Rounding out the first season of Australian Homeschool Stories is my partner in life, homeschooling and podcasting, Daniel. Together we are raising our two wildlings, aged 5 and 2, amidst the natural splendours of the Mornington Peninsula. 

SUMMARY

• Dan recalls his journey through public, international and private schooling and how gaining early acceptance into his preferred tertiary course meant year 12 was a write off and his ENTER score proved irrelevant a second time when he returned to university as a mature aged student later in life
• Music is his greatest passion but he became burnt out by the industry in his twenties, only to rediscover his love for it after becoming a parent and seeing the joy music brought to our children
• Reflecting back on how this podcast came about and how we have combined our talents to make it possible
• Dan’s initial reaction to my want to homeschool, in contrast to having placed our daughter on two private high school waiting lists from birth
• His de-schooling process was a long, slow journey which he believes largely stems from his own school baggage
• How homeschool naturally aligned with our family values, and felt like the final piece of the puzzle in achieving the home based lifestyle we were seeking
• Creativity is what we want to instil in our children and carve out time for
• Curiosity is the foundation of all knowledge, the bedrock for a lifetime of learning
• Dan is completely self taught as a musician and this gives him immense confidence that homeschooling is the right path to pursue
• Retrospectively imagining if you took school out of the picture for kids that it didn’t serve
• Dan’s advice to skeptical parents - be open minded, take your time, everyone has the same concerns 
  
  

INSPIRATION
Peter Gray - Free to Learn
John Taylor Gatto - Dumbing us Down
Stark Raving Dad 

CONNECT
Daddy Dan The Music Man Spotify
Daddy Dan The Music Man YouTube
Daniel Garrood Spotify
@garroodcomposer Instagram

Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Suze and her husband homeschool their three girls aged 10, 7 and 2 from their suburban home in Adelaide. Not only is she the primary homeschooling parent, Suze is also a teacher by trade and in this episode we discuss how she reconciles educating her own children at home whilst working in a school setting and the importance of advocating for all children, not just our own.

SUMMARY

• Suze reflects on the contradictions of her own schooling - uniform mandates, compulsory sport - and the hangovers of people pleasing and authority intimidation
• How the introduction of the national curriculum shifted things for her professionally, witnessing the effects of the academic push down to do more younger
• Her eldest daughter's apathetic experience of school and how Suze reacted to the commonly touted advice "She'll adapt" 
• Her husbands (hilarious in hindsight) reaction to her suggestion of considering homeschool and how he came around to the idea
• “I actually can’t reconcile what I know and believe about learning now with being a classroom teacher.”
• How Suze and her husband structure their week with support from her parents so they can both work and homeschool
• Time, freedom, front row seats and watching her children choose to be friends are just some of her favourite things about this lifestyle
• The challenges of homeschooling aren't that different from parenting and they are far outweighed by the benefits
• Not every family is able or willing to homeschool and her aim is to make education and life more joyful for all children
• The importance of defining what they value as a family and knowing if the decisions that they make pull them closer to or take them further away from those values
• The joy of living intentional, purposeful and meaningful lives

INSPIRATION
Changing our minds - Dr Naomi Fisher (book)

CONNECT
@wonder.and.flourish instagram

Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Jules & Dan are true partners in life, homeschool and business, with four girls aged 7, 6, 4 & 1. They split their time between their home in Melbourne and with family in Singapore, and all of their learning is derived from play! 

SUMMARY

• How Jules & Dan's paths crossed in Melbourne despite growing up in Singapore and Malaysia and both recount their heavily academic focused upbringings 
• Jules always knew she wanted to be a teacher but her view of what learning could look changed completely when she came to Australia to complete her tertiary education
• Likewise, she always knew she wanted to homeschool - "If I was going to be teaching someone anyway, I might as well teach my own kids" - and Dan's complete trust and faith in Jules' vision
• Family as their core value and being the biggest influence in their girls lives
• How their extended family have embraced their lifestyle and the flexibility it allows for them to spend time with their relatives both here and overseas
• How Jules & Dan juggle working from home and homeschooling together
• No curriculum, just play. It's all about doing life together.
• There is so much more to life than studying and getting good grades
• How their business teaches parents to harness the power of play - curating & creating a play space that inspires children to imagine, discover, explore and create
• Dan's brave decision to leave the corporate world to be more involved with the family and never looking back
• Fridays are for family adventure days!

