gentle parenting

138: Is Unschooling More Than a Method of Homeschooling?

This week, I'm discussing the question: Is unschooling a method of homeschooling? Or is there more to unschooling than that? Could it be a way of life?
I'm sharing and discussing a story, Why Unschooling Isn't Just Another Method of Homeschooling
I'm also talking about
the issue of unlimited screen time again
criticism and the power of love
how can we encourage kids to become the people they are meant to be?
 
Show Notes
 
Blog Post
Why Unschooling Isn't Just Another Method of Homeschooling
 
Podcast
Episode 70: Trust, Respect and Love Unconditionally
 
Article
 Unschooling 101 by Bridget Bentz Sider:
 
Instagram
stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily
 
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. A quick review or rating would help too!
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 and say hello!

137: Guiding Our Kids by Radically Unschooling

This week, I'm returning to the topic of radical unschooling.
I'm sharing a story about junk food and poor hygiene and then discussing the following questions:
Is it okay if our kids make choices that are detrimental to their health and happiness?
Should we stand back and let kids make their own minds up about everything?
Or is it okay to guide them?
Do all parents influence their children in some way?
How do we guide our kids without forcing our values, beliefs and practices on them?
What's the difference between unschooling and unparenting?
Why do I think everyone should radically unschool?
 
I also share 
My bad haircut story
My Instagram news
An update about the unschooling book I'm writing
 
Show Notes
 
Blog post
Junk Food and Poor Hygiene: Is Radical Unschooling Wrong?
 
Podcast
Episode 109: Why You Should Consider Radical Unschooling
 
Books
The Crystal Tree by Imogen Elvis
Finish: Give Myself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff
 
Instagram
stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily
 
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. A quick review or rating would help too!
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 and say hello!
 

136: The Complicated Issue of Unlimited Screen Time

This week, I'm chatting about unlimited screen time. Is this a simple issue? If we let our unschooled kids have unlimited access to screens and trust them, will they learn to self-regulate their usage without any problems? Or is there more to discuss than that?
I'm sharing my story, Is It Really Okay to Let Unschooling Kids Have Unlimited Access to Screens and the Internet?
And I'm discussing the questions:
Will kids learn to self-regulate their screen usage?
Do adults have trouble self-regulating?
Should we respect our kids’ choices?
Why do we fear letting go of control?
What is sensible screen behaviour?
Is the Internet really addictive?
Is making screen rules a responsible thing to do?
Or is there a better way to help kids self-regulate their usage?
Do we have to do more than just step back and give our kids complete freedom to do what they want?
 
Show Notes
Blog Posts
Is It Really Okay to Let Unschooling Kids Have Unlimited Access to Screens and the Internet?
My Unschool Unplanning Strewing Notebook
 
Podcast
Episode 105, Social Media, Internet Addiction, and Screen Time
 
Youtube
Sue Elvis
 
Instagram
stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily
 
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. A quick review or rating would help too!
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 and say hello!

133: A Balanced and Productive Unschool Life

This week, I'm chatting with my teenage daughter Sophie. 
We start with these conversation prompts:
Something we've been thinking about
Something we've found difficult
Something we've enjoyed
Something we've read or listened to
Something we've watched
And we end up talking about:
Why making rules can be dangerous
Balancing work, passions, and taking care of ourselves
How unschooling isn’t about drifting aimlessly through the day
An easy way to keep a journal
Intentionally seeking joy in our lives
Becoming happier and more positive people
How we can all make a difference to other people’s days
Resisting the temptation to check apps and waste time
Creativity
Growing and developing as people
Show Notes
 
Podcasts
episode 10: Should a Child Be Given the Freedom to Choose
 The Accidental Creative
 
Blog post
Unschoolers Talk About Freedom to Choose
 
Books
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
Louder Than Words by Todd Henry
 
TV Series
Agents of SHIELD
Call the Midwife
 
Sophie's Blog
Tough Turtle
 
My Youtube Channel
Sue Elvis
 
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 about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by and say hello!

125: Connecting Unschooling and Ageing

This week, I'm talking about ageing and unschooling. 
I share the reasons why I'm finding my ageing appearance difficult to accept. Maybe you are a lot younger than me. You could think this conversation isn't relevant to you. However, this episode, despite first impressions, is about unschooling. If everyone lived an unschooling way of life, would the problems associated with ageing disappear? Does the world need unschooling?
 
