Stories of an Unschooling Family

58: Responding to Unschooling and Other Critics

 In this week's podcast, I discuss the following questions:
 
Do I have all the unschooling answers?
How do we respond to unschooling critics?
Are labels important?
Can you call yourself an unschooler if you require maths but let the child choose the method?
When should we start strewing resources before our children? Should we wait until they develop a particular interest?
How do we translate natural learning experiences into the right educational language?
Do we need to be curious people?
How can we find lots of everyday learning to add to our records books?
When we've read all the Jane Austen novels, what can we read next?
I hope you'll listen to this week's episode! You could visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
And maybe you'd like to take a look at my children's novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

57: What's Stopping You From Unschooling?

This week, I have lots to share. I seem to have regained my enthusiasm. (Thank you for last week's kind and encouraging comments!)
 
In this episode:
I share some of our unschooling story. Why did we start as unschoolers but then go in a different direction? How did we make our way back to unschooling?
I talk about obstacles that might be stopping people from unschooling
I discuss the question: Who can we trust when we're looking for unschooling info online? 
I tell a few family stories while pondering joy.
And I share lots of resources
Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family where you'll find the show notes.
 
You can find my children's novel The Angels of Abbey Creek on Amazon. (The Kindle version will be free from Fri 5th - Sun 7th February.)
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 
 
 

56: Fan Mail and Lots of Unschooling Thoughts

In this week's episode, I went from thought to thought, covering lots of ground in a short time. I spoke off the top of my head. (Perhaps I should have made some notes!) Anyway, I hope you'll listen to ep 56. These are a few of the things I talked about:
 
my fan mail
tiredness
discouragement and encouragement
talking to kids
trusting and respecting kids
chores
how we need to have patience when trying new things
why you should try unschooling
how we all have something valuable to offer
Facebook
plus other rambling thoughts
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.)
 
Music: 60's Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
 

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)