Giving a Child Unasked-For Help
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Do Unschoolers Drift Aimlessly Through Each Day?
Years ago, when I was researching homeschooling methods, I thought unschooling sounded good because we’d be free to do whatever we liked. And if we didn’t want to do anything, that would be okay. There would be no rules, no…
Is the Internet Addictive or is There Another Reason Why I Waste Time Online?
I’ve announced I’m leaving Facebook. I could have slipped away quietly. It was tempting to do that. But I wanted to thank my friends for including me in their lives, taking an interest in mine, and being so kind 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 up by our kids so they think it’s normal to learn, to be curious, to follow…
Christian Unschooling: the Foremost Task of a Parent
A few days ago, in my Stories of an Unschooling Family community, I posted these thoughts: A parent does her best to give her child a good education but should concentrating on academic success be her main focus? Perhaps a…
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.…
Parenting Without Fear
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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? Will your children’s achievements change their opinion about unschooling? Will you feel relieved that it all worked out? Or will…
Unschool: Clothes, Connections and Reflections of Love
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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…
Unschooling Teenagers: What They Think and What They Do
Have you ever wondered what unschooling teenagers are like? What kind of people are they? What do they think? What do they do? Have you…
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 whole term of possibility days stretches before me. I’m free to do whatever I like with my time while Andy is at school. My eyes light up with delight. But then I remember there are many…
Unschooling Is Carried by Conversations
Dinner tables, car rides, bedtime chats, and café corners are the real places where unschooling lives and grows. Conversations—often unscheduled, informal, and unplanned—can become the central structure of a learning life. Gathering at the Dinner Table In our house, we never met for breakfast or lunch. Those were meals where people ate what, where and when they liked. But we…
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!…
Radical Unschool Love, Praise and Joy
Do you ever praise your kids? Do you tell them you’re proud of them? Some people say we shouldn’t praise our kids. Maybe that’s because our children might end up doing things only because they want to gain our approval. And is there a risk a child might think she is better than everyone else if we praise her too…
Christian Unschooling: Letting God into Our Kids’ Lives
I used to tick off my spiritual boxes religiously every day. I said a lot of prayers and read my Bible. And I got extra ticks whenever I was able to get to daily Mass, so I made the effort to get there as often as life allowed. It wasn’t easy doing all that, but I did it. I had…