Does homeschooling have to cost a lot of money? 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 agree that sometimes we might choose those things but that as we slow down, observe and integrate other things into our days, they don’t seem as necessary or even desired. *This isn’t a conversation that suggests that everyone wants to or can homeschool...
Jun 23, 2025•2 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 43
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? In this conversation, we return to follow up on the discussion from Episode #40: Feel Like a Rubbish Parent? Nine Things to Remember When You Feel Like a Rubbish Parent and weave in some action steps as well as explore many related thoughts. We invite you to join us! Both of these conversations are based on Hayley’s blog posts of the same titles. You can link in the R...
Jun 02, 2025•2 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 42
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. We shared insights about our children’s creativity and our own, and ways we consider and support them and ourselves, both practically and thoughtfully. This was a really interesting conversation with a lot of little nuggets throughout that helped us zero in on the value of various forms and aspects of crea...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 58 min•Season 1Ep. 41
“Do you feel like a rubbish parent? Scared of letting your children down? Convinced you’re not good enough …?” We dug into Hayley’s blog post of the same name and discussed those moments or maybe seasons when we feel utterly lost as a parent, and also the ones where we just aren’t quite sure. We talk about changes in parenting trends and the evolving role and expectations of parenthood, share challenges and ideas and so much more. Join us for an interesting conversation that might be quite relat...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 58 min•Season 1Ep. 40
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. We tapped into how we define home, where we feel at home, considerations within our home educating lives, how we collaborate with our children in relation to home and, woven into all of that, is how we nurture in ourselves and our children that in a very real sense, we are our own home. Resources: Books by Bex Virtual Kitchen Table Episode #27:...
Apr 28, 2025•2 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 39
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. This is a good addition to Episode 36: Unschooling Math – What Does Learning Math/s Naturally Look Like? There was more to discuss so here we are! If you enjoy these discussions feel free to be in touch for further information about the Virtual Kitchen Table Communi...
Apr 14, 2025•2 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 38
It was so, so interesting to meet with Cyrielle from Unschooling and Thriving to talk about the way creative practices support our well-being. We explored various ideas and understandings of creativity and discussed what it can look like in our own lives as well as in our children’s. We’d love you to join us for a listen! We discuss: Curating and creating themes (with books, sensory kits, etc) Cycle awareness Recognizing the distinction between making things for our children versus creating for ...
Mar 19, 2025•2 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 37
What a delight to have Sue Elvis from Stories of an Unschooling Family and April from Modern Homeschoolers join to talk about mathematics and the various and interesting ways that skills and knowledge are developed. We cover a lot – this might be the longest Virtual Kitchen Table episode we’ve had and we are likely going to have a second discussion. If you enjoy these discussions feel free to be in touch for further information about the Virtual Kitchen Table Community. Resources: Stories of an ...
Mar 06, 2025•2 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 36
*Virtual Kitchen Table is now an online community as well as a podcast. 😊 Check the link above and listen here for our thoughts. In this conversation, Anne from @obytheby and Eclectic Kids and Kendel from @spark.to.flame.homelearning , join in to discuss how interesting and authentic online connections can be. We Discuss: Connecting with people based on interests versus being in our physical lives Social media as a way of sharing inspiration Online friends and acquaintances as another layer of ...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 35
The Virtual Kitchen Table now includes a COMMUNITY as well as a podcast. 😃 We’d love for you to read on … Some time ago Hayley had the idea of discussing online community as an episode topic and at first we wondered if it might be part of a Community conversation, but we had far too much to talk about relating to in-person community so we’ve recorded not one, but two (next one coming soon) conversations about virtual connections and how they can begin to develop into relationships and community...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Following our Episode 32, Being Intentional for the Holidays – Finding a Fit for our Families, we continue the theme of deepening our understanding of what works for us, this time as a new year begins. We discuss our thoughts about resolutions and goals for parents and children alike, as well as share thoughts about the line parents walk between facilitating and encouraging kids as they journey into a new year or phase and knowing when to “let be” and step aside. We talk about how that can all h...
