About Me, About Podcasts, About Adventures!
I have made 13 podcasts. I never expected to make that many, and I never expected to have any listeners other than a few and encouraging friends. I guess that’s why I never introduced myself properly when I first became a podcaster. There didn’t seem to be any need to do that. My friends already know me. No explanations were…
A Baby’s Birth and Death, and Christmas (Again!)
It was our son Thomas’ birthday on Sunday. The next day was his death day. We’ve been remembering these two days for the last 15 years. Yes, Thomas would have been 15 if he hadn’t died as a baby. I’ve been thinking about that. We’d have had another teenager in the family. Thomas probably would have been far taller than me by…
Teenagers, Rules and Rebellion
“My daughter will be 13 soon,” says a mother. She groans: “There’s trouble ahead!” The other mothers nod in sympathy. Yes, life is about to get very difficult. It always does when there’s a teenager in the family. But are teenagers really trouble? I discuss this question with my own teenage daughters, Imogen, Charlotte and Sophie, in this week’s podcast.…
Should a Child Be Given the Freedom to Choose?
If children are given the freedom to do whatever they want, will they choose to do nothing at all?… Imogen, would you like to discuss this question with me, in this week’s podcast?” My nearly 20-year-old daughter said, “Okay!”, so I grabbed my notebook and we began brainstorming points we could talk about. Soon we had a list of additional…
Mothers, Unschooling and a Lazy Way of Life
Is unschooling a lazy way of life? Do mothers choose to unschool because they can’t be bothered putting together a proper homeschool program for their children’s education? Perhaps unschooling mothers don’t actually do much in a day. My daughter Imogen and I discussed these questions in today’s podcast. Along the way, we also talked about how we can encourage a…
How We Unschool Despite Strict Homeschool Regulations
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we didn’t have to answer to anyone and could unschool our children with total freedom? I guess some people are fortunate to be able to do this. But we’re not. In our state of Australia, if we want to homeschool, we have to fulfil certain requirements. Our children are supposed to follow the same syllabus…
Why Picnics are Important
Many years ago, parenting and homeschooling could sometimes seem rather overwhelming, Some days my children refused to do what I asked. Or everyone needed me at exactly the same moment. Or I felt so tired I didn’t want to do anything at all. It sometimes became too much and I wanted to run away. “I’ve had enough!” I’d yell before…
Maths and Other Wild and Yummy Stories
We’ve just had a very wild week. A week ago, we thought we’d arrived at summer. But by Tuesday we’d been thrown back to winter. The temperature plummeted, the rain fell and the wind howled. On Wednesday morning we woke up to find part of our backyard fence lying splat on the ground. Resurrecting the fence, before Nora our dog…
Beginnings and Endings and a Simple Christmas
We’ve had a lot of beginnings recently. Last week, the new school term began, and Andy, my school teacher husband, went back to work. On that same day, my daughter Charlotte celebrated her birthday. She began the 18th year of her life. And the girls have begun a new project which they’re hoping will earn them a little pocket money.…
Approaching Classic Novels the Other Way Around
“What are you reading?” I ask my ten year old daughter, Gemma-Rose. She looks up from her Kindle and says, “Bleak House.” I remember reading this Charles Dickens book a couple of years ago. It took me a long time to finish it. I had to return to the beginning a couple of times and start over again, because I…
Interviewing Sophie (13), an Unschooling Teenager
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
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…
Real Life Family Unschool Maths
A few years ago, when my daughter Sophie was 10, she started to say, “I’m no good at maths. I hate it!” At the…
A Doctor’s Waiting Room Education
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Bob Blogosphere Discovers Imogen Elvis
The phone rings. “Hello?” “Sue!” A deep smooth voice from the past hits my ear. “Bob!” It’s Bob Blogosphere, the most powerful man in the…
What is Unschooling? A Transcript
Hayley from the blog Taking a kinder path transcribed my video What is Unschooling? allowing me to turn that video into a blog post. I’ve made…
An End of the Year Unschooling Challenge
At the end of 2020, which was a very tough year, I wrote the following unschooling challenge. 2021 turned out to be a difficult…
Planning the Next Term’s School Work in Half an Hour
Andy is sitting hunched over his computer. He has been there on and off for the past fortnight. Only one more week until the…
Choosing Not to Worry About What Other People Might Think
When you’re looking for photos of yourself to post on your blog or Facebook page, do you ever reject any? And if you do,…
The Inflated Can of Baked Beans
“Do you know what inflation is?” I ask. My youngest daughters Sophie and Gemma-Rose look at me with blank faces. “I could tell you…
Wanted: Passionate Unschoolers
Wanted: Parents who are passionate about sharing unschooling with the world. Do you like writing and speaking? Are you willing to tell some family…
Some Strange and Interesting Bookish Questions
If you could have only half of a book, would you prefer the first half or the second one? My daughter Imogen and I…