so we don’t end up sitting on the sidelines of life, missing out on experiences…
My New Book: The Unschool Challenge
I have some big news: I’ve finished and published my third unschooling book, The Unschool Challenge, and it’s now available on Amazon! My author copies of my new book arrived the day before my daughter, Charlotte, and I set off for the coast for a special mother-daughter holiday. I packed The Unschool Challenge, with its distinctive green cover, into my bag, with my beach towels, sunscreen and swimmers! So what’s my unschooling book about? Who is it for? Here’s the Amazon description: The…
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 ones by Jane Harper the most, but they’ve all held my attention because of their settings. Detectives solve crimes in places with endless roads leading to outback towns where visitors who don’t know how to survive in the heat stick out like beacons. Dust hangs in the air; the dirt is red; everything is dry. We…
A Beginning of the Year Unschooling Challenge
Hey friends, here’s a challenge that’s from my upcoming new book, The Unschool Challenge! Maybe doing the challenge is a good way to begin a new year of learning adventures! We all know learning doesn’t just happen during the official school hours. Kids can learn anytime, including weekends and the long summer holidays. So can we. We don’t really need to artificially split up a year into terms and holidays or a day into school hours and free time. Every…
Why We Should Praise Our Kids
Praise is a tricky topic, isn’t it? Do we praise our kids or not? Many unschoolers and parenting experts warn us to stay well away from praise. We shouldn’t manipulate our kids with our words, should we? And will our kids think they’re better than everyone else if we heap lavish praise upon them? Years ago, I read all the expert opinions, but they didn’t match up to my experiences with my children. I wondered what I should do.…
Unschooling Isn’t Freedom Gone Wild: Why Choices Matter More Than Ideals
My husband Andy returned to work today after two weeks at home. Holiday time is over. We’ve now moved into term time. A…
Growing Kids Who Like to Help
Not so long ago, I posted a photo and caption about kids and chores, and a friend stopped by and left this comment: My…
Memories of an Inexperienced Mother
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Unschooling: Coping With the Unexpected
I used to think I could control my life. To achieve a perfect life, all I had to do was organise everything well, including my kids. What is a perfect life? My perfect life vision included a graduated row of good-looking and well-behaved children. I wanted people to admire my family and home, saying, “Sue is such a good mother!…
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 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 and Letting Go. Want to know more…
The Role of Repetition in Learning, Unschooling, and Shaping Identity
What if kids want to watch the same movies, read the same stories, or play the same games again and again? Should we try to move them on to other activities? Or is there value in repetition? Does repetition have an important role in our lives?…
About Me, About Being Different
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Is It Wrong to Love Without Limits?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…