From Unschooling to Successful University Learning
A couple of days ago, Imogen logged into her Open Universities account to check some details she needed for her youth allowance application. She checked her mail while online and received a nice surprise. “Hey! I got a Distinction for that last university unit I did.” “But you finished that unit ages ago. Why didn’t you look at the results sooner?”…
Breeding like Mice
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Chess, Sudoku and Lazy Summer Days
I haven’t thought much about unschooling, records books, my blog… in a long time. We’ve been far too busy enjoying lots of lazy hot summer days. But I know a time will come when we will be ready for new challenges. After a few weeks of rest, we will want to do more than potter idly through our days. We…
Encouragement from a Super-Hero Sister
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
My Unschoolers’ End-of-the-Year Reports
My husband Andy is a primary school teacher, and twice a year he has to write school reports for all his children. For a couple of weeks, we see nothing of him except his back, as he sits in front of his computer, trying to condense six months’ learning and progress for each child into a limited number of characters.…
When Will I Use All This Maths, Mum?
My older children all learnt maths in a formal manner, using a text book course. All three started the advanced maths course and all three dropped out partway through, complaining they hated it and were no good at maths.“When are we ever going to use all this maths, Mum?”“But you have to do maths!” I insisted. Isn’t it an essential of education?…
What to Do When Strewing is Rejected
Recently I found all kinds of things to strew in front of Charlotte. I came across a website and DVD series that has an episode about a man who settled on the uninhabited Cocos Islands, later making himself king over the workers of his coconut plantation. His family ruled for 150 years before Australia brought that rule to an end.…
Encouraging Kids to Become Independent Learners
Many years ago, at a homeschooling picnic, I met a family who had a baby a little less than a year old. I watched her as we sat on a picnic rug together, eating our sandwiches. The little girl reached for a knife. It was rather big and sharp. I looked at the mother and father, expecting them to take…
A Real Maths Learning Moment
Sometimes real life maths turns up when I least expect it. Maths learning moments suddenly appear. And if I take advantage of these moments, some wonderful real maths learning can happen… Yesterday the girls and I were watching art history videos on the Kahn Academy website. Before we moved off the site, I did a bit of exploring and found…
Giving a Child Unasked-For Help
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Getting Kids to Help with the Chores
Should parents expect kids to help with the chores? How do we encourage kids to have a generous attitude and want to be part of the family team, helping with the work? Here’s a simple suggestion that doesn’t involve chore charts, games, rewards, punishments or…
Chores and Kids: What if We Said, “Yes”?
My most popular post ever is Getting Kids to Help With the Chores. After publishing it, readers flocked over to see what I’d written. Had I discovered the secret to having helpful and considerate children? Some readers were very skeptical when they read my words:…
How Ticking Off Boxes Can Be a Waste of Time
Do you ever tick off boxes? When we have a lot of things to do, making a list, and then ticking off the items…
The Fear of Failing
Last Wednesday morning, just after sunrise, we headed into the bush to record another music video for Imogen. “What song are you singing today,…
Having the Confidence to Ignore the Opinions of Others
Gemma-Rose is eight years old, and she still can’t tell the time. Well, that’s not quite true. If I put my watch in front…
A Gradual Approach to Unschooling
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
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?…
Will All Unschoolers Do Amazing Things?
Will all unschoolers do amazing things? If you do some googling, you’ll find many stories of young unschoolers doing extraordinary things. You might think…
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…
Do Our Kids Know Themselves Better Than We Know Them?
As parents, we might think we know what’s best for our kids. We’re the adults. We’re older. We have experience. But my daughter Sophie…
Do My Unschoolers Mind Being Different?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Christian Unschooling: Should We Encourage Our Kids to Seek Security?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Disentangling Myself from the Internet
I’m lying in bed. Thoughts are running laps inside my head. Of course, I can’t sleep. I wonder if I should get up and…