Dec 28, 2024•1 hr 45 min
We return this season to the topic of Being Intentional about the Holidays and thinking about what will best fit our own individual crew, including ourselves. Keeping in mind our own rhythms and preferences alongside those of our family members, we remind ourselves that we have choice during this busy season and come up with some creative ideas for everyone to enjoy. We Discuss: Being mindful of our capacity and limits Observing the menstrual cycle and the role it plays in higher and lower energ...
Dec 01, 2024•2 hr
We returned to finish our conversation about Hayley’s blog post of the same name as this episode. We recommend listening to Part One first as it will give context to the conversation, but of course if jumping in here suits you, there is still lots to be gained. Thank you to Sue Elvis from Stories of an Unschooling Family for joining us again and bringing her thoughts and experience! Resources: Unschooling, A Voyage of Discovery Stories of an Unschooling Family Taking a Kinder Path Curious Unscho...
Nov 25, 2024•2 hr 23 min
Resources: Unschooling, A Voyage of Discovery, Taking a Kinder Path Stories of an Unschooling Family On Chores, Learning Respect and Such … Is there a Gentler Way, Ever Learning Curious Unschoolers, Sue Elvis Radical Unschoolers, Sue Elvis The Unschool Challenge, Sue Elvis
Nov 13, 2024•2 hr 23 min
Have you ever thought about what it looks like to learn science in an organic way? To really celebrate it and live a life where you and your kids are interacting with it through passion and practicality? To see it linked to or naturally occurring in so many other things in your days? We chat with April from @modern.homeschoolers and Anne from @obytheby in the latest episode, The Rich Experience of Unschooling Science. We talk about curiosity, joy, fun, depth of learning, our role as parents, ste...
Oct 22, 2024•2 hr 31 min
One of the things that’s been important to each of us at the Virtual Kitchen Table is community, both for the sake of all and also as a way to better support educational options for families. In one of our earliest episodes (linked in Resources/Show Notes) we talked about the benefit of rich and varied community as places to live and learn. Several episodes later, we discussed homeschool communities (also linked). In today’s episode, Kendel from @spark.to.flame.homelearning joins us again as we ...
Oct 01, 2024•2 hr 20 min
Have you ever wondered whether your child is learning enough? Or maybe you suspect there’s more than meets the eye to what they’re taking in through outdoor play, online gaming, the stories they tell, the things they are making or any other number of things? We were so thrilled to have April Scully from @modern.homeschoolers and @heroineofyourstory and Kelly Edwards from the @90minuteschoolday join us to peel back the layers beyond what we might see at first glance and really notice and respect ...
Sep 17, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Have you heard of strewing? Is it something you actively do? We really enjoyed having Kendel from @spark.to.flame.homelearning join us for a conversation about the more nuanced aspects of strewing. There was a lot more to discuss than we first imagined. We’d love if you’d have a listen! We Discuss: Keeping track of the things we’ve shared with our kids as a way of seeing the fullness of what’s happening in our lives Strewing as active, thoughtful and intentional but without attached expectations...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 57 min•Season 1Ep. 27
The time of year leading up to the conventional school year can include mixed emotions. We’re surrounded by back to school focus, fellow home educators talking about their plans and maybe even wondering how we might get to our family’s own aspirations and ideas. Please pull up a chair and listen in as we talk about moving through the fear of missing out. We Discuss: How people are talking about planning and curriculum and being ready for the beginning of the school year. It sometimes feels like ...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Often when self-directed learning or home education in general is discussed, the focus is on skills that are considered academic or subject-oriented such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, history and others. However, a growing number of other things such as learning to swim, skate, learn an instrument and drive a car are now assumed to need formal, paid instruction as well. Sometimes this is preferred and beneficial but could some of it be marketing or fear-based? What happens when chil...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 25
The middle-age years can be a challenging time but could they be full of promise and opportunity as well? We loved having Missy Willis of Let ‘em Go Barefoot and Sue Elvis of Stories of an Unschooling Family chat with us about midlife and what the possibilities are if we approach this life stage with an unschooling mindset. Please have a look at the Resources below to link directly to Missy’s essay that inspired the conversation and Sue’s latest unschooling book which challenges us not only with...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Episode 23: Living Authentically, Confidently and Intentionally – a Conversation About How We Show Up in Our Lives, with Teresa Wiedrick A few months ago, Teresa Wiedrick shared her experience of her coaching work with homeschool moms and supporting women to get “out of their own way” and it struck a chord. We were so happy to have her chat with us more specifically about living authentically, confidently and intentionally and many of the common themes we might encounter. Teresa’s website, Captu...
