Examining An Unschooling Life
I drop a peppermint teabag into my favourite glass mug, add boiling water, and carry it to the living room. Opening the blinds so I can see the sun as soon as it rises, I settle on the sofa with…
How to Write a Million Unschool Love Stories
I used to think the defining word of unschooling was freedom. Freedom attracted me. I wanted to be free to do whatever I liked. I wanted to get up each day and do anything or nothing at all. But I…
Younger Unschoolers: Our Learning Adventure Rules
If we’re willing to seize the moment, we can have some fabulous spur-of-the-moment learning adventures. We could find ourselves unexpectedly sitting on a beach watching breaching whales. But can we also have planned adventures with our unschooling kids? Oh yes!…
The Saturday Unschool Examen
Every Saturday, while my husband, youngest daughter and dogs are still in bed, I sit on the living room sofa, journal on my knee, scrawny cat by my side, and by the light of a lamp in the pre-dawn dark,…
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…
Punctuation and Grammar and Other Unschool Writing Stories
Many people think kids need to be pushed. If we don’t tell them what to do, they won’t do much at all. But, of course, this isn’t true. Kids are curious people. They are wired to learn. If we don’t keep them busy fulfilling our goals, they will challenge themselves, they’ll work hard and achieve amazing things. Some kids might end up writing and publishing a novel. Or two. Several months ago, my daughter Imogen published her second novel, The…
Unschooling Cats and Rats and Trust
Did you hear that we’ve had lots of rain recently? It’s brought everything back to life after the bushfires. The burnt bush is regenerating. We’ve got grass, instead of stubble, in our back garden. It’s lush and green and knee-deep. We have new life inside our home as well. There are rats living upstairs in our roof space. They are huge. Yesterday, Gemma-Rose asked me, “Why did God create rats?” As far as she could see, they don’t contribute anything…
Unschooling Sausages and Other History Stories
A couple of days ago, I posted the following words on Instagram: Friends, I need some feedback! We’re almost at the end of February and I haven’t made a single podcast so far this year. (Did you notice?!) Why haven’t I sat down in front of my mic and made some new episodes? Well, I’ve been having lots of problems with my equipment. After spending another afternoon trying to get my setup to work, I’ve concluded that I need a…
What if We’d Like Our Kids to Be Early Risers?
Sometimes when I write a post about our typical unschooling days, a reader stops by and says, “Oh, Sue, your mornings sound delightful! I wish my family would get up early so we could get a good start on the day. I can’t get my kids out of bed. They just grumble and roll over and go back to sleep. What can I do?” Now, this might not be you, but if it is, what do you do? Perhaps you…
Why We Have No Choice But to Trust
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Encouraging Each Other
Sue Elvis is a mother of 8 with stacks of stories to tell. She generously shares her Stories of an Unschooling Family on her blog, YouTube channel, podcast, Instagram and most recently in her books, Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love. And these stories are epic. Not in their length, most of them are short reads. And certainly not fantasy. Sue’s stories are epic in the best possible way. True stories of ordinary days with extraordinary significance… These are the…
Knowing Ourselves: Do We Need to Change?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Books That Make Us Cry
On the last day of the last school term for 2019, I sent a text message to my husband, Andy: We just got a bushfire emergency warning. A few minutes later, Andy phoned me and I said, “The fire isn’t far away.” It was burning in our neighbouring village. My voice wobbled as I added, “Everyone has been told it’s too late to leave. The only option is to take shelter.” Andy asked, “Are you okay?” A couple of seconds…
Interviewing My Children and Other Family Movies
I have this brilliant (?) idea. I might have to learn a few new skills to put it into action. “Girls, do you want…
A Message We Can All Share Even if Our Unschooling Lives Aren’t Picture-Perfect
When we’re posting photos or writing stories or talking about unschooling directly with our family and friends, do we ever stop and wonder if…
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…
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 thoughts and ideas and try things out… I was battling with my kids for a while. They kept saying, ‘Why…
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?…
Unschooling and Connections: How Learning Is All About Creating a Web of Understanding
When I finished my university degree, I threw all my botany and biochemistry lecture notes and books into the garbage bin with relief. And I said, “No one will ever make me learn anything ever again!” I have a science degree, which was presented to me while I was wearing a fancy gown with a mortar board on my head.…