Conversation continued from Part One … here Screen time is a big topic. The world has become increasingly digital and parents are trying to make caring and thoughtful decisions amidst many sources of advice, often contrary to one another. This is the first part of our conversation, thinking through and pondering our own experiences and we would love you to join us! We were thrilled to be joined at the “table” by Missy Willis of the podcast and blog Let ‘em Go Barefoot . Missy is a long-time unsc...
Jul 27, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Our conversation … (listen to Part Two here ) Screen time is a big topic. The world has become increasingly digital and parents are trying to make caring and thoughtful decisions amidst many sources of advice, often contrary to one another. This is the first part of our conversation, thinking through and pondering our own experiences and we would love you to join us! We were thrilled to be joined at the “table” by Missy Willis of the podcast and blog Let ‘em Go Barefoot. Missy is a long-time uns...
Jul 15, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Our conversation continued … (listen to Part One here ) Socialization and homeschooling is unarguably a common topic. It might be considered the proverbial thorn in a homeschool parent’s side. But what do we mean by socialization anyway? Maybe there are a few ways to examine it. We were so grateful to have Kiki from @kikiandthewildlings and www.educatingwildlings.co.uk join us and offer her perspective and experience. Please join us as we talk about this common, yet multi-faceted, topic. We had ...
Jul 01, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Our conversation … (listen to Part Two here ) Socialization and homeschooling is unarguably a common topic. It might be considered the proverbial thorn in a homeschool parent’s side. But what do we mean by socialization anyway? Maybe there are a few ways to examine it. We were so grateful to have Kiki from @kikiandthewildlings and www.educatingwildlings.co.uk join us and offer her perspective and experience. Please join us as we talk about this common, yet multi-faceted, topic. We had a few tech...
Jun 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 13
What is self-care anyway? In this episode we discuss the different things it means to different people, how we consider it during busy parenting seasons and, woven into the conversation, what does our children’s self-care look like? How do we support it? We were thrilled to have Alice Griffin of Wandering Alice join us again, as she has supported many people in their self-care journeys and brings a beautiful, peaceful perspective. Alice’s writing, courses and offerings can be found at http://www...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 12
How much novelty do children need? How much do we need and how do we work it out within a family rhythm? Although we realize each person is individual, it’s something we’ve noticed involves observing and listening, planning and yet holding those plans loosely. We are considering time out versus time at home, outdoor time versus indoor, social opportunities versus being alone. How much money to spend in order for our children to have a rich life? How many new ideas? How much to strew in compariso...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Home educating while travelling can play out in a variety of ways and is different for each family. It often brings to mind the idea of high excitement and far-flung locations. While that sometimes might be true, there are other styles of adventure as well. It was an absolute joy to have Alice Griffin joy us for a conversation about what family travel looks like in her family and how it weaves together beautifully with home education. Alice has a website alicegriffin.co.uk and is on instagram @w...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Our conversation continued … (listen to Part One here ) When people first hear the word “deschooling,” they might assume it is all about the children, but they soon realize it can have a whole lot to do with parents as well! We were so happy to have Sue Elvis join us as we discussed deschooling alongside an overview of her newest book, The Unschool Challenge . Sue has a blog and podcast at Stories of an Unschooling Family. She is also the author of unschooling books: Curious Unschoolers and Radi...
Apr 14, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 9
When people first hear the word “deschooling,” they might assume it is all about the children, but they soon realize it can have a whole lot to do with parents as well! We were so happy to have Sue Elvis join us as we discussed deschooling alongside an overview of her newest book, The Unschool Challenge . Sue has a blog and podcast at Stories of an Unschooling Family . She is also the author of unschooling books: Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love. We Discuss: An overview of The Unsch...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Do we deserve joy? That might sound like a strange question because smiling and happiness are very valued, but it seems we’re less comfortable with deep and ongoing joy. When people make choices that lead in the direction of less stress or more joy, sometimes questions arise. Life is supposed to be tough – who do people think they are living boldly and joyfully? Do we allow ourselves to fully feel joy? And what does this have to do with home education? Please join us as we think it through! We D...