Mar 30, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Have you ever thought about your identity as a homeschool parent? We discuss our identities as home educating mothers and the role that home ed plays in how others see us, how we see ourselves and even how our children might see us and themselves. We were so pleased to welcome Brittany Acciavatti to our conversation. You can find Brittany at @britt_acciavatti on Instagram. We Discuss: What it would feel like if our child went to school as far as how we see ourselves, our role, our time? Home edu...
Feb 29, 2024•2 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 22
We had a really interesting conversation about the concept of ‘emotional labour,’ both in the context in which it’s being described in Emotional Labour by Rose Hackman and other writings and podcasts (see Resources), as well as our own concept and ideas about how we see it within family life. Please join us as we come to understand what the term means, how it plays out and the choices we make around it. We Discuss: Anticipatory grief and supporting ourselves while we’re supporting others Holding...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 21
If you’ve been in the homeschooling world for long, you’ll likely have come across the word ‘deschooling’ and may understand it in the context of children having time and space to get in touch with their natural curiosity and learning. Soon enough, it becomes clear that more of the work in this area is actually for parents. We continue deschooling but this almost always plays out imperfectly. Missteps are inevitable. Join us as we discuss how our bigger picture intentions seem to still shine, an...
Jan 28, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Episode 19: Home Ed Labels and Jargon: Sorting Them Through If we’ve been in the world of home education for some time, we are likely accustomed to a variety of terms that might not be familiar to others, but even then, we often interpret things differently. Join as we explore a variety of terms such as deschooling, unschooling, strewing, gameschooling, project-based learning and more and dig into what they mean to each of us. We Discuss: What does ‘unschooling’ mean? The beauty of different ter...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Episode 18: What is Unschooling and How Does it Work? We Discuss: The origin of the term “unschooling” as we understand it Different paths to unschooling - our own experiences The assumption of school as the default Respectful/Attachment parenting as a pipeline to unschooling Whether we use the term unschooling to describe what we’re doing Whether home education culture has moved more toward labels Respecting children as whole people and the difficulties that can come up in school settings Radic...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Episode 17: Being Intentional about the Holidays - Ideas for Thoughtful Families We’re talking about holidays and gatherings in this episode, digging into what helps families make the most of their time together! As we head into a season that can be quite full for many, we share ideas about intention, choice, communication and building in rest and open time. We were so happy to have Pam Laricchia and Anna Brown from Living Joyfully join us to share their insight and experience. Pam and Anna have...
Nov 18, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 17
What is the role of lists in our lives? How do we each make lists, or not? Is list-making essential to organization or are there other ways to plan and keep intentional about things? How are our personalities and learning styles and those of our children reflected in the way we each make sense of information and understanding ideas in our lives? Is there a societal bias toward certain styles of organization and even organization itself? And could list-making be deeper and more creative than imag...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Homeschool communities and groups – Do we need to join one? Should we start one? How do we consider changes to both communities and our family over time? We were so grateful to have Kendel from @spark.to.flame.homelearning on Instagram to share her insight and experience with facilitating a local home ed group with us as we discussed each of our own thoughts and experiences. We invite you to join in for a listen! We Discuss: Homeschool community as a help to confidently beginning the home ed jou...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 15
