Do you ever wonder what unschooling is really about? Or maybe you have a sense of it yourself but wonder how to describe it if asked? This ended up being a very full and nuanced conversation based on the first part of Hayley’s blog post series by the same name. 

How when kids have the time and space to self-direct their learning, they develop good skills and trust their intuition

This isn’t a criticism of the abilities of home educating parents, but instead reassurance for all parents that there is no need to take all of the things on. Children being taught everything ahead of time isn’t how deep and meaningful learning usually happens.

We happily welcomed Pam Laricchia, Anna Brown and Erika Ellis from www.livingjoyfully.ca to discuss the topic of Stories. Pam, Anna and Erika have spoken in depth about the nuances and choices within the stories we tell both ourselves and others. 

We read a Substack article by Esther Jones, Unschooling and the Magic of Teaching and were inspired to peel back the role that teaching might play within self-directed learning and a number of aspects that are related. It turned out to be a very interesting topic and we’d love you to have a listen!

It was really an honour to speak with Linsey Briggs of @unschoolingstanley about a topic she shares so generously about. Her insights were both beautiful and practical. It’s always amazing to see the different angles and experiences each person has and so this was another full conversation.

Oof. This is hard.

This episode is one in which we give the sad news that our wonderful Hayley has passed on.

We discuss the topic of ‘Resentment’ which initially sounded a bit unpleasant, but there was real peace and clarity in being honest about our very human experiences of walking the line between what we need or wish for ourselves and what others are doing or potentially asking of us.

Based on a core section of Hayley’s blog post, Taking a Kinder Path to the Festivities: For You, Your Children and the Planet, we discuss kind and collaborative approaches we can take to the holiday season

Anne fromEclectic Kids, Bird Bound and @obytheby and April Scully from Modern Homeschoolers join for a conversation about the many faces of whole life learning. The conversation is as vibrant, messy, wonderful and meaningful as whole life learning itself is. We talk not only about the “academic” side of learning but also about including children in real life experiences  — even hard or uncomfortable ones sometimes —  and the self-awareness, care for others and resilience they develop bit by bit.

Kindergarten in the past in comparison to now (each sharing memories of our own start of school)

Sharing stories of our child’s start to the school years

We say “yes” there is!

Missy Willis from Let ‘em Go Barefoot and I connected this summer to have a conversation based on one of Missy’s Substack essays, Make the High School Diploma Mean Something Again.

We talk about beginning the “school year,” either as a new homeschool family or a continuing family from the perspective of both connection and practical ideas. It can be an exciting time of year, but it can also be daunting! Even a new age or stage our child has reached can make this time of year full of feelings and concerns.

We dive into a deep exploration of different perspectives about nature study and outdoor time and where those things are both similar and different.

We tap into this topic with Anne from @obytheby and Eclectic Kids and come to the conclusion that living richly and abundantly is indeed possible without expensive classes, outings and materials.

We came back to chat about creativity and creative practice again with Cyrielle from Unschooling and Thriving, and Kendel from spark.to.flame.homelearning joined in and added her perspective.

Sometimes we all feel we’ve missed the mark with our kids and it’s not a great feeling. What might be helpful during those times?

Do you feel like a rubbish parent? Scared of letting your children down? Convinced you’re not good enough …?”

We were joined by Bex Tobin Fine, author of the picture book You Are Home and thoroughly enjoyed a conversation with her about the many aspects of home.

Episode 38: What a delight to have Sue Elvis from Stories of an Unschooling Family and April from Modern Homeschoolers join again to talk about mathematics and the various and interesting ways that skills and knowledge are developed.