Stories of an Unschooling Family

Latest Episodes:

28: Talents, Dreams, Working and Unworking Apr 23, 2015

Show notes

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 Apr 01, 2015

Show notes

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? Mar 18, 2015

Show notes

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 Mar 05, 2015

Show notes

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)

24: Boy Stories Feb 19, 2015

Show notes

Usually I speak and write about my four youngest daughters. But not this week. In this episode, I share some boy stories. I have two adult sons who have provided me with lots of interesting moments over the years!
These are a few of the questions I explore...

What if a son is 'different'? Should we make our children conform and be like everyone else?
Is it normal for boys to be energy packed and should all mothers know how to deal with injuries?
Is it miraculous my son Callum made it to adulthood?
What interests can we share with boys?
What if brothers can't get on with each other?
What is it like to be a boy mum? How is it different to being a girl mum?
Do boys like hugs?
And what's it like to look up at a son instead of down at him?

If you'd like to leave some feedback about my podcasts, please do. It would be very helpful!
Please visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family where I'll post some program notes with links to related posts!
Music: Growly Snake Beat by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

23: Unschool Maths: Why and How Feb 11, 2015

Show notes

In this week's podcast, I tell you the story of why and how we moved from traditionally taught maths to unschool maths. I share some of my own thoughts on unschool maths, before interviewing my daughter Sophie (13).
Sophie used to hate maths. She told me she wasn't any good at it. Now she absolutely loves it. I challenge anyone to listen to her speaking and not catch her enthusiasm for maths!
Program notes, including links to lots of unschool maths posts, can be found on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Featured music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

22: Questioning Our Decision to Unschool Feb 05, 2015

Show notes

Sometimes events in our lives make us stop and reassess what we're doing. Something happened this week which caused me to do a bit of unschooling reassessment. I've been thinking...

Is there a better way of bringing up children?
Can we trust too much?
Is there such a thing as loving too much?
Am I ready to jump off the unschooling ship?

I share my thoughts in this week's podcast.

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family

Featured music: Autumn Leaves by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

21: Being Honest: Talking about Mistakes and Perfection Jan 28, 2015

Show notes

Am I a perfect mother and unschooler? This week I discuss this question, and also:

If it is necessary for us to be good examples for our unschooling children, must we be perfect?
Or is there something far more important than perfection?
Why is unconditional love so powerful?
Do some bloggers appear to be perfect?
Are there times when we should be open and honest, even if it means revealing our mistakes?
Do I ever have bad days?
Why did I used to be called 'The Dragon Mother'?
Does homeschooling have to be difficult or is there another way?
Am I a ‘real’ podcaster?
Should I be podcasting when I make so many mistakes?
And will my podcasts improve? Will they ever be perfect?
If you'd like to hear my daughter Sophie's (13) thoughts on mistakes, love and forgiveness, please listen to the end. You'll find an extra recording segment just before my final signing off.
You can find the program notes on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family.
Music: Frammenti, by Andrea Carri, (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) I faded in and faded out a few bars of this music to use between podcast segments.

20: (More) Apologies Jan 22, 2015

Show notes

This week I talk about apologies, and the importance of good titles. I also answer these questions...

Have I written any blog posts which have misled readers?
Have any readers found themselves reading my rather radical ideas by mistake?
Why is my family glad we run up and down hills regularly?
Why are the Jenolan Caves so spectacular?
How many times can I say the word 'spectacular' in one podcast?
Why did the bride cut two holes into a shower curtain and then step into them?
Why might I have to go abseiling?
Why are stories better than text books?
What is one way of igniting a new passion?
What is our latest family passion?
Am I any good at taking photos underground?
What is my latest video about?
Did I win my recent copyright disputes with Youtube?
What treasure am I hoping listeners will discover if they listen to my podcast?
And finally... What am I apologising for?

You can find the program notes on my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family. Featured music (which has been modified by fading in and fading out): By Grace by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

19: Keeping Teenagers Safe from the Dangers of the World Jan 14, 2015

Show notes

This week, I interview my daughters Imogen (20) and Charlotte (17), and ask them for their opinions on keeping children safe from the dangers of the world. We talk about inappropriate books, computer usage, movies, emails etc. while discussing the following points:

Is the world a dangerous place for young people?
Is spying on a child justified?
Does policing children's activities really keep them safe?
Could it damage child/parent relationships?
Is there another way of keeping children safe?
Can children be trusted to make the right decisions?
How do they know what is appropriate and inappropriate?
Am I irresponsible? Do I just let my kids do whatever they want? Or is there more to it than that?

The program notes, including links to a few blog posts I've written on this subject, can be found on my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family. I hope you'll visit! Featured music: By Grace by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

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