Mar 12, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This was originally a conversation recorded for and posted to the Stories of Unschooling Families online community in Spring of 2022 and we decided to include it as an episode. Ashley and Erin had an opportunity to talk to Jenna Reich of Rogue Learner podcast and website and Jenna Reich Photography about Ashley’s and Jenna’s journey into beginning home education, specifically unschooling or self-directed education. This was an interesting opportunity to discuss beginning homeschooling during and...
Feb 15, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This was originally a conversation recorded for and posted to the Stories of Unschooling Families online community in Spring of 2022 and we decided to include it as an episode. Ashley and Erin had an opportunity to talk to Jenna Reich of Rogue Learner podcast and website and Jenna Reich Photography about Ashley’s and Jenna’s journey into beginning home education, specifically unschooling or self-directed education. This was an interesting opportunity to discuss beginning homeschooling during and...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Episode #6: The State of Flow in Learning It is a fascinating thing to observe our children in a state of flow with their learning. Fully focused and engaged in an interest or task, a sense of time and space is lost as they dive into the deep development of an idea or skill. As adults we can get into a flow state ourselves and it’s interesting to explore the process. Join us as we discuss our observations and ponderings about flow within our families. Maybe something will resonate with you! We D...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Kindness and unconditional love are things that most parents hope to have and give to their children. In fact they are valued by almost all people. What do they have to do with unschooling? Join us as we explore what kindness and unconditional love have meant for each of us and the role they might play in our unschooling families. We were so grateful to have Sue Elvis chat with us about this topic! Sue is the author of Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love (now in its second edition). Sh...
Nov 30, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Kindness and unconditional love are things that most parents hope to have and give to their children. In fact they are valued by almost all people. What do they have to do with unschooling? Join us as we explore what kindness and unconditional love have meant for each of us and the role they might play in our unschooling families. We were so grateful to have Sue Elvis chat with us about this topic! Sue is the author of Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love (now in its second edition). Sh...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 5
When things are rosy and our days seem to flow, it’s easy to feel confident and comfortable in the choice to be a home educating family. During harder times, it can feel shaky. Parents want to bring their best for their child but sometimes life circumstances make that challenging. What happens then? How do we ask for support? What does self-care look like? What growth do we notice in our children and families during and after these times? What difficulties? Join us as we shake off the “perfect h...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Most families find their children are happier and healthier when the place they spend their days is a good fit for who they are. For some children, this might be a public school. However, for many others, it isn’t. What learning opportunities already exist in our communities? How can home educating parents and other interested people collaborate with community spaces to offer even more? Could society itself use some deschooling? How might this play out for different families and even people acro...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Episode #2: Unschooling A-ha Moments When families begin an unschooling way of life, they often dig into all the resources – books, articles, blogs, podcasts, social media, in-person connections – and gather as much information as they can. Then, over time, they begin to develop awareness's of their own from actually living this life with their family. Some of this new information might be specific to their particular family, but often others can relate as well. Join us at our Virtual Kitchen Ta...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Episode #1: What do our Unschooling Days Look Like? Part 2 Many unschooling families find they develop a rhythm to their days and weeks over time. Some aspects might be natural and others more intentional, but almost always, connection and the individual needs and desires of the people in the family are the foundation. Join us at our Virtual Kitchen Table as we chat about what those rhythms look like from our experience and share ideas with each other. We discuss: Individual rhythms within famil...
Sep 19, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Episode #1: What do our Unschooling Days Look Like? Part 1 Many unschooling families find they develop a rhythm to their days and weeks over time. Some aspects might be natural and others more intentional, but almost always, connection and the individual needs and desires of the people in the family are the foundation. Join us at our Virtual Kitchen Table as we chat about what those rhythms looks like from our experiences and share ideas with each other. We discuss: The role that conversation pl...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 1
