Yikes! Do They Know About Filtration?

I was chatting to a friend on the phone the other morning. She was telling me about a dialogue her daughter is writing as an English exercise. “One of the speakers is a professor and he is talking about filtration.…

Listening

Gemma-Rose’s turn to read. My turn to listen. When I was an eleven-year-old student, our teacher got out her tape recorder and played us a current affairs radio program. It was a hot summer’s afternoon, late in the day, and I…

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The Problem With Being Too Nice

Are you too nice? I am. I want to help everyone. Support and encouragement are my middle names. Send me an email and I’ll spend hours answering it. Write me a comment and I’ll always reply. Ask for some mentoring and I’ll do my best even though you tell me you can’t pay. I write a book. And another. Then I decide I need to offer something extra. How about a book club? I pay for blog and podcast hosting…

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Start Unschooling

Have you ever thought about unschooling but have hesitated? Maybe you haven’t quite been able to do it. What if things don’t go well? What if your kids get ‘behind’ while you’re experimenting? Will you regret your decision to give unschooling a go? Even though I think there’s no reason to be concerned – unschooling is a fantastic way to learn! – I do understand why you might be worried. It’s hard to try something new, isn’t? It’s difficult to…

Could This Be Your Best Unschooling Year Ever?

You can find the following words on the back cover of my unschooling book, Curious Unschoolers: Have you ever wondered how unschooling works? What do unschoolers do all day? Perhaps they don’t do much at all? Or do unschoolers live amazing lives full of love and learning? In Curious Unschoolers, Sue Elvis discusses all aspects of unschooling including starting unschooling, passions and interests, trust, technology and screen time, maths, reading, writing, homeschool registration, responding to critics, difficult days and much…

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 parent’s most important task is to teach a child about love. Intelligence and academic achievements are highly regarded by the world. And I value them too. Our intelligence was given to us by God. But using our intelligence without the…

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…
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My Unschooling Books

Parents and Kids

The Ladies Fixing the World

Is It Working? Wrestling with Doubt in Unschooling

A grey day arrives that completely blots out the memory of all the preceding good days. We feel overwhelmed, tired, worried and lost. We wonder why we ever decided to unschool. A puddle of doubt about unschooling forms around us. What do we do? Cecilie, Sandra and I are discussing unschooling doubts and sharing our experiences in episode 10 of…

Resources for Unschoolers

Strolling towards the shopping centre, I spy an older man with three hand-reared brightly coloured parrots. A few wide-eyed kids are gathered around him, and as I watch, he transfers a parrot to one of their shoulders, where it bounces lightly upon its feet, nuzzling a little ear. The child grins, hardly daring to move. The children have questions which…

Christian unschooling

Shall We Talk About Christian Unschooling?

I often get to the point where I feel I haven’t got anything more to say about unschooling. I wonder: is it time to move on? At the beginning of last year, I reached such a point. However, instead of thinking about moving away from unschooling, I proposed the idea of exploring unschooling from a different angle. Should we discuss…

Sharing the Catholic Faith With Our Kids

Maybe you’re thinking about unschooling. Letting children follow their own interests, and trusting they will learn all they need to know sounds great. But stop! Wait! What about religion? This is important. You think: “Can I just stand back and hope my children will want to learn about their faith? Doesn’t that sound a bit risky? What if they don’t…
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