The Saturday Unschool Examen
Every Saturday, while my husband, youngest daughter and dogs are still in bed, I sit on the living room sofa, journal on my knee, scrawny cat by my side, and by the light of a lamp in the pre-dawn dark,…
The Unschool Challenge: Writing an End-of-the-Year Review
The changeover of the years is an excellent time to examine our lives, isn't it? As Socrates said, An unexamined life is not worth living. Yes, we should think about the year that's just ended. What did we learn? How…
How Do Kids Learn to Be Generous?
On Monday, my daughter Imogen and I were the filling in a truck sandwich as we drove from our quiet village, along the busy motorway, through the heavy rain, to the city shops. I wanted to buy some white sneakers,…
How to Write a Million Unschool Love Stories
I used to think the defining word of unschooling was freedom. Freedom attracted me. I wanted to be free to do whatever I liked. I wanted to get up each day and do anything or nothing at all. But I…
From Unschooling to University
My 17-year-old daughter, Charlotte, is now a university student. It’s hard to believe. When did she grow up? Charlotte is studying her first unit through Open Universities. It’s part of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Design. She may go on to complete the whole degree. Or she may not. She’ll see. There’s no hurry. One unit at a time. “So how was your first week as a uni student?” I asked her last Friday. “Okay,” she replied. “I…
Real Life Maths Resources: Some Thoughts and Links
I often go looking for real life maths resources to strew under the noses of my girls. Yes, I like to tempt them with different maths experiences, hoping they’ll think, “Wow! Maths is so interesting, and useful as well!” So when I have a few free minutes I can often be found at my computer, googling the words ‘real life maths’ or even ‘real world maths’. And as soon as I hit ‘search’, pages of resources appear on my screen.…
Preparing Our Kids for an Unknown Future: Can We Do It?
The other day I bumped into Jane Fonda after not having seen her for many years. There she was in my Facebook feed, 70-something-years old and still looking rather good. Jane and I are old friends though, of course, she’s not aware of this. She doesn’t know she spent many a sweaty hour with me, years ago, as I worked my leotard-clad body hard. I’d stretch and bounce and breathe fast, as I listened carefully to her aerobic instructions. “Make…
When Excitement for Learning Appears to Disappear
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Creativity: Why Classical Music Isn’t Enough
I had an idea: “Hey, Imogen, would you like to record a podcast with me? We could discuss all those wild unschooling thoughts that keep bubbling up inside of us.” My 20-year-old daughter nodded, and asked, “What shall we talk about for our first episode?” “How about creativity?” “Sure!” So I made a list of questions we could explore. We set up our microphone. I pressed the ‘record’ button, and Imogen said, “You’re listening to the Wild Inside podcast!” Amongst…
What I Think Unschooling is All About: the Podcast
I’ve been having trouble finding the right words to express the ideas swirling around inside my head. But instead of worrying about it, I’ve been heading out the door to run along the sandstone tracks that weave their way through our local bush. I’ve also been reading my library books, and knitting some of Gemma-Rose’s hooded cape. I’ve even watched a movie with my girls. Yes, I’ve been doing some different things instead of thinking about words, even though I…
Misconceptions: Unschooling Children are Self-Centred and Inconsiderate
Imagine giving children the freedom to choose. What if they are allowed to follow their own interests, and do whatever they like? What if there are no rules? Perhaps this sounds like a recipe for disaster. Will it produce self-centred and inconsiderate children? A lot of people believe it will. And maybe they’re right. We’ve all heard of children who run wild as soon as they realise they no longer have to answer to anyone. If we say to our…
Misconceptions: Unschooling Children Will Choose Not to Do Difficult Things
I often run down the main fire trail that winds its way through our local bush. The track descends gently at first, but then drops away so steeply I have to take care not to lose my footing. After I have descended 57 metres from my starting elevation, I turn around, ready to make the return journey. It doesn’t take long for the muscles in my legs to start burning as I climb back up the rock-strewn sandstone track. When…
My Fridge Adventure
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Why This Unschool Mother Doesn’t Care
He who doesn’t care has more power. I heard those words somewhere, scribbled them into my journal, and then pondered them. Are they true?…
Helping Kids When Their Interests Are Different to Ours
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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 I said, “No one will ever make me learn anything ever again!” I have a science degree, which was presented to me while I was wearing a fancy gown with a mortar board on my head.…
Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Curiosity, Flexibility, and Trust
I’m a Lady Fixing the World! Cecilie Conrad kindly invited me to join her and Sandra Dodd for Season 2 of her podcastThe Ladies Fixing the World. We recorded our first unschooling conversation together in November 2024 before life got extra-busy with Christmas, and it has just gone live! The audio version. Here’s the audio version: You can also listen…
Unschooling: Coping With the Unexpected
I used to think I could control my life. To achieve a perfect life, all I had to do was organise everything well, including my kids. What is a perfect life? My perfect life vision included a graduated row of good-looking and well-behaved children. I wanted people to admire my family and home, saying, “Sue is such a good mother!…