An Answer to the Chores Problem
We’d all like our children to be considerate, hard working and happy to help others. We’d especially like them to be willing to help out with the chores. Maybe we also hope they’ll be generous, to go beyond what they have to do, to be…
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…
Making Children Learn What They Don’t Want to Know
We can’t force knowledge into children if they aren’t interested, though it might appear we can. For, of course, children learn things they don’t…
What Do Children Need to Learn?
Here’s another younger unschooler story. My daughter Gemma-Rose was 8 when I wrote this post. Being the youngest child in the family, Gemma-Rose often…
Are You an Unschooling Multipotentialite?
Are you an unschooling multipotentialite? If someone had asked me that question a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t have had an answer. I’d…
Getting on Track: Introducing Janelle and Her Unschool Story
I’m delighted to welcome Janelle and her family to my blog! After sending out a plea for help, Janelle contacted me, saying: I believe…
Younger Unschoolers: What About Technology and Screen Time?
When I announced that I was going to write about younger unschoolers, a friend said, “I’d love to read about little kids and…
Some Bits and Pieces…
The other day I was looking at a letter Gemma-Rose had written to a friend. It was long and detailed and her spelling was…
A Bit of Murder in Our Typical Unschooling Day
“Miss Scarlett did it in the conservatory with the dagger,” Gemma-Rose announces to her older sisters. Miss Scarlett, the conservatory and the dagger: Those…
Why I’m Not a Good Homeschooling Teacher
Everyone thinks I homeschool my fourteen-year-old daughter, Charlotte. I don’t. She homeschools herself. I try to help her: “Charlotte, I have a new book…
Gemma-Rose (9) Talks about Novel Writing
The other evening Gemma-Rose asked me if I’d like to listen to another chapter of the NaNoWriMo novel she is currently writing. I settled…
Trying to Be a Fun Mum
When my first two children were very small I had a best friend called Mellie. We got on extremely well despite being very different.…
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…