homeschool record-keeping

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)

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!

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)
 

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)
 

99: Real Life Family Unschool Maths

This week, I continue the unschool maths conversation:
 
Can we force kids to learn things they don't want to know about?
What if we have to show evidence that our kids are learning maths for homeschool registration purposes?
Why should we sometimes put ourselves in our kids' shoes?
How can we become maths detectives?
What is wrong with most maths games?
Can we approach maths backwards?
 
I also share a few learning and maths blog posts and discuss the ideas in them:
Making Children Learn What They Don't Want to Know
Approaching Maths Backwards
Becoming Real Life Maths Detectives
Why Kids With Families Don't Need Workbooks to Learn Basic Maths Skills
 
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) 

96: Turning Unschool Learning into Homeschool Records Notes

This week, I share:
 
how I've been turning my 13-year-old daughter's unschooling learning experiences into homeschool records notes.
some of the resources she has been using
 
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) 

94: What Do Unschoolers Do All Day?

This week, I share a few stories from a time when we used to ponder such things as:
was Helen of Troy still beautiful after ten years of war? Was she still worth fighting over?
are Elvis feet different from everyone else's? Why can't we walk in thongs (flip-flops, not underwear!)
I also talk about:
how we never used to unschool maths
how we sometimes deceive ourselves because we're not ready to face the truth
how unschooling is a continual learning experience for parents as well as kids
how I forgot something very important when we began unschooling
 
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) 

90: Do You Know Who You Are?

This week, I answer the following questions:
Is it important we know who we are?
Am I a perfectionist?
Is our self-image affected by other people's opinions and expectations?
Why didn't I fulfil my early gold star potential?
How can we help our kids become who they are meant to be?
Why did my daughter Sophie laugh when I told her the results of an IQ test I took?
What did our Authorised Person from the education department think of my Evernote homeschool records when she came for a recent registration visit?
Does my family have a secret identity?
What's my latest big project? Will you want to be involved?
Will there be an episode 91?
I hope you'll join me as I talk about these questions and lots more including giftedness, Evernote, and homeschool record-keeping. 
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)