CONNECT
@storiesofplay instagram
Stories of Play website
Stories of Play facebook

Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

You may know Paul West as the loveable TV presenter, cookbook author, radio host and garden extraordinaire that he is, but you may not know that he has recently taken up the mantle of homeschooling Dad to his two boys, 8 & 6, alongside his wife Alicia in their small country town of Bermagui on the South Coast of NSW. When they are not travelling around the country for Paul's work the West family is deeply embedded in their community and in this episode Paul shares the joys of life in the garden and the simple pleasure of getting to spend more time with his kids.

SUMMARY

• Retrospectively appreciating the tight-knit community village he grew up in, which he hopes to replicate for his boys
• Paul's reflection on his journey of unremarkably coasting through school leading him in search of worldly life experiences before ending up in the high pressure environment of Melbourne's fine dining scene
• The juggle of balancing his career whilst raising their kids has been a continued imagination of how life looks
• How they chose to intentionally transition their boys out of school so the whole family could be included in the incredible experiences his work presents together
• What a typical homeschooling week looks like for the West family in this season of life
• Maximising the enjoyment of the golden era of childhood his kids are in
• The amazing outdoor classroom that is the home garden and the friendly dialogue it opens up with the natural world
• The future for our kids is digital and when used for creation instead of consumption, screens are an incredible tool for our kids to make use of
• Feeling known and a part of their community is a huge priority in their lives, particularly building connections in the early years to be able to lean on their mentorship in the older years
• Grow it Local - imagining a world where everyone is gardener
• The parallels between gardening and homeschooling
• Wanting to be the one who shows his kids the way to be in the world

INSPIRATION
Pip Magazine Podcast - Episode 26 with Paul West
Futuresteading Podcast - Season 3, Episode 25 with Paul West
All the Dirt Podcast - Episode 196 with Paul West

CONNECT
@_paul_west_ instagram
Grow it Local website
@growitlocal instagram

Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Sheree grew up an only child and now homeschools her only child, her outgoing 5 year old son on the Mornington Peninsula. As well as delving into Sheree's passion for music and her struggles at school with undiagnosed dyslexia, we chat about socialisation, community and our mutual love for our local toy library.

SUMMARY

• The story of how Sheree and Steph met
• Growing up in suburban Melbourne, struggling throughout school and never feeling like herself
• Her passion for music which propelled her through school was lost completely at university and how she rediscovered this passion later in life but from the angle of pure creation and joy over perfectionism
• Her husband's brief experience of homeschooling during his own childhood made him adamant he would homeschool his own kids and Sheree's inital reaction to this was "No, homeschool kids are weird"
• Reflecting upon her own education with undiagnosed dyslexia and how this made her a self-learner 
• The fears she faced adopting this lifestyle - socialisation, what will people think, how will I make it work
• Accepting that not everyone in your life will understand and support your choices and that is okay
• Busting the myth of the selfish only child
• What our homeschool community co-op looks like and how it operates
• The incredible resource that is your local toy library
• Less is more in homeschool and life

INSPIRATION
The Life Without School podcast
Hi Fam podcast


Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Sam & Christian homeschool two of their three "bare feet little nature loving" children whilst their teenage son until recently has always been in the school system. This down to earth couple share the ups and downs of their experiences with school, how a Steiner playgroup opened their minds to this alternative educational pathway and the joy of living amongst the natural splendours of WA. 

SUMMARY

• Comparing their son's catholic kinder to their daughter's Steiner playgroup led Christian to suggest they consider homeschool which Sam thought was a crazy idea initially
• Not wanting their kids to be stuck behind a desk all day
• Once you read all the books and know what you know, you can't go back
• Their eldest child's pathway through mainstream schooling, the pressure of getting him into their private school of choice and the devastation Sam felt when he was rejected despite doing backflips to get him in
• Despite their son not wanting to be homeschooled, he has still got a lot of the benefits of the homeschooling lifestyle
• How Christian's FIFO schedule works for their family and affords more quality time for him with their kids
• Sam & Christian's reflection on their own schooling - bullying, bad teachers and just wanting to hang out with their mates
• Beginning homeschool with a Waldorf curriculum which quickly evolved into natural learning and following the interests of their kids
• Falling into a pot of goodness with their community after speed dating on Facebook homeschool groups to find their tribe
• Sam & Christian want their kids to be life long learners, to respect Mother Earth, be free and active and not feel pressured to fit into boxes
• Their advice to parents of teens struggling in the system and to Dads who may be reluctant to embrace this lifestyle

RESOURCES
The Good & The Beautiful - curriculum
Born Wise
Educated by Nature
We Are Nature Network
Wild Movement Perth

INSPIRATION
Stark Raving Dad Blog
Brave Writer Podcast - Julie Bogart
Robin Grille Psychologist

