Stories of an Unschooling Family

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**Stories of an Unschooling Family**

Want to know more about unschooling? How about radical unschooling? (It’s not as scary or as wild as some people make out!) Join me as I share ideas, stories, homeschool record-keeping tips and resources for living an unschooling life of unconditional love.

Latest Episodes:

128: Hitting the Pause Button and The Colin Show May 10, 2018

Show notes

This week, Cricket is my unschooling guest podcaster.

The Colin Show

Cricket tells us about her family
She shares their journey from school-at-home homeschooling to unschooling

Cricket recorded her guest podcast with her son Colin’s help. Please visit Colin’s Youtube Channel, The Colin Show, and subscribe!

Hitting the Pause Button

I share some of the responses from my Stories of an Unschooling Family survey
I respond to some constructive criticism
I talk about some changes I could make
I tell you what I'm going to do next, how I'm hitting the pause button for a while and taking a break

I also talk about:

Accepting ourselves as well as our kids
Quiet times and how they are essential
How we can make a big difference by doing little things
The importance of feedback

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling.

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

A big thank you to Cricket for being this week's guest podcaster!

127: Thankful and Facing Facts May 03, 2018

Show notes

This week, Venisa McAllister is my guest podcaster.

Thankful

Venisa is talking about:

Her own educational and childhood experiences
How her family moved from homeschooling to unschooling
Her children and how they have their individual learning styles
The reasons she is thankful her family is unschooling

Facing Facts

I'm talking about:

How perfectionists like me don't always face facts
What I discovered when I was brave enough to look at my blog, podcast and video stats
How data can help us do better work
A survey I'm hoping you'll fill in so that I can find out if what I'm doing is helpful.
Changes I could make

Show Notes

Website

Cal Newport

Book

Finish by Jon Acuff

Survey

Stories of an Unschooling Family Survey

Patreon

My Stories of an Unschooling Family Patreon page

Instagram

stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling. Maybe you'd also like to support my work and receive some exclusive content by becoming a patron.

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

A big thank you to Venisa. If you'd like to be a guest podcaster, please let me know!

126: My Number One Unschooling Fan Apr 26, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm chatting with my teenage daughter Sophie.

We're discussing lots of questions including:

What extra content am I producing for my Patreon patrons?

What has Imogen been doing instead of making music videos?

Why have I asked my daughters Imogen and Sophie to be regular contributors to my blog?

Why should we take an interest in our kids' passions?

Do I present my children in an honest and truthful way?

How do we encourage our kids to be themselves and not follow the crowd when they go out into the world?

Why would Sophie become a patron of my blog and podcast (if she were an unschooling parent)?

Show Notes

Podcasts

Episode 110: An Interview with a Teenage Radical Unschooler

Episode 34: Learning from My Daughter and Other Unschool Stories

Video

How I Got My Mother to Do a 100 Squat Challenge

Blog Post

Youtube

Patreon

My Stories of an Unschooling Family Patreon page

Instagram

stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily

sophie_elvis

write.rewrite.read

Fitness

Fitness Blender

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

125: Connecting Unschooling and Ageing Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm talking about ageing and unschooling.

I share the reasons why I'm finding my ageing appearance difficult to accept. Maybe you are a lot younger than me. You could think this conversation isn't relevant to you. However, this episode, despite first impressions, is about unschooling. If everyone lived an unschooling way of life, would the problems associated with ageing disappear? Does the world need unschooling?

Show Notes

Blog posts

Ashamed of Being Ashamed of Looking Older

Playing for Ian

Patreon

My Stories of an Unschooling Family Patreon page

Instagram

stories_ofan_unschoolingfamily

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

124: Does Unschooling Work? Apr 11, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm discussing the question Does Unschooling Work? The answer, of course, depends on what we mean by the word 'work'.

I'm also talking about:

My fabulous Patreon patrons and the work I hope to do with their help
Camp NaNoWriMo
How kids learn new things when they have a need
How younger siblings think they are just as capable as their older siblings
How sorting out a problem isn't always as difficult as it seems
A new podcast idea which involves collaborating with other unschoolers

Show Notes

Patreon

My Patreon page

My Instagram Account

stories_ofan_unschooling family

My Unschooling Newsletter

Blog posts

Does the World Needs Unschooling?