Show Notes
 
Blog posts
Ashamed of Being Ashamed of Looking Older
Playing for Ian
 
Patreon
My Stories of an Unschooling Family Patreon page
 
Instagram
stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily
 
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 and receive some exclusive content by becoming a patron. I hope you will!
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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.
 

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)

121: Kids, Needs, and Church

This week, I'm talking about:
 
The importance of trying to see the world through our kids' eyes
How we're not giving in to kids when we respond to their needs
How we should respond to the needs of our kids even if it's inconvenient or difficult
How making kids feel welcome at church isn't a matter of tolerating their crying during the service
Should we force unschooled kids to go to church? Why this might be the wrong question
The trials of aspiring authors
How we have to be brave and do things without worrying about the opinions of others
 
I'm also sharing some stories about:
 
Kangaroos and dogs and the late rising sun
A child who cried in a restaurant because he couldn't cope
 
A Note
When it comes to sharing our faith with our kids, I am talking from my own experience which may be different from yours. My husband Andy and I share a faith. We both go to church. When it comes to passing on our beliefs, I'm sure we have it easy compared to families where spouses have differing religious beliefs or levels of commitment.
 
Show Notes
 
Game-Making Website
Stencyl: Create Amazing Games Without Code
 
Blog Posts
The Wobbly Moments of Life
When A Child Can't Cope
 
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)
 

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)

118: Dragon Mothers and Parenting Mistakes

 
This week, I'm talking about the times when we don't like who we are and the way we're parenting our kids. I answer the following questions:
How did I get the nickname The Dragon Mother?
How did I get on top of my quick-temper and become a more calm and patient mother?
Am I now a perfect mother or do I still make mistakes?
How did my first child cope with her inexperienced dragon mother? Was she irreversibly affected by my far-from-perfect parenting?
Do we actually need to be perfect parents?
Is the unschooling life perfect?
 
I also tell a lot of stories during this episode.
 
Show Notes
 
Blog posts
Confessions of a Former Quick-Tempered Mother
Memories of an Inexperienced Mother
An Unschooling Imposter
 
Imogen
Youtube channel, Imogen Elvis.
Facebook: Imogen Elvis
Instagram: Imogen Elvis
Imogen's Mad World music video
The Mad World behind-the-scenes video
 
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 or rating this episode 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!

110: An Interview with a Teenage Radical Unschooler

Last week, I was chatting about radical unschooling. This week, I'm interviewing Sophie (16) who is a radical unschooler. If you're unsure about this way of life, perhaps our conversation will reassure you that radical unschoolers aren't wild and irresponsible!
This is a very lively interview. I hope you enjoy it!
In this episode, Sophie and I are chatting about:
her unschooling week
her part-time job
her passions and interests and where she hopes they will lead
the importance of parent-child friendships
how unschoolers are different
siblings and how to avoid rivalry and encourage strong bonds between brothers and sisters
how we can protect our kids without making rules
how she has developed a strong sense of right and wrong
mutual trust
how unschooled kids can be themselves both in front of their friends and when they are with their family 
Sophie's health and exercise challenge
our joint podcasting idea
and lots of other things!
 
Show Notes
 
Sophie's previous podcast episode
Episode 70: Trust, Respect and Love Unconditionally
 
Podcast music 
Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
Where you can find us
 
Sue
You'll find lots of unschooling posts in my archive on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
You can find me on Instagram at sue_elvis.
 
Imogen Please take a look at Imogen's latest music video, Symphony which is on her Youtube channel, Imogen Elvis.
You can also find Imogen on her Facebook page, Imogen Elvis. She livestreams with the Team on Thursday mornings, Australian time. 
 And please watch out for a new music video on Wednesday 18th October.
 
Sophie
You can find Sophie on Instagram at Sophie Elvis and The Technomaid.
 
Thank you
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing an iTunes review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling! (Thank you, Samantha, for your recent review. Your very kind words were greatly appreciated!)
 
Would you like to continue the conversation?
Do you have unschooling teenagers? Are they different from most other young people? Do you make rules? And what about exercise? You could join us and accept Sophie's health and exercise challenge! I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. You could stop by my blog and say hello!