Unschooling Children, a School Teacher Father, and Tea
“What does your husband think about you unschooling your children?” I have been asked this question quite a few times. I guess people are interested in the answer because my husband Andy is a school teacher, as well as an unschooling father. “Would you like to chat with me about unschooling, being a school teacher and your involvement in our…
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 many page views at all. I thought, “Oh well, not many people are interested in…
Bare Foot Unschooling and Comfortable Shoes
Many years ago I fell in love with a pair of soft golden-brown leather moccasins. They were decorated with tassels, threaded with tiny glass beads. Those shoes were absolutely beautiful and as soon as I saw them in the shop, I wanted them. There was only one tiny problem: They were half a size too small. I soon convinced myself…
Unschool Writing, Essays, and a Few Panicky Moments!
My daughter Imogen has a passion for writing. “When did you start writing?” I ask. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing.” My second daughter was writing stories long before she knew how to form letters into words. It was no surprise to me when she announced she wanted to study writing at a tertiary level. 19-year-old Imogen is now in…
Are You a Proper Unschooler?
I used to worry about labelling our family as unschoolers. What if someone came along and said, “You’re not proper unschoolers”? Some people don’t like labels. Labels can certainly divide us. Someone could say,”You’re not unschoolers but we are.” That might make us feel excluded, even angry, if we think we belong. Sometimes it can seem safer to keep our…
Squishy? Living in the Unschooling Moment
I’m playing the writing game, the unschooling version. “Your word is squishy.” “Squishy?” Squishy and unschooling… what’s the connection? Think! Think! I know! In the garage is a plastic storage box, and at the bottom of that box is something very squishy. Little pudgy fingers loved to wrap themselves around it and squeeze. Big ones did too. When I first…
Exciting Times, Slow Times and Unschool Holidays
There is nothing more exciting than watching a child who is gripped by a passion. Early each morning, my 13 year old daughter Sophie knocks on my bedroom door. I invite her in and the first thing I notice is her huge smile. Her first words are always the same: “I’ve got so many things I want to do today.…
Unschooling Sausages
“I want to write a post for my unschooling blog,” I say, “but I don’t know what to write about.” “You could play the writing game,” suggests Sophie. “I’ll give you a word and then you can write a post about it.” “Okay,” I agree. “Sounds good. What’s my word?” “Sausage!” “Sausage?” I think about this for a moment and then…
Getting Older, Admitting One’s Age, Lines and Wrinkles!
I wonder if I am the only person who’s finding it difficult coming to terms with an ageing appearance.”A lot of women feel that way,” says Imogen. “I guess there wouldn’t be such a huge anti-wrinkle cream industry if everyone was satisfied with the way they look,” I observe. “And think how many people dye their hair,” adds my oldest-at-home…
A Camera, Photography Books and Playing the Ebay Game
Sophie has a dream: “I’d love to have a DSLR camera just like yours, Mum. I’d really like to take special photos with blurry backgrounds. I have a bit of money in the bank, but it’s not enough.” She sighs. “Cameras are so expensive.” I have an idea. It starts with a lot of loose change which we gather from…
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…
Maths, Chores, and Thanking Our Kids
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been living a quiet life. We haven’t done anything exciting. No music video shoots. No picnics by the lake. We haven’t even been running. The reason? We’ve all been unwell. It can be frustrating having to slow down,…
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…
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…
Motivated to Learn
Did you ever hear my physics story? When I was in grade 11, we moved house, and so I had to go to a…
When We Don’t Know What to Do
I’ve just updated my blog. I started at the first post I ever wrote and then worked my way through 14 years of stories,…
Letting Go of Control
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
How to Be Brave
The other day, I was thinking about bravery. What is being brave all about? Are we brave when we do something that might make…
Chatting with My Unschooled Author Daughter
It’s been a while, but I’m back with a new podcast episode! My author daughter Imogen is back too. In episode 205 of my…
Polish Language Problems
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Some Maths to Share on One of Those Tired Mornings
Last Friday morning, I had to take Imogen to an appointment. When I returned home, Sophie and Gemma-Rose were waiting for me, hoping I’d…
Does the World Need Unschooling?
Kids won’t work hard if you don’t make them. I was thinking about these words as I was getting ready for bed last night.…
Encouraging Children So They Get Excited About Learning
We never made a conscious decision to unschool. I didn’t wake up one morning and say, “Hey kids, let’s give unschooling a go.” No,…