I'm writing this post on the morning of New Year's Eve, at my mother's house in the Yorkshire town where I grew up. We come here at least twice a year and it has become a home from home for my children. As British/Argentinians born in Spain, their sense of belonging in the world is … Continue reading New Year’s resolutions
When everything means something
Society seems to have created an odd hierarchy of children's activities which, at first glance, is there to help us parent better and ensure our children go on to great things. Sitting at the top are the worthwhile activities (reading, playing an instrument, doing a craft etc) and, lurking at the bottom, are the time-wasters … Continue reading When everything means something
Italian for beginners
I often reflect now on my own learning experiences and the ones that have impacted me most. I think that being willing to look at our own engagement with learning is an essential part of the 'deschooling' process. It can take some courage, but unschooling requires a good dose of courage, so being truthful to … Continue reading Italian for beginners
Learning to read
Our sons, who are now 12 and 11, both learned to read about three years ago, when they were nine and eight respectively. When they were younger, I'd tried for a while to help them with their reading, assuming that with some gentle encouragement they would learn, but they'd pushed me away every time. I … Continue reading Learning to read
Numbers, numbers, numbers
One of the most common questions I get about unschooling is how will the children learn maths. It's funny how nervous maths makes us. There seems to be a collective anxiety around the subject. Certainly it was the one thing guaranteed to make me wobble when we took the children out of school. My insecurities … Continue reading Numbers, numbers, numbers
When learning becomes teaching
I read something recently about how easily and unwittingly we adults turn a learning experience into a teaching experience. A particular scenario from our home came to my mind and the penny finally dropped. Here's what happens. One of the children comes into the room with a question, usually directed at whichever of us they … Continue reading When learning becomes teaching
How we became unschoolers
Our journey to unschooling has taken a few years, and finally arrived at its inevitable destination some months ago. I look back now at all the time spent trying to fit the children and ourselves into a structure that never felt right to me, and into which none of us really seemed able to fit, … Continue reading How we became unschoolers
