When in Doubt, Just Love
Last Wednesday, I pushed our living room sofa out of position, exposing a stretch of plain duck-egg blue wall. I placed a chair and a small table where the sofa had been. On top of the table, I stacked six encyclopaedias. And on top of those thick books, I balanced my laptop which was attached to an external mic and…
Unschool Love Stories
About a month ago, I wrote the following story for my unschooling community: This morning, I didn’t want to go for a run. It was cold, I was tired, and I had no one to run with. Running seemed too difficult. Each morning for the last five days, I’ve found a reason not to head out the door just after…
Unschooling: Judging One Another
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Unschooling: Impressing Other People
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Unschooling: Haircut Courage
When I asked the hairdresser to cut my hair short, I had a definite idea of what I wanted. ”I like Andrea’s hairstyle,” I said, mentioning the name of a well-known TV presenter. “Could you cut my hair like hers?” Andrea’s hair was short and bouncy. It brushed the tops of her ears. It was feminine. It also looked very…
Unschooling: Frozen to the Bone
The other day, my girls and I were talking about our music video days. On film shoot mornings, we’d get up very early, pack our equipment in the car, and then drive to our chosen location, hoping to be there before the sun rose so we could catch the best light of the day. During winter, getting out of a…
Unschooling: Elephant Education
The last time we went to the zoo, we stood shoulder to shoulder along the fence of the elephant enclosure, waiting for an educational presentation to begin. At the advertised hour, a young man dressed in khaki shorts and shirt, holding a mic, strode into the open space in front of us. He treated us to a huge zoo-welcoming smile…
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 could have mentioned how tired I am. I’m sure my kids would have said, “Mum,…
Unschooling: Clock Watching
I used to watch the clock a lot. Many years ago, when I was at school, every classroom had a clock on the wall. And each of those clocks had leaden hands that moved so slowly that I often thought I’d go crazy before they reached the half-hour or hour position. At those magical points on the circle, a bell…
Unschooling: Boring or Maybe Not
Do you find certain things boring? Do your kids? I used to tell everyone I disliked science. I found it boring. This was sad because I did a Bachelor of Science degree. On paper, I’m a scientist. In real life, I’m a writer. The other day, I set out across the Internet, hopping from link to link and ended up…
Chores and Our Typical Unschooling Day
The other morning, after we’d done the morning chores and said prayers together, I asked my girls what they wanted to do. “Can we go to the post office?” asked Gemma-Rose. “I want to post my letters.” My eleven-year-old daughter has been writing a lot…
Getting Kids to Help with the Chores
Should parents expect kids to help with the chores? How do we encourage kids to have a generous attitude and want to be part of the family team, helping with the work? Here’s a simple suggestion that doesn’t involve chore charts, games, rewards, punishments or…
Are You a Curious Unschooler?
Do you ever follow rabbit trails, going from one thing to other until your head is spinning with new knowledge? My head is constantly…
Learning from Life
Today I am tired. I don’t feel like strewing. I don’t feel like discussing or watching or listening. I don’t feel excited or enthusiastic.…
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…
An Elvis Family Tradition
On Easter Sunday I say, “It’s time to sing By Your Kingly Power O Risen Lord!” Gemma-Rose finds the hymn books, I set up…
Parenting Without Fear
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Encouraging My Daughters and Other Women by Embracing My Age
I was 58 on Christmas Day, 2019. If you do some real-life maths, you’ll soon work out how old I am today. There have…
A Passion for Writing
I love writing. It’s one of my passions. And all of my children love writing too. They observe me sitting at the computer with…
Encouraging Each Other to Do Difficult Things
he other morning while I was running with our dog Quinn, we met a man ambling along with a huge roly-poly overweight dog. There…
An Unschooling Fitness Challenge
Do you ever worry that your kids aren’t getting enough exercise? Maybe they spend a lot of time doing sedentary things such as playing…
My Unschoolers’ End-of-the-Year Reports
My husband Andy is a primary school teacher, and twice a year he has to write school reports for all his children. For a…
Do You Need a Happy List?
I’m at a cafe with my pretend friend Amina, who places her mug of coffee on the table between us, sighs and says, “Unschooling…