gentle parenting

109: Why You Should Consider Radical Unschooling

This week, I'm discussing radical unschooling.
Do you unschool but don't like the sound of radically unschooling? Maybe you're convinced you'll never do it? If so, I hope to change your mind!
I'm pondering lots of questions including:
 
How did we end up becoming radical unschoolers (when I said we'd never do this)?
Are radical unschooling parents irresponsible? Or are the critics wrong?
How will our kids learn to do the things that are necessary and right if we don't make any rules?
Can anyone radically unschool? Or is radical unschooling associated with only a particular lifestyle?
Can Catholics unschool? 
How do we protect, care for and share our beliefs with our radically unschooled children?
Is it possible to let kids make their own choices and, at the same time, be confident that they will make the right choices?
What could happen if we force our kids to live by our rules?
Is it really okay if kids don't wash their hair and clean their teeth?
What is at the heart of a radical unschooling way of life?
 
Show Notes
 
Blog Posts
Rules, Responsible Parenting and Radical Unschooling
The 'Risky' Business of Trusting Children
How to Live Radically
 
Podcast music 
Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
Where you can find us
You'll find lots of unschooling posts in my archive on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
You might find me on Instagram at sue_elvis. Please take a look at Imogen's latest music video, Symphony and her Facebook page Imogen Elvis. Your interest and encouragement are appreciated!
 
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! 
 
Would you like to continue the conversation?
Are you a radical unschooler? Did you make a conscious decision to adopt this way of life or did it happen naturally? If you are apprehensive about going along this pathway, what are your main concerns?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. You could stop by my blog and say hello!
 
 

108: How Kids (and Adults) Learn

This week, I'm telling some stories and chatting about how kids and adults learn:
What is the best motivation for learning?
Why do we persist using teaching methods that we know aren't working? Why do we waste our time?
Would more people unschool if there was no such thing as homeschool registration?
What bad habits have adults learnt that get in the way of learning?
Do other people's words have an effect on our inclination to learn?
When our kids are learning to read or spell, could we end up discouraging them instead of helping them?
Should we focus on what our kids can do instead of what they are unable to do?
What do kids need to know?
How do we ensure our kids have all the knowledge they will need for a successful future?
Does our lack of trust hurt our children?
 
Show Notes
 
Blog Posts
How Children Learn According to Sophie
Learning from My Children
Encourage or Discourage?
What Do Children Need to Learn?
Remembering to Trust
 
You'll find lots of unschooling posts in my archive on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
You might find me on Instagram at sue_elvis. Please take a look at Imogen's latest music video, Symphony and her Facebook page Imogen Elvis.
 
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! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

107: Is Unschooling for Everyone?

A note before you listen to this week's episode:
Episode 107 is only a conversation starter. I'm sure my thoughts are incomplete...Sometimes we have to work at jobs that we’d rather not do because we have families to support. My husband Andy was in this situation for many years so I understand how it might not seem possible to resign from such a job to follow a dream. However, perhaps there’s still room in our lives for a little unschooling. We might find a way to use our talents in whatever kind of job we have. Maybe we can watch out for an opportunity to turn down a different pathway. Whatever we do, we need to keep learning and keep striving to be the people we are meant to be… just like our kids.
Yes, this week I'm asking:
Is unschooling for everyone? Can anyone unschool? Should we all, whatever our situations, live an unschooling way of life?
Also:
Why do most of us have a need for 'likes'? Why is our self-worth dependent on the opinions of other people? And is it different for our unschooling kids?
Should parents be friends with their kids? Is it okay for parents to demand obedience? Or does obedience, no questions allowed, destroy the connection between parent and child?
 
Show Notes
Nancy Shuman
Blogs:
The Cloistered Heart
The Breadbox Letters
Book:
The Cloistered Heart
 
 
Imogen Elvis
Youtube
Facebook
The Rains of Castamere music video
 
Podcast
Episode 91: How Unschooling is About Being Connected with Our Kids
 
My blog is Stories of an Unschooling Family.
You might find me on Instagram at sue_elvis. 
 
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! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

106: Changes

 
This week, I'm talking about changes both in my online and offline lives.
I'm sharing:
Some further thoughts on kids, screen time and Internet usage
The future of my unschooling blog and podcast
A few resources
More about learning from life
Some family news including the fur coat story
 
Show Notes
 
Blog Posts
Is it Really Okay to Give Unschooling Kids Unlimited Access to Screens and the Internet
Why This is the End of the Line for Me
Why Becoming an Ex-Unschooling Blogger is a Bit Scary
 
Michael Mosley Resources
The Truth About Sleep
The Truth About Exercise
Guts
Infested
Eat, Fast, and Live Longer
 
Imogen Elvis
Youtube
Facebook
The Rains of Castamere music video
 
I apologise for the 'different' sound quality. I forgot to check the mic settings before I started recording and the podcast was recorded with my computer's internal mic instead of my USB one. I think the audio is clear, but maybe I sound like I'm in my bathroom! 
 
