radical unschooling

103: Podcasting Breaks and Unschooling Books

I'm taking a short podcasting break while I work on my unschooling book. I hope you'll watch out for a new episode in a few weeks' time.
 
In the meantime, you might find some 'teasers' from my book on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family .
You'll find any news on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page.
And you might find me on Instagram at sueelvis and storiesofanunschoolingfamily.
Thank you for listening. I hope to be back very soon!
 
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)
 

100: My Unschooling Podcast Adventure

This is the (hopefully) un-muddled version!
This week, I'm sharing my unschooling podcasting adventure. I talk about:
My first episode and why I nearly deleted it
Why we have to take risks
The future of this podcast
I also share:
a few resources while talking about Gilbert and Sullivan
my plans for Camp NaNoWriMo
my new Instagram adventure
and lots of other thoughts, ideas and stories!
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) 

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) 

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) 
 

95: Unschooling Siblings and Other Stories

These are a few of the things I'm talking about this week:
Siblings
Acceptance
Encouragement
Labels
Boys
The joy of giving
Essay writing
 
I tell lots of stories and share my new free ebook Unschool Reading. 
 
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)