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55: How All Kids Are Amazing

In this week's episode, I talk about how all our kids are amazing. 
 
I also discuss the following questions:
 
Should we praise our children?
Should we share their achievements with others?
Do the words 'planning' and 'organisation' have a place in unschooling? (I'm not talking about record keeping!)
 
I also tell a few stories. 
 
There's the one about a very excited dog and a kangaroo. 
I have another about a weird woman who talks to herself. 
And I tell you how we're going to be spending Christmas here in Australia.
I hope you will listen to my last podcast for this year!You can find the podcast notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
 
My children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek, is on Amazon.
 
The podcast music is 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
Thank you for listening to my podcasts this year. Happy Christmas!
 
 
 

54: Attachment Parenting and Unschooling

This week,
I talk about our past week. Are we 'finishing up' as Christmas approaches?
I tell you about my older at-home daughters and their university experiences,as well as their plans for the Christmas break.
I also discuss the following questions:
Why do attachment parenting and unschooling sometimes suffer from a negative image?
Will attachment parenting result in demanding children who rule the house?
What is the connection between attachment parenting and unschooling?
Is unkindness ever justified?
And what is the main message I'd like to share via my blog and podcast?
You'll find the podcast notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
My children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek is on Amazon.
 
The music in this podcast is 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0) 
 
 

53: The Awesome Teacher and Other Stuff

This week I talk about:
 
Preparing our house for the bushfire season
Why it's good to ask for forgiveness even if you're not sure it's all your fault
How to strew suggestions and what to do when they are rejected
How to use Evernote to share the responsibility of record keeping with children who are working on their own
How we can thank and encourage people who help us
And, of course, I tell you about the awesome teacher!
 
I also share:
 
A blog and podcast that might help you improve your blogs
A book, some videos and an updated Pinterest board!
You can find the notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family
My Unschool Maths board is on Pinterest
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 

52: Getting Older, Unschooling, and Moving On

In this week's episode, I talk about:
 
Why I'm not strewing at the moment
Real life Christmas maths
Encouraging children's ideas even when they don't seem practical
Whether it's a parent's duty to make sure her child learns what she thinks is essential for future success
What unschooling has done for me
How my own learning has had an impact on my children
Why my blog has a limited life
Getting older and
How I will cope when I have to move on from sharing unschooling with my children to a new stage in my life
I also ask the question: What is your 'thing'? It'll be something that's very important to you, something you're passionate about. If you'd like to share your 'thing', please stop by my blog and leave a comment!My blog is Stories of an Unschooling Family
My children's novel is The Angels of Abbey Creek
And the music in my podcast is  60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 

51: Fabulous Christmas: Gift Ideas and Traditions

This week, I talk about a fabulous topic: Christmas...
I share ideas for gifts, home-made and to buy, that are inexpensive and don't add to the pile of 'stuff' we all have
I talk about some of our Advent traditions which bind our family together
I also tell you a little bit about my son Thomas' birthday and a grief idea I am excited about
 Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family for more details of the things I talk about in this episode. I'll post some photos!
 
You can find my children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek on Amazon.
 
Music:  60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

50: Lacking Inspiration

This week, I couldn't think of anything to talk about. I felt uninspired. My Facebook friends came to my aid and suggested I talk about uninspiring times. 
What do we do when we feel flat?
Do our children sometimes feel this way?
Are quiet times normal and should we trust our kids will soon be back on track, excited by learning once more?
And what about those times when the world appears black and not just grey?
I'm not sure I interpreted my friends excellent ideas correctly. Maybe this podcast will still sound uninspired. If it does, I hope you understand. Podcasting might be cyclic. Inspiration can suddenly disappear and then reappear when we least expect it. I could return next week with a very exciting edition. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
 
You can find the podcast notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
 
My children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek is on Amazon.
 
And my Pinterest boards are on Pinterest, of course!Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 

49: Stolen Paintings and Real Life Maths

 
This week, 
I talk about the value of documentaries and lifestyle TV programs
and share some of the ones we found on Youtube
I describe how I translate these videos into notes for our homeschool records book
After I realised I had no maths notes, I hunted for some real life maths experiences to record. What did I find?
While I'm chatting, I share lots of resources!
You can find the podcast notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family
You can find my children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek on Amazon (and other places)
And you can find lots of resources on my Pinterest boards!Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 

48: Do My Unschoolers Mind Being Different?

This week, my 14-year-old daughter Sophie joins me to talk about being different. She answers the following questions in her usual lively way:
In what ways are you different?
Do you like being different?
Is there an advantage to being different?
Even though you don't fit in with the crowd, do you still have a need to belong?
I also talk about how tricky it can be recommending resources. 
What if someone thinks one of my resources is totally unsuitable for children?
Are we affected by adult peer pressure when deciding whether something is child suitable or not?
Do parents have a need to feel accepted and approved of?
Even though there is always the possibility I might be criticised for my choices, I did share some resources! 
 
 
You can find me and the podcast notes on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
You can find my children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek on Amazon (and other places).
 
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 

47: When Our Help and Strewing Are Rejected

This week I answer the following questions:
What mistake have I been making when strewing for my youngest daughter Gemma-Rose?
What do we do when a child seems not to want our help?
What criteria do we use when deciding if unschooling is successful?
When did I go splat and embarrass myself?
What does 'cowboy up' mean?
What Pinterest board did someone pin my blog post 'Bite-Sized Pieces of Unschool Maths'? to
I told a lot of stories in this episode, but I did manage to squeeze in a resource segment too!
 
The podcast notes are on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family
 
My children's novel is called The Angels of Abbey Creek
 
And the podcast music is 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)!
 
Thanks for listening!

46: Liking, Tweeting, Pinning, Aching...

In this week's episode, I...
explain why my legs are aching. (I'm sharing my daughter Sophie's latest passion!)
ask a question about exercise which I hope you'll answer
chat about social media
share a few resources and tell you where you can find lots more
You can find the notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
 
My book: The Angels of Abbey Creek
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)