My blog is Stories of an Unschooling Family.
You might find me on Instagram at sue_elvis. 
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! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

105: Social Media, Internet Addiction, and Screen Time

 
 
This week, I'm pondering:
Real life: Is my offline life being affected by my online activities?
Facebook: Do we need to be on social media?
The Internet: Is it addictive? Why do many adults have trouble using it in a sensible way? Does the Internet fulfil needs we're not really aware of?
Deep Work: Does the Internet affect our ability to concentrate and do valuable work?
Our children: Do we worry about our kids spending lots of time online because of our own experiences? Will all our kids be able to handle unlimited access to the Internet?
 
I also share some news of a new series of Facebook Livestreamed videos that might be of interest to parents and teenage girls.
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family where you might find some show notes to go with this episode.
You might find me on Instagram at sueelvis. 
You'll find my daughter Imogen on her Facebook page, Imogen Elvis. If you're interested in the FB Livestreamed videos, you might like to 'like' Imogen's page to keep up with the latest news.
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! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

104: How Do I Turn Unschooling Life into Homeschool Records?

 
This week, I chat about some recent events in our lives and how I turned them into notes for my Evernote homeschool records book.
Along the way, I share lots of news and discuss the questions:
Should we give pocket money to our unschooling kids?
Should we buy our kids what they need to further their passions?
Should we expect our adult children to be part of our lives?
What will I speak about when I do my first Facebook Live?
Did I finish Camp NaNoWriMo? Do I now have a first draft of my unschooling book?
Why do I appear twice in Feedspot's list of their Top 50 Blogs and Websites for Unschoolers and Their Parents?
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family for the show notes.
You could also join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page.
I'm on Instagram at sueelvis and storiesofanunschoolingfamily.
Thank you for listening. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing an iTunes review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

102: Sharing Our Values and Beliefs with Our Unschooled Children

This week, I'm discussing the following questions:
Is it okay to share our beliefs with our kids? Or should we try not to influence them but leave them to make up their own minds without any input from us?
If we do want to pass on our beliefs and values, how should we do this?
Normally, unschoolers don't make rules, but is it okay to make rules about issues that are of great importance to us?
 
I also talk about:
The real Sue
Our online friends who are going to become real life friends
The new addition to our family
My new Facebook group, Unschooling Collaborators
And some other family news
 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family for the show notes.
Also, I invite you to join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page.
And I'm on Instagram at sueelvis and storiesofanunschoolingfamily.
Thank you for listening. And if you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing an iTunes review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

101: Adult Peer Pressure, Clothes, Rules and Compassion

 
This week, I'm talking about:
Communication skills: Are we good communicators? Why is it important that we know how to communicate? What about our kids? How do they deal with people in the bigger world who fail to treat them with the respect and politeness they have come to expect?
Adult peer pressure: Do we sometimes make decisions based on our friends' opinions rather than our families' needs? If we do this, do we put our relationships with our kids at risk?
Rules: Do we need to make rules? Or are they ineffective? Do rules set us up for battles with our kids? 
Jeggings: Is it okay for a mother as old as me to wear them? And are my jeggings fitting more comfortable after a month of our great weight loss adventure?
Collaboration: If we collaborate could we light a gentle unschooling fire?
 
As I talk, I share a few stories including one that was hard to write. 
 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family for the show notes.
Also, I invite you to join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page.
Thank you for listening. And if you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing an iTunes review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

98: Unschool Maths and Uncomfortable Ideas

This week, I'm talking about:
uncomfortable ideas, the ones we think we'll never consider
how we sometimes deceive ourselves because we can't face the truth
our unschool maths story
 
I discuss the questions:
If our kids don't have formal maths notes to show, what can we put in our homeschool records books?
Is it okay to strew maths like we would science or history?
Is there a problem with some maths games?
Is there a problem with real life maths resources?
Can we call ourselves unschoolers if we don't unschool maths?
 
I also talk more about:
those times when life becomes overwhelming
how we can help each other when someone isn't coping
empathy and misbehaviour
our weight loss and fitness adventure
 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Also, I invite you to join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page.
Thank you for listening. And if you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing an iTunes review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0) 

97: Unschooling Imposters and Difficult Times

This week, I answer the following questions:
Why did I feel like an unschooling imposter?
Why is unschooling the perfect way of life even though life isn't perfect?
Why should we stop and reassess what we're doing every now and then?
What does Gemma-Rose's (13) day look like?
What is Sophie (16) doing at the moment?
I also talk about
our weight loss adventure
and my recent activity with my blog and Youtube channel
 
 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Also, I invite you to join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page.
Thank you for listening. And if you enjoy my podcast, please consider writing an iTunes review and sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling! 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)