My Maths-Magician Helps Out
We are going on holiday, our first holiday in years and the girls are very excited. I am very excited too! We have a cottage booked opposite the lake, not far from the beach. A couple of weeks ago we…
A Successful Evernote Homeschool Registration Visit
If you listened to last week’s podcast you’ll know I recently had to apply for another period of homeschool registration for my girls. You’ll also know I promised to report back when the visit was over. Yesterday Sophie asked, “What…
Grateful
It’s Father’s Day. We head to the car with a picnic basket. We’re going to the river. “I hope we get a picnic table,” I say. “Maybe everyone will be celebrating Father’s Day at the river.” But they’re not. When…
Unschool: Greater Things
She was tempted to aim low, afraid to risk failure, but she knew she shouldn’t settle for ordinary. More was expected. So she gathered her courage, did what she should, and life got exciting. And she changed. How often do…
Learning from My Daughter and Other Unschool Stories
Once upon a time, I knew more than Sophie when it came to our shared passions. But I have to admit, these days, her knowledge far exceeds mine. Now I’m learning from my daughter. “How did you make that blog…
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 the memories of that wonderful time again and again. But some things are far from perfect. Some memories make me wince. I’d rather not think about certain times in the past. I don’t want to remember I was once called the Dragon Mother. Oh yes, once upon a time I could breathe fire and send everyone…
An Australian Bush Birthday and Bush Books
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
(More) Apologies
I once wrote a blog post called Apologies. Loads of people stopped by to read it. Perhaps they wondered, “What did Sue do? Did she make a huge mistake? What is she apologising for?” Actually, that post didn’t deserve all the attention it received. The only mistake I’d made was to publish the wrong post on the wrong day, during the annual A – Z blogging challenge. I got into a bit of a muddle and published my X post…
Protecting Children from Outside Influences
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My Head is Overflowing with Ideas, Music and Lots of Questions!
“Come and look at my new video!” I shout and my children come running. I always get so excited when I create something new. I have to share with someone… immediately. It’s just as well my children are willing to look at my latest video or listen to my just-finished podcast. They’re great. They say all the right things. They’re very encouraging. I guess that’s what family is all about. Yesterday, I got excited about a new music discovery. “Come…
Keeping Teenagers Safe from the Dangers of the World
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Resolutions, Reading, Writing, and Coarse Language
I have a lot of questions… What happens when we remain open to new experiences? Do I have any good tips for anyone who has resolved to get fit? What has running got to do with encouraging children to write? Are there advantages to reading many books, on the same subject, by different authors? Can I recommend some interesting novels to read? What do I mean by the words ‘multi-directional learning’? Why am I feeling very excited about writing? Can…
Under the Spell of the Australian Bush: Books, a Movie, a Walk
My daughter Sophie gave me a beautiful pair of silver and pearl dangly earrings. I’ve worn them every day since Christmas. I was wearing them, together with a long skirt, (and a spray of perfume), when we headed off into the bush, a few days ago, for a walk. “Let’s buy ice creams and then stroll around the lake,” I suggested. No need to change into shorts and tough bush trail shoes. No need to remove dangly earrings. Not for…
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…
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…
Unschooling: Impressing Other People
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Resources for Unschoolers
Strolling towards the shopping centre, I spy an older man with three hand-reared brightly coloured parrots. A few wide-eyed kids are gathered around him, and as I watch, he transfers a parrot to one of their shoulders, where it bounces lightly upon its feet, nuzzling a little ear. The child grins, hardly daring to move. The children have questions which…
How Unschooling Doesn’t Guarantee a Fairytale Life
Yesterday evening, like all Sunday evenings, my kids who live locally came to dinner. Six of us gathered around our dining room table, savouring a meal cooked by my husband while enjoying the usual end-of-the-week lively catch-up conversation. There was a time when we dreamed that all our children would buy houses on the same street as our family home.…
Unschooling Isn’t Freedom Gone Wild: Why Choices Matter More Than Ideals
My husband Andy returned to work today after two weeks at home. Holiday time is over. We’ve now moved into term time. A whole term of possibility days stretches before me. I’m free to do whatever I like with my time while Andy is at school. My eyes light up with delight. But then I remember there are many…
Should We Encourage Our Kids to Follow Their Dreams?
What did you want to be when you were a child? I wanted to be a writer. I had a cardboard box inside my wardrobe where I stored my scribbled stories about princesses, dragons and faraway kingdoms. At night, in bed, before dropping off to sleep, I’d think up stories about large happy families who were a lot like the…
The ‘Risky’ Business of Trusting Children
Trusting children to make their own choices sounds risky enough when it applies only to education, but what if you extend this trust to other areas of life? Will children decide they don’t want to go to Mass or eat healthy food? Perhaps they will want to watch inappropriate movies or play computer games all day. Some parents decide they…