Are We Incomplete Without Our Passions and Interests?

Youtube channels

Videos

Mission: Surviving Holy Week

Music

Podington Bear's Sound of Picture

Writing

'NaNoWriMo

Camp NaNoWriMo

4theWords

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

123: Epic Plans for My Podcast and Blog (and Other Things) Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

This week,

I'm sharing my new BIG idea. I'm joining Patreon! I hope you will join me as I set out on this next chapter of my unschooling adventure.

I'm also talking about:

The need for us to take risks
How the world needs unschooling
Instagram
How we shouldn't lose our playful spirit as we grow older
How Sophie filmed a Passion Play on Good Friday
And other Easter news

Show Notes

Patreon

My Patreon Page

Video: Join Me On My Patreon Adventure

My Instagram Account

stories_ofan_unschooling family

Blog post

Does the World Needs Unschooling?

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

122: My Unschooling Teenagers' Typical Days Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm sharing my teenagers' typical unschooling days. I'm discussing the following questions:

Is there such a thing as a typical unschooling day?

Can we have too many resources? Do our kids sometimes get overwhelmed by too many possibilities?

Are documentaries and lifestyle TV series a good source of learning adventures?

What TV series have Gemma-Rose and I been enjoying recently?

Why did I initially reject this episode?

Show Notes

Podcast

Episode 110: An Interview with a Teenage Radical Unschooler

Sophie's Youtube Channel

Sophie Elvis

Sophie's Vlog Series

A Week in the Life of

Videos

Back in Time for Dinner

Further Back in Time for Dinner

Back in Time for the Weekend

The Secrets of Your Food

The Big Family Cooking Showdown

Website

Open Learn: Free learning from the Open University

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

121: Kids, Needs, and Church Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm talking about:

The importance of trying to see the world through our kids' eyes

How we're not giving in to kids when we respond to their needs

How we should respond to the needs of our kids even if it's inconvenient or difficult

How making kids feel welcome at church isn't a matter of tolerating their crying during the service

Should we force unschooled kids to go to church? Why this might be the wrong question

The trials of aspiring authors

How we have to be brave and do things without worrying about the opinions of others

I'm also sharing some stories about:

Kangaroos and dogs and the late rising sun

A child who cried in a restaurant because he couldn't cope

A Note

When it comes to sharing our faith with our kids, I am talking from my own experience which may be different from yours. My husband Andy and I share a faith. We both go to church. When it comes to passing on our beliefs, I'm sure we have it easy compared to families where spouses have differing religious beliefs or levels of commitment.

Show Notes

Game-Making Website

Stencyl: Create Amazing Games Without Code

Blog Posts

The Wobbly Moments of Life

When A Child Can't Cope

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling.

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.

Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

120: Unschooling and University: Learning from Our Own Experiences Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm sharing my husband Andy's and my university experiences, and what we learnt from them:

The Opportunity to Discover, the Freedom to Learn

My Dean's Medallist of a Husband

I discuss the following questions:

Can unschooled children study successfully at university?

What is the best motivation for successful learning?

Should unschooling teenagers be allowed to continue exploring their interests?

Or should we structure their education in the final years so that they are prepared for university?

Is it ever too late to follow our dreams?

Is it ever too late to learn new skills?

Something I didn't mention: If a child knows what she wants to do, making a plan in order to achieve that goal seems to be a sensible thing to do. My daughter Imogen made a plan for getting into university. And it was successful.

My Youtube Videos:

Imogen Talks About Unschooling

From Unschooling to University and Work (Part 1)

From Unschooling to University and Work (Part 2)

Unschooling and university is a big topic. I didn't cover all aspects of it in this podcast, but maybe I offered a few ideas we can discuss.

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!

Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)

119: When Unschooling Kids Reach the Teenage Years Feb 07, 2018

Show notes

This week, I'm talking about:

The progress of my unschooling book
How unschooling transforms families
Duty and love
Supporting young adults
How it's hard to admit mistakes and change what we're doing
How it's never too late to unschool
Possible reasons why there's a shortage of older unschooling bloggers
Why we don't need to make rules for our teenagers in order to keep them safe from the dangers of the world

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling!

Please feel welcome to visit my blog Stories of an Unschooling Family to leave a comment on today's episode. Or just stop by to say hello!

Podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)