English - Stories of an Unschooling Family

With So Much Freedom, Will an Unschooler Choose to be Lazy?

If a child is given the freedom to choose what she wants to do every day, isn’t there a risk she will choose to be lazy and not do anything at all?

Why Do Some Children Love Writing?

English·Unschooling

The other day, Sophie appeared with a huge smile on her face. “I’ve written a blog post,” she announced, and then added, “I wrote it your way. It’s like one of your

Giving a Child Unasked-For Help

English·Primary School·Unschooling

The other day, I went to the library with my older girls. Sophie and Gemma-Rose weren’t with us. I decided to choose a few books for my younger daughters, and when I

Some Bits and Pieces…

English·Maths·Primary School·Unschooling

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 almost perfect. “When did you learn to spell

How the Girls Are Going to Write Novels in Only One Month

English·Unschooling

The girls can’t wait. They’ve been planning for weeks. There’s only seven days to go…. until… NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. I heard about this yearly online event on

A Main Course of Reading Out Loud

Books·English·Unschooling

This morning we took a trip into town. While Imogen and Charlotte had piano lessons, the younger girls and I made the most of our waiting time, and did some grocery shopping.

Homeschooling Heidi

English·Primary School

“Can we have another chapter of Heidi, please Mum?” begs Sophie. It’s the third time I’ve been asked that question today. “If you make me a cup of coffee and get the book ready,

How Younger Siblings Learn by Listening In

English·High School·Primary School·Unschooling

On Sunday Father S began his homily: “In Hamlet, it says, ‘To thine own self be true’.” Gemma-Rose dug me in the side and whispered loudly, her eyes wide with excitement, “Hamlet!”

A Little Unobtrusive Help with Reading