Delights: An Unschooling Challenge

I‘ve experienced many dark days over the last couple of years. There have been lots of times when I’ve wanted to run away, but that hasn’t always been possible. Where can one go when no one is allowed to leave…

Do You Live in the Best Place in the World?

Two girls, a dog, and a mother. We’re strolling down the middle of the road under the midday sun, heading for the bush. A few minutes later, dog by my side, I’m running over the red sandstone and under the…

Unschool Reading: A Slow Learner

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was helping my daughter Gemma-Rose learn to read. She’d choose a book and we’d sit side-by-side on the sofa and we’d enjoy the story together. Actually, I don’t know if ‘enjoy’ is…

The Math Myth: How Do Unschooled Kids Learn Math?

There are many unschool maths questions. Here are just a few of them: Can kids really learn maths without formal instruction? What does unschooling maths look like? Can we strew unschool maths? Is it possible for registered homeschoolers to unschool…

Latest

The 20 Minute Challenge

I have 20 minutes before dinner. Can I write a blog post in 20 minutes? I don’t think I can. Impossible! But I shall give it a go. Gemma-Rose is sitting next to me. She’s also got a computer on her lap. “What are you doing, Gemma-Rose?” “Writing.” Writing again? Doesn’t she ever do anything else? “All this writing… don’t you want to play a computer game or watch TV?” No, she doesn’t. She’s obsessed. I guess I am too.…

How to Have an Unschool Adventure, No Camper Van Needed!

Wouldn’t you like to go on an unschool adventure, maybe climb into a camper van and travel the world doing amazing things? My girls want to go on an adventure, but we don’t have a camper van. “Can we go to the beach on my birthday?” asks Sophie. The beach? We hardly ever go to the beach. Would it be an adventure if we spent a day at the beach? “But what if it rains on your birthday?” I ask.…

Five Minutes on Friday: What is Unschooling?

I had an idea. Another one. Is it a good idea? I don’t know! Maybe I can tell you about it… I’ve been pondering the idea of recording a series of videos on basic unschooling topics, each one lasting about 5 minutes. I could call the series, Five Minutes on Friday. I‘d post one a week every Monday. Just joking!  I would post them on Fridays, of course. (I’m feeling silly, maybe because it’s the end of the week and…

Unschooling, Strewing and Unplanning

The other night I turned off my computer for the day, and settled down with my family to watch a movie… at least I tried to watch. My mind kept straying from Beauty and the Beast to Evernote. Then just as the beast demanded Belle join him for dinner, I had this ‘great’ idea’. Great? I don’t know what you’ll think of it, but it made me feel excited. I couldn’t wait to try it out. I reached for my…

A Perfect Method for Keeping Unschooling Records

Last term, this old mother learnt a new trick. After using the same method (my old exercise book) for many years, to record my girls’ learning activities for registration purposes, I actually considered a new method. And I liked it. I discovered Evernote! I mentioned this program in my last video. I said, “I think Evernote’s the perfect record keeping method for unschooling.” That’s a big claim, I know. You might already have a system you think is pretty good. But if you…

Unschooling and Trust

I have been struggling with this post for a while now, and wondering why I’m having so much trouble finding the right words. And I have decided it’s the language. I want to write a story from a personal point of view like I normally do. And I can’t. We had such a gradual transition to unschooling, I didn’t really face the issues I want to write about. So why write about them? Shouldn’t I leave this topic to someone…

Watching TV, Playing on the Computer, Doing Nothing Much at All

Continuing our ‘transition from homeschooling to unschooling’ discussion… So all of a sudden there are no homeschooling plans to follow. You aren’t saying, “This is what I want you to do today.” You’re hoping your children will be eager to follow their own noses when it comes to learning. You’ve imagined them using their new freedom to pursue impressive projects. Other unschoolers are doing wonderful things. You’re excited because soon your kids will be doing amazing things too. But they…
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My Unschooling Books

Parents and Kids

What Is Unschooling?

What is unschooling? I’ve been blogging about unschooling for over 5 years now. You’d think I would already have written a post with this…

The Ladies Fixing the World

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…

Christian unschooling

When Mothering Is Not Enough

Should our kids be our whole world? Should we dedicate all our time and effort to raising the most precious people in our lives? Or is it okay to combine motherhood with our own interests? Could there be advantages in using our gifts and pursuing the things that bring us joy not only for us but also for our kids?…

Christian Unschooling: the Foremost Task of a Parent

A few days ago, in my Stories of an Unschooling Family community, I posted these thoughts: A parent does her best to give her child a good education but should concentrating on academic success be her main focus? Perhaps a parent’s most important task is to teach a child about love. Intelligence and academic achievements are highly regarded by the…
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