Passing on Our Fears to Our Kids
How do you feel when your children try things out in public with everybody looking on? Do you admire their courage and say, “Have a go!” Or do you worry they’ll fail? When my kids were much younger, we made…
What if Adding Joy to Your Days Was Simple and Inexpensive?
When I ask my husband, Andy, what he wants to do to celebrate his birthday, he replies, "Let's go on a picnic." It's winter. An icy wind has been blowing for days. It's not ideal picnic weather, but does that…
All About Strewing
I have a few strewing stories in my blog’s archive, and I’d like to include a couple of them in my unschooling book. Maybe Time for Some Strewing and What to Do When Strewing is Rejected would be appropriate choices. Have you…
Being Unschool Superheroes Who Save the World
A few days ago, it was my husband Andy’s birthday and our children gave him a lot of superhero-themed gifts: an Iron Man t-shirt, the original Hulk DVD and matching socks, a Captain America shirt and a Superman towel. Perfect…
An Impossible Adventure
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
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 walk?” She does but she can’t resist playing the same game every day. The same. Nearly every day, at the…
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 the mountain. We drove past the lookout where we filmed the song How Great Thou Art, and down a rutted…
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 were up early so we could film a new music video for my daughter Imogen. At 6.30 am, we were…
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.” We’re just going to enjoy seeing things from different families’ perspectives. So will you write about your day? I could…
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 Imogen is going to fulfil her dream of becoming a successful online musician!) but for me, that’s not the most…
Is Play Important for Both Adults and Children?
“Do you remember when we used to pretend the baby bath was a boat?” asks my daughter Imogen. “We used to climb into it, and then try and move it over the ground using sticks.” Her eyes glow. “That was the best game!” It was just as well I never needed that bath. I preferred washing the baby in the laundry sink. “Do you remember when we used to build cubby houses under the pine trees?” asks sister Charlotte. “Oh…
Helping a Child Discover Her Talents
If a child has a talent won’t it just appear without any encouragement? If you’re meant to be an artist, it will be very evident. The same with being a writer or a musician or even a fireman. Surely, a talent can’t stay hidden? Or maybe it can. When I was growing up, I didn’t think I had any talents. I was an unremarkable child. I was rather ordinary. I used to dream about being someone special without realising that…
It’s Not a Periscope 4: Morning Tea and Library Books
Every day at 10 am we drop everything and have morning tea. But we don’t always drink tea. Sometimes we have coffee or hot chocolate or even a cold drink. Confusing? If you have a morning tea custom, you’ll understand! Today I’m inviting you to visit me for morning tea. You don’t need to bring anything to eat. Sophie has made some of her special sugar-free chocolate cakes. Will I make tea or coffee? Will it be real coffee or…
Challenging Parents to Get Involved with Kids’ Passions
A while ago, Sophie challenged me to do a 100 squat challenge. And recently, I challenged Sophie. “I have a new idea,” I told…
Respecting Kids and Christmas Presents
Does having a simple Christmas sound good? It does to me. This year, like last year and the one before, I wanted to announce…
Fan Mail and Lots of Unschooling Thoughts
This morning I felt very discouraged. Perhaps it was the result of being overtired. I don’t know. It’s strange how grey the world looks…
Unschooling: Trust, Autonomy, and The Realities of Learning
The Ladies are Fixing the World again! Cecilie, Sandra and I are discussing the words ‘self-regulation’ and ‘limits’. When we say, “I’ve let go of control, and now I’m waiting for my child to learn how to regulate his time playing video games (for example),” do we have expectations about what that regulation should look like? Do we want…
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…
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…
Christian Unschooling: Are Desires Important?
Do you have great desires? Are there things you want to do with your life? Maybe you know in a vague kind of way that you need to do something, but you don’t know what you should do. Or perhaps your desires don’t feel important. When I was a child, I had desires, but they came to nothing. Other people…
Speed Angel Joy
I am sitting by the lake watching four girls scooting along the path. They are the Speed Angel Sisters and they are fast! Every now and then the girls veer off onto the grass and come to a sudden halt: a pedestrian is approaching. Now the speedway is clear again, and strong legs start pushing, wheels are revolving, hair…