education

124: Does Unschooling Work?

This week, I'm discussing the question Does Unschooling Work? The answer, of course, depends on what we mean by the word 'work'.
I'm also talking about:
 
My fabulous Patreon patrons and the work I hope to do with their help
Camp NaNoWriMo
How kids learn new things when they have a need
How younger siblings think they are just as capable as their older siblings
How sorting out a problem isn't always as difficult as it seems
A new podcast idea which involves collaborating with other unschoolers
 
Show Notes
 
Patreon
My Patreon page
 
My Instagram Account
stories_ofan_unschooling family
 
My Unschooling Newsletter
 
Blog posts
Does the World Needs Unschooling?
Are We Incomplete Without Our Passions and Interests?
 
Youtube channels
Sue Elvis
Imogen Elvis
Sophie Elvis
 
Videos
What is Unschooling?
Mission: Surviving Holy Week
 
Music
Podington Bear's Sound of Picture
 
Writing
'NaNoWriMo
Camp NaNoWriMo
4theWords
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling. Maybe you'd also like to support my work by becoming a patron!
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Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.
 
 

123: Epic Plans for My Podcast and Blog (and Other Things)

This week,
I'm sharing my new BIG idea. I'm joining Patreon! I hope you will join me as I set out on this next chapter of my unschooling adventure.
 
I'm also talking about:
The need for us to take risks
How the world needs unschooling
Instagram
How we shouldn't lose our playful spirit as we grow older
How Sophie filmed a Passion Play on Good Friday
And other Easter news
 
Show Notes
 
Patreon
My Patreon Page
Video: Join Me On My Patreon Adventure
 
My Instagram Account
stories_ofan_unschooling family
 
Blog post
Does the World Needs Unschooling?
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling. Maybe you'd also like to support my work by becoming a patron!
.
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

122: My Unschooling Teenagers' Typical Days

This week, I'm sharing my teenagers' typical unschooling days. I'm discussing the following questions:
 
Is there such a thing as a typical unschooling day?
Can we have too many resources? Do our kids sometimes get overwhelmed by too many possibilities?
Are documentaries and lifestyle TV series a good source of learning adventures?
What TV series have Gemma-Rose and I been enjoying recently?
Why did I initially reject this episode?
 
Show Notes
 
Podcast
Episode 110: An Interview with a Teenage Radical Unschooler
 
Sophie's Youtube Channel
Sophie Elvis
 
Sophie's Vlog Series
A Week in the Life of
 
Videos
Back in Time for Dinner
Further Back in Time for Dinner
Back in Time for the Weekend
The Secrets of Your Food
The Big Family Cooking Showdown
 
Website
Open Learn: Free learning from the Open University
 
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling
.
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

120: Unschooling and University: Learning from Our Own Experiences

This week, I'm sharing my husband Andy's and my university experiences, and what we learnt from them:
 
The Opportunity to Discover, the Freedom to Learn
My Dean's Medallist of a Husband
 
I discuss the following questions:
 
Can unschooled children study successfully at university?
What is the best motivation for successful learning?
Should unschooling teenagers be allowed to continue exploring their interests?
Or should we structure their education in the final years so that they are prepared for university?
Is it ever too late to follow our dreams?
Is it ever too late to learn new skills?
 
Something I didn't mention: If a child knows what she wants to do, making a plan in order to achieve that goal seems to be a sensible thing to do. My daughter Imogen made a plan for getting into university. And it was successful.
 
My Youtube Videos:
Imogen Talks About Unschooling
From Unschooling to University and Work (Part 1)
From Unschooling to University and Work (Part 2)
 
Unschooling and university is a big topic. I didn't cover all aspects of it in this podcast, but maybe I offered a few ideas we can discuss.
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

119: When Unschooling Kids Reach the Teenage Years

This week, I'm talking about:
The progress of my unschooling book
How unschooling transforms families
Duty and love
Supporting young adults
How it's hard to admit mistakes and change what we're doing
How it's never too late to unschool
Possible reasons why there's a shortage of older unschooling bloggers
Why we don't need to make rules for our teenagers in order to keep them safe from the dangers of the world
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

116: Why it's Important to Allow Kids to Follow Their Passions and Interests

 
This week, I'm discussing the following questions:
Does planning have any place in unschooling?
Can we make attractive planners using Evernote?
Will I continue my Evernote workshop series?
How does balance fit into an unschooling life?
Why is it very important that we let our kids follow their passions and interests?
Is it okay to acknowledge our kids' talents?
Can we praise our kids?
Are we obliged to develop and use our own talents?
Can reality, lifestyle and documentary TV series provide us with lots of wonderful learning experiences?
How do we make homeschool record notes about TV shows we've watched?
 
Show Notes
 
My Evernote workshop series
50 Coloured Evernote Background Note Templates (to download)
Evernote and homeschool record keeping
My unschooling book series
Are We Incomplete Without Our Interests and Passions?
Should Unschooled Kids Live Balanced Lives? 
Unschooling Sausages
The Big Painting Challenge (episodes available on Youtube at time of posting)
Blog posts about The Big Painting Challenge
Imogen Elvis on Youtube
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing a review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!
 
 

115: Learning During a Crisis

This week, I'm sharing and discussing two stories: Learning From Life and Homeschooling in a Crisis
I'm talking about those times when we don't need to strew because life is rich enough without any help from us. Maybe life is sometimes too rich. We might have a crisis to deal with that prevents us from getting involved with our kids' learning. Should we worry if we can't do all the things we normally do? And what about our homeschool records books? What will we write in them when we're learning from life or homeschooling in a crisis?
 
Show Notes
 
Evernote and homeschool record keeping
My unschooling book series
Imogen Elvis on Youtube
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing a review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!

114: All About Strewing

This week, I'm sharing and chatting about two strewing stories: 
Time for Some Strewing
What to Do When Strewing is Rejected
 
I discuss the following questions:
What is strewing?
When do we need to do it?
How do we do it?
And what if our kids reject our strewing?
 
Show Notes
Blog post: Unplanning Notebooks for Strewing and Unschool Record-Keeping
Podcast episode 82: How to Start a Great Art Conversation
Blog post: What Happened When I Strewed a Painting on the Wall
My unschooling book series
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing a review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!

113: How Do We Encourage Our Kids to Be Independent Learners?

Have you heard I'm writing an unschooling book? I've been working on it for a very long time but, finally, I'm making progress. While I'm writing and editing, I'm publishing a series of short podcasts, each one based on a blog post from my archive.
This week, I'm sharing and discussing the story Independent Learners, Toast and Heavy Washing Baskets.
 
Show Notes
Leonie's blog: Living Without School
podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Maybe you'd like to read my unschooling book series. I'm publishing bits and pieces of my book-in-progress as blog posts.
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing a review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!
 

112: Why I'm Not a Good Homeschooling Teacher

This week, I'm sharing and discussing another blog story, Why I'm Not a Good Homeschooling Teacher:
 
Will unschooled children really be prepared for tertiary education (if that's their goal)?
What role do I play in the education of my older teen unschoolers?
How do I record all their learning activities for homeschool registration purposes?
 
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing a review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!
 
podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)