Time and Trust and Letting Go
If Darth Vader somehow got into your podcast, would you still publish it? If you tuned into a podcast episode and heard some noisy breathing, would you continue listening? Why am I asking these strange questions? Well, the latest episode of my podcast isn’t perfect. And that’s because I’m experimenting with yet another recording setup. Oh my, I’ve had a…
Asking for Help
A few weeks ago, I was feeling rather stressed out so I took a break from podcasting. It’s been good not having to produce a new episode each week. Podcasting is hard work! I must now be feeling more rested because a day or so ago, I suddenly felt like making a new podcast. I headed into my closet, set up…
How to Turn an Art Gallery Outing into Homeschool Records Notes
Awhile back, Gemma-Rose and I went to the art gallery in Sydney to see the Masters of Modern Art exhibition. When we returned home, I turned our outing into homeschool records. What kind of notes did I make? Well, here are some of the things I added to our Evernote notebook: Photos of Gemma-Rose in the art gallery and a…
Christian Unschooling: Disciplining With Unconditional Love
If our children misbehave, what do we do? Make them sit on the time-out chair? Punish them? Perhaps we should withdraw our love. Be cold and distant. Make things unpleasant for our kids because they need to know how upset we are, don’t they? We want them to feel bad because then, maybe, they’ll remember to act in the right…
Are You an Unschooling Troublemaker Like Me?
ome years ago, the education laws in Australia changed. The minimum school leaving age was raised from 15 to 17 to ensure that every child receives a better education. Well, that was the official reason for the change, but I suspect money was at the heart of the decision. But that’s another story! Today, I want to tell you about…
Christian Unschooling: Are Desires Important?
Do you have great desires? Are there things you want to do with your life? Maybe you know in a vague kind of way that you need to do something, but you don’t know what you should do. Or perhaps your desires don’t feel important. When I was a child, I had desires, but they came to nothing. Other people…
Letting Go of Our Own Ideas About Our Kids’ Education
Many years ago, I set out on a big search for the perfect method of homeschooling. I was looking for something that would ensure that my kids learnt all the essentials of a good education. (These basics varied depending on what books I was reading.) The perfect method also had to suit me. What did I want to do each…
How Ticking Off Boxes Can Be a Waste of Time
Do you ever tick off boxes? When we have a lot of things to do, making a list, and then ticking off the items as we complete them, can be very helpful. It feels satisfying to see the ticks appearing, doesn’t it? Yes, ticking off boxes is good. Well, it usually is. It just depends on what’s on our lists.…
When We Reach Crisis Point
The other day, I heard some words to this effect: Only when the pain that it takes to remain the same outweighs the pain that it takes to change are we finally willing to make some decisions and act. We might be aware that things aren’t right. We know we should make some changes, but we put off doing this.…
Unschooling Experts, Criticism, and Radical Chore Rosters
Last week, I wrote a blog post called Are You a Proper Unschooler? I scheduled it to publish while we were away on holiday in Canberra. By the time we arrived home, the post had been online for about 12 hours and it hadn’t had…
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…
Who Should Be Responsible for a Child’s Education, the Parent or the Child?
Who should be responsible for a child's education, the parent or the child? Is learning an active activity that needs the learner’s cooperation? Is…
How Curious Unschooled Kids Learn
The big question is this: will I be awake at 1 am tomorrow (AEST)? Will I join the first live session of my Homeschooling…
Clock Watching, Short Lessons and Curious Questions
This morning, after a long break, I dusted off my mic, sat down and made a new podcast episode! I enjoyed doing this, but…
Encouraging Kids to Become Independent Learners
Many years ago, at a homeschooling picnic, I met a family who had a baby a little less than a year old. I watched…
Misconceptions: Unschooling Children Will Choose Not to Do Difficult Things
I often run down the main fire trail that winds its way through our local bush. The track descends gently at first, but then…
My Book ‘Curious Unschoolers’ is Now Available!
My book Curious Unschoolers is now available for purchase. I’ve been wanting to say those words for a very long time. Yes, it has…
REAL LIFE Junk Mail Catalogue MATHS
Yesterday I noticed a pile of junk mail catalogues sitting on the kitchen bench, waiting to be thrown into the recycling bin. I had…
And Now For Something Completely Different
I’d like to welcome Jay Hvidsten to my blog. Thank you, Jay, for this post! In the 1970’s, British comedy group Monty Python released…
Knowing Ourselves: Do We Need to Change?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Adding Rhythm to Our Unschooling Days
Years ago, when we first began unschooling, I thought that to unschool properly, we had to get up each morning and take the day…
Live a Radical Life of Unconditional Love
Cecilie and Jesper Conrad invited me to be part of their Self Directed podcast, so I met them online, via Zoom, and I had…