homeschooling

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) 

93: Our Unschooling Story

This week, I'm sharing our unschooling story. Years ago, we started as unschoolers. We then tried different methods of homeschooling before returning to unschooling:
Behind That Cream Front Door
Undercover Homeschoolers
Doing Our Own Thing
Time to Unschool
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) 

92: Does My Trust in Unschooling Ever Waver?

This week, I talk about:
Trust: It's easy to trust when things are going well but is that real trust?
Being a support driver for young learner drivers: Do we sometimes have to be adventurous and do things we don't want to do?
Children who don't seem to fit easily into the world: Should we watch out for ways to help each other?
Praise: Is it good or bad? How do we encourage our kids to be humble about their talents?
Creativity: Do you ever yearn to create but don't have the opportunity because you have small children who need your time and attention?
Creative Art and English resources: art documentaries, Jane Austen mini-series, film scores and cinema history
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) 

91: How Unschooling is About Being Connected With Our Kids

This week, I discuss the following questions:
How do our children learn right from wrong?
Why is it so important that we are connected with our kids?
Why am I reluctant to ask people to review my children's novels?
Do parents have to be perfect or is there something more important than perfection?
What is a family?
Is my new podcast series idea a good one? Perhaps it's ridiculous!
I tell lots of stories along the way:
Why did I regret crying while I was watching a biology film at school?
Did my husband Andy become a singing superstar with his very own backing group?
Did I used to be a good surgical assistant or did I quake in my boots every time I was asked to help?
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)
 

89: Saying No and Other Things

This week, I talk about:
Adding joy to a powerless afternoon
Why sometimes it's good to leave our cameras at home when we go out
Social media again
Deciding whether our work is good or not
Allergic cats and daughters
A delicious gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free chocolate tart
How we sometimes need to put our families first and say no
Our unique back-to-school supplies
Buying what our kids need to further their passions
Unschoolers and planning
Listening to Jane Austen
Redwork embroidery
Shakespeare
 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
And join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook Page.
 
My children's novel, 'The Angels of Gum Tree Road', is now on Amazon, Kindle, and Lulu. 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
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! 

88: Can We Force Kids to Exercise?

This week, I'm talking about:
What mothers have to do even when the weather is very hot
The place of last resort
Children that don't seem to fit into the world
Earning coffee money
A trap door accident
Father and daughter time
Gym buddies
Video dance workouts
Encouraging kids to exercise
Forcing kids to do things
A perfect subscription for all the family
Christian running music
My Australia Day baby
An unschool science resource
 You can find the show notes on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Please join me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook Page.
 
My children's novel, 'The Angels of Gum Tree Road', is now on Amazon, Kindle, and Lulu. 
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
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! 

87: The Catholic Radical Unschool Cheese and other stories

This week, I answer the following questions:
What is unschooling?
Why is unschooling different from other methods of homeschooling? Could it not be a method at all?
Should we make kids do things they don't want to do? Would that be good for them?
Is there such a thing as providing a too happy life for our kids? Should we get them used to the fact that life in the bigger world won't always be happy?
Are we easily distracted? Have most of us lost the ability to concentrate and do deep work?
Do we need social media? What if we have something we want to share with the world?
Can series such as Downton Abbey lead to some wonderful learning experiences?
Are quiet times valuable and even essential?
What is The Catholic Radical Unschool Cheese?
Can unschooling kids work hard?
Is a parent's attitude important when it comes to chores and other mundane tasks?
What have my children been doing recently?
You can find the show notes on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Please visit my new blog The Catholic Radical Unschool Cheese.
 
Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
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!

86: Are You an Unschooling Multipotentialite?

This week, I'm talking about multipotentiality. In particular, I ask the following questions:
Is it okay to have multiple interests, to pursue one thing, get bored and then move onto something else?
When are we finished with a topic? When people move quickly between interests do they lack perseverance and  commitment?
Should we encourage kids to focus on only one interest? Is this best for a future career? Or is okay to have multiple interests?
Is my family full of multipotentialites?
Are people who move continuously from one interest to another frustrating?
How does the way I'm wired affect my online life?
This is my last podcast for the year. I'm off to explore new thoughts and ideas. Thank you for supporting my podcast during 2016. I hope you'll listen again when I return after Christmas!
You can find the show notes on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Join me in The Not So Proper Unschoolers Facebook Group,
and my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook Page.
You can find my new videos on my Youtube channel, Sue Elvis.
My new children's novel, 'The Angels of Gum Tree Road', is now on Amazon, Kindle, and Lulu. 
Podcast music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
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! 
 

85: The Extraordinary Ordinary Things of Life

This week, I share a story about the extraordinary ordinary things of life.
I talk about:
How we should live in the present moment
And not spoil it by worrying about possible future suffering
How each ordinary moment is made extraordinary by the power of love
How our unschooling lives are far from ordinary
I also share some big blog news. 
You can find the show notes on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Join me in The Not So Proper Unschoolers Facebook Group,
and my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook Page.
You can find my new videos on my Youtube channel, Sue Elvis.
My new children's novel, 'The Angels of Gum Tree Road', is now on Amazon, Kindle, and Lulu. 
Podcast music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
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!