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35: Popularity, Learning to Read and Shakespeare

I haven't been checking the stats for this podcast so I don't know if anyone is still listening. Does it matter if I'm talking to myself? In this week's podcast, I talk about blogging, podcasting and popularity.
 
I also talk about the following:
is there such a thing as a typical unschooling day?
how about a typical unschooling week?
the uneven nature of learning and how this affects homeschool record keeping
our passion for Shakespeare
learning to read:
how I thought I was a wonderful teacher
how I discovered I wasn't
the mistakes I made with my children
what I finally learned about learning to read
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family and my Facebook page, and also Sophie's blog The Techno Maid. 
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 

34: Learning from My Daughter and Other Unschool Stories

This week's episode is a bits and pieces podcast. I tell some stories about what's been happening in our family, ponder some thoughts and share a few resources. More specifically, I discuss:
 
 
 
something exciting that happened last Friday
whether or not we can prepare our children for an unknown future
why we are glad we have an active dog
how writing about Jane Fonda led to a new passion for Sophie.
the importance of encouragement and sharing children’s passions
how I discovered some muscles I haven’t used in a long time
how unschooling children persevere even when no one is pushing them
novel writing
how children’s knowledge can soon exceed a parent’s and how they can end up teaching us
how younger children can learn from older siblings
some of the DVDs and videos we’ve been watching
and some of the things I’ve been working on
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family for the program notes!
 
60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 
 

33: Starting Unschooling

In this week’s podcast, I discuss the topic of starting unschooling.
Is moving to unschooling a big step for children?
How can we encourage children to get excited about their own learning?
What if a child just wants to sit in front of the television or computer?
Do adults and children have different ideas about what kind of learning is valuable?
And what about trust?
I also ponder the future of this podcast.
 
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family for this episode's notes.
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 

32: Kids and Computers

This week my daughter Imogen joins me to talk about computers. Some of the questions we discuss include:
 
 
Should children be allowed to use the computer?
What kind of opportunities for learning do computers offer?
Can Facebook be valuable?
Should children’s time on the computer be restricted?
How do we encourage a child to balance her computer time with other activities?
Should we respect a child’s creative space?
Can playing computer games be a worthwhile thing to do?
Can people make a living out of playing computer games?
And is there a way to guide our children other than applying rules and regulations?
This podcast contains our thoughts on children and computers, but we respect other people's opinions which might differ from ours. It's okay to disagree. Friendly debate is always good!
 
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family for the program notes including links to related posts.
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 

31: From Unschooling to University

My 17-year-old daughter, Charlotte has just started her first Open University unit. In this week's episode, I talk about her transition from unschooling to university. In particular, I discuss the following questions:
Can homeschooling children earn a 'score' or qualification, equivalent to the HSC, the school leavers' certificate?
How can unschooling children get into university?
Are unschoolers at a disadvantage when they attend on-campus universities?
Are unschoolers prepared for university learning?
What about essay writing skills?
What are the advantages of studying for a degree online?
I also talk about some other things I've been doing recently:
Making unschooling videos
Creating a new blog
Facebook pages
And Imogen's and my podcast plans
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family for more unschooling to university stories, and other podcast notes
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 

29: What I Think Unschooling is All About

This week, I tried something new because I've been having trouble turning the ideas in my head into the right spoken or written words. In this podcast, I use some old words. I tell a story (from my blog) in which ...
I talk about the label 'unschoolers'
I ask the question: are labels useful?
I describe what I used to think the word 'unschooling' meant
And I share what I now think unschooling is all about
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to read the original post or any of my other unschooling stories!

28: Talents, Dreams, Working and Unworking

In this episode, my 20-year-old daughter, Imogen, and I talk about what she wants to do when she finishes her university degree in a few months' time.
What are Imogen's dreams for the future, and is it possible for her to follow them?
Should I encourage her in these dreams?
Or should I point her in the direction of safe and secure employment?
We all have talents. Are we obliged to use them?
What might the word 'unworking' mean?
Using our own definition of the word, should unschooling lead to unworking?
Unschoolers are different. Can this be frustrating?
And what new adventure might Imogen and I be setting out on? 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to read the program notes.
 
Music:  Frammenti, by Andrea Carri, (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
 
 
 

27: The Tricky Business of Registering an Unschooler as a Homeschooler

 
 
This week I report back on our recent homeschool registration visit.
 
 
 
Is it possible for unschoolers to register as homeschoolers and not compromise their way of life? e.g. How can we fulfill strict requirements such as the need to follow the school syllabus?
Is there a gentle way of changing people's misinformed opinions about unschooling?
Is it necessary to find a way of showcasing our children's learning when we are dealing with such people as the educational department?
How did our registration visit go? Did our Authorised Person like my Evernote records?
And do I sound like an Evernote salesperson? (I suppose I did get a bit carried away!!!)
You can find the show notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
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)
 

26: Forcing Kids to Learn and to Eat, and Should We Test Them?

This week I discuss the following questions:
What kind of records will I be presenting for next week's homeschool registration visit?
I have to make a plan for the next period of registration. How can I do that when we are unschoolers who don't work to a plan?
What do I think is wrong with testing?
Is it possible to make kids learn what they don't want to know?
What if kids refuse to learn what they 'have' to learn?
Can we force children to eat?
Is it our duty to train kids to eat whatever food is given to them? 
Do I have any fussy eaters?
And who does the cooking in our family?
As usual the program notes, including links to related posts, can be found on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.Music: By Grace by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 

25: Our Reluctance to Trust and Other Croaky Thoughts

This week I try out my new home studio audio equipment, while...
I share a few thoughts on blogging and what the future holds for my Stories of an Unschooling Family blog
I ponder trust: Do people in general have a problem trusting? Do we like to be in control? Can we control all aspects of our lives? Is it wrong to trust too much?
I speak a little about homeschool registration: It's time to re-register my girls as homeschoolers. Am I feeling confident about my Evernote records? Will I need to do any preparation before our Authorised Person, from the education department, comes out to visit us?
My voice is croaky and my thoughts may be muddled, but I think the sound quality of my podcast is much improved!
 
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family for the program notes.Music: Frammenti, by Andrea Carri, (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)