As I lie here in bed with my laptop on my knees, my 17 year old daughter to my right snoozing, she is feeling unwell, it’s nearly 10am and yes I am still in bed. I feel inclined to pretend I am up, awake, having done a run and meditation, had breakfast, got dressed but none of that would be true. I am here in my jammies and the thought of walking down the corridor to the bathroom and doing my teeth right now seems a bit of an epic.
When we went to live in Italy, I was the one who could speak Italian. There was a moment where I didn't understand a joke that the kids were sharing in the car with their friends. In that instant I knew that they had surpassed me in their Italian, I knew from then on I would always be keeping up with them. That they are now fluent in two languages is, to me, invaluable. They will always now have that skill. I think that giving kids the opportunity to learn
How do kids learn things that connect with their souls and set their imagination on fire?How do the fireflies of inspiration spark their spirits? Can I help keep those iridescent lights of creativity shining?I ask myself these questions...they are big questions.I know that for me putting the kids in a schooling environment stopped being an option when I saw them shrinking and the sparkle diminishing from their eyes.I also know that this may not be easy to read, especially if in your heart you feel through my words that there is
My husband tells me that according to a book that he has just read that monkeys raise their young not always knowing who is who, they look after each child like it was their child. That years ago before the age of agriculture patriarchy and that the need for one’s own child was irrelevant, that men looked after other children as if they were their own.That children were raised in troupes or flocks and that every child was everyone’s child. I am not entirely sure how I would feel about
How we show up is so important for our children and we are shaping who they are to become. I was struck by this thought the other day. I am raising children that will most likely go on to have children and I am modelling for them how to be as a parent. We as parents have a choice as to how we show up and we can change script for future generations. If you stop and think about it that is an amazing thought! I was brought up in
This is a question I get asked a lot and there is a very big difference between the two. Have a look below as here is an excerpt from our book that breaks it down from our persepective. Home schoolingHome schooling is teaching school subjects and following a curriculum outside of a learning institution such as a school, usually at home. Home schooling parents may collaborate with other home-schooling families. A home-schooling family can have widely varying approaches to learning but the core principle is the teaching of children to a
I stopped worrying about making my daughter learn to read, at aged 10, once I listened to her words. She said 'Please can you stop worrying about me reading and just leave me alone' and this was unheard of for me, as I hadn't quite got the unschooling thing. I was chasing her around, trying to get her to sit down with me, the stress levels were high, I was being annoying. She knew it, I knew it.She told me to stop! I did and it was amazing. It was
I am sitting here at my desk, it is grey outside and I am thinking back to my schooling, it was a long time ago. I struggled at school. That is where I used to think all learning happened. But as this unschooling journey has unfolded I have realised that schooling is not the only way.Kids just keep learning whether they are in school or not, they are designed to learn, they learn to walk, talk, eat, go to the toilet. They learn all these things naturally and when outside
This is a post I am writing in seven parts, so my aim is to do one a day for a week, as a reminder to myself as well as to other homeschooling/unschooling parents who are out there doing their best to raise their kids at home. Right now some of you have been thrown in to this crazy but beautiful world. It isn't always easy, so here is day one!! This is for me as much as it is for all of you!These are short snippets, so feel free
If you are totally overwhelmed with homeschooling or unschooling and what is going on in the news right now, connect up with others. I hear this a lot from parents who are isolated and who are not in connection with other people. I think community is so very important, even if you are physically a long way from any one else. Use the phone, the internet, zoom, whatsapp. Don’t tough it out and isolate yourself, connect up with others and make time to chat. Even if it is for twenty