How to Make Evernote Unschool Records Look Impressive
Every two years, an Authorised Person (AP) from the Education Department comes to visit our family as part of our homeschool registration process. We have to show her what we’ve been doing. We have to prove to her that my girls are fulfilling the necessary registration requirements. Last time our AP came to see us, I presented her with our…
What We Need to Film Imogen’s Music Videos
The evening before a music video shoot day, I say to my girls, “Have we got everything ready? Are the camera cards empty? Have we charged the batteries?” We find all our equipment and pile it by the front door. The next morning, we gather it together as we head out into the dark, shortly before sunrise. We’ve got…
A Triple Celebration
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Cold Piano Fingers
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Waiting
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Telling the Same Story in a New Way
It’s 3.30 pm. “I’m taking Nora for a walk,” I say, and my daughter Sophie replies, “I’ll come with you.” We slip our feet into our shoes and shrug on our coats before sliding open the outside door. Our dog Nora sees us. She grins before running into the bushes. “Come on, Nora! Don’t you want to go for a…
Dreams
It’s a cool but sunny Sunday afternoon. Despite the cold, I’m warm. I have two blankets and a cat upon my knee. My daughter Sophie shares the family room with me. She’s been editing big sister Imogen’s latest music video. We filmed it last Friday morning. Just before 6 am on the last day of the week, we headed up…
Reassessing
It’s the first day of the official school holidays so my husband Andy is home from school for two weeks. He’s looking forward to resting after his busy term teaching. He got his holiday off to a good start by sleeping in a little later than normal. But the girls and I didn’t linger in bed this morning. No, we…
Another Typical Unschooling Day
A couple of weeks ago, I emailed the subscribers of my unschooling newsletter with a question: … what do you think about a ‘typical unschooling day’ feature? Would it be interesting to read about each other’s days? Of course, we’re not going to judge one another. We won’t say such things as, “That’s not my idea of an unschooly day.”…
Unschooling Siblings Working Together
My daughter Imogen’s latest music video features her three younger siblings, Charlotte, Sophie, and Gemma-Rose. The four girls sing the Enya song, Wild Child. When I watch this video, it’s not the singing that I enjoy the most. I’m not thinking, “Oh wow! Aren’t my girls talented?” Yes, the singing is okay (and I guess it needs to be if…
Why Parents Should Help with the Family Chores
When I was at school, my friend Beatrix never had to do any chores. She didn’t have to wash dishes, clean bathrooms, or sweep floors. I wonder if she had to clean her bedroom. Beatrix’s mother said that once she was grown up and had…
Radical Unschooling
Are you thinking about radical unschooling? Maybe you see the benefits of educational unschooling and now you’re thinking about letting unschooling spill over into all aspects of life. What do you do next? Perhaps you say to your kids, “We’re going to try radical unschooling.…
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…
Unschool Reading: A Slow Learner
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was helping my daughter Gemma-Rose learn to read. She’d choose a book and we’d sit side-by-side…
Why Do Some Children Love Writing?
The other day, Sophie appeared with a huge smile on her face. “I’ve written a blog post,” she announced, and then added, “I wrote…
Being Honest: Talking about Mistakes and Perfection
Some things are absolutely perfect, like our recent holiday to Jenolan Caves. As I look at the photos, I smile. I know I’ll enjoy…
My Unschool Unplanning Strewing Notebook
How can we unschool and, at the same time, be registered homeschoolers? What if our kids have to follow the school syllabus in order…
Encouraging Kids to Say Thank You
How do we encourage our younger children to say thank you? Do they need only our good example to copy? Is learning good manners…
Unschooling During a Crisis
Are there some things you hate doing? We don’t like gardening. Usually, we let our garden take care of itself. That’s why our hedges…
Wanting to be the Star and Other Stories
So I’m sitting here on a Monday afternoon thinking about my recent lack of blog posts. Should I write something? Have I got anything…
Great Australian Historical Fiction
There was great excitement yesterday when the postman arrived with a book shaped parcel. Inside was a second-hand copy of Jamberoo Road by Eleanor…
Locked Out, Locked In, and Lies
This afternoon, I was poking about on an old blog of mine, reading old stories and remembering when my children were much younger. Locked…
A Podcast Transcript: Passing On Our Values and Beliefs to Our Children
This post is a transcript of part of my podcast, Episode 102: Sharing Our Values and Beliefs With Our Unschooled Children. I edited my…