BOOKS
The Wild + Free Family - Ainsley Arment
Homegrown - Ben Hewitt
Weapons of Mass Instruction - John Taylor Gatto
Raising Free People - Akilah S Richards
Last Child in the Woods - Richard Louv
How to Raise a Wild Child - Scott D Sampson
(Consider asking your local library to purchase a copy if they don't currently have these books in their collection)

CONNECT
@little.beach.farm Instagram
@wearenaturenetwork Instagram

Have you for a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Elizabeth describes herself as a lover of learning and confesses she was not a typical candidate to homeschool her children. In this honest conversation she eloquently shares how she went from counting down the days until her three kids (now 9, 7 and 6) were at school to questioning everything she had always taken for granted, and the wonder led life her family now lead that was born out of the tumble down the rabbit hole. 

SUMMARY

• Growing up with a 'socially acceptable amount of school trauma'
• How her leap from high school to university was a huge shock to her system 
• The honest reality of being a mother struggling at home with three kids under three
• How negative self talk and self criticism began to manifest in her eldest daughter from her experience at kinder in stark contrast to the positive mental health she and her husband had been consciously nurturing in their children from birth
• Jumping head first into home education despite the hundreds of horrifying fears that she would stuff it up and how this is a completely natural process of deschooling your own brain
• The first year of homeschooling is complete chaos and the biggest learning experience for the parent
• The surprising love her children have for workbooks despite consciously not wanting to replicate school at home
• The support and dynamic her husband brings to their homeschooling life
• Using 'nutritious' resources as a support network and safety net that allow for independent, self-directed learning
• The code of silence we fail to inform our teenagers about - the myriad of ways other than VCE to get into higher education
• Her hope for a joyful & positive childhood her grown adult children can reminisce about spent together as a family
• You don't have to be an avid reader or academic to homeschool!
• Motherhood is all consuming, but homeschool is not despite the reputation
• WhAt AbOuT sOcIaLiSaTiOn? The most ludicrous concern you'll encounter
• Comparison is the thief of joy - don't compare your home to school

RESOURCES
MEL Science kits
Cosmic Kids Yoga
Prodigies Music
KiwiCo STEM boxes

INSPIRATION
Free to Learn - Peter Gray
The Smartest Kids in the World - Amanda Ripley
Homeschooling Bravely - Jamie Erickson
Raising Critical Thinkers - Julie Bogart
How Children Learn - John Holt
Consider asking your local library to purchase a copy of these books if they don't already have them in their catalogue

CONNECT
@learninginourworld Instagram

Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original Music
Hazel - Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Steph and her husband not only homeschool their two boys aged 10 and 6 but also welcome a number of other children into their home with their family day care Spirited Hearts in Toowoomba. 

We discuss trauma in relation to her own school wounds and her son's experience of moving in and out of the school system despite Steph knowing she wanted to homeschool before she became a mother.  

SUMMARY

• Practicing aware parenting so her children don't have to grow up and heal from their childhood
• Being aware of everyday stresses and focusing on the emotional wellbeing of children
• Helping children build strong emotional foundations and self awareness through her Natural Learning Haven
• Being labelled as "too quiet" and how this affected her experience at school
• Refusing to conform, feeling alienated and distrusting teachers
• How the system does not support teachers and this in turn affects children
• How the reading of Harry Potter cemented her confidence in homeschooling
• Learning to read when the child is ready to read
• Steph's eldest son requested to go to school at age 6 and the dilemma of wanting to homeschool but also respect her child's autonomy
• Feeling like a failure as a homeschooling mum because they want to go to school
• Her son's experience of deschooling and finding his way back to thriving in a thematic learning style at home 
• "We are lifelong learners. You don't have to learn everything in 18 years."
• Turning to books, nature and yoga as her way of recharging
• The needs of the parent are just as important as the childs

INSPIRATION
Free to Learn - Peter Gray
Unschooled - Kerry McDonald
The Call of the Wild + Free - Ainsley Arment
The Wild + Free Family - Ainsley Arment
Raising Critical Thinkers - Julie Bogart
(Consider asking your local library to purchase a copy if they don't currently have these books in their collection)

CONNECT
Spirited Hearts website
@spirited_hearts instagram
Spirited Hearts podcast

Have you for a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Emma and her family have lived in a number of different cities along the eastern seaboard of Australia but recently put their roots down in Brisbane where she and her husband are raising their four girls aged between 1 - 8 years old.

You may know Emma and her family from her instagram account @play_at_home_mummy where she generously shares their wonderful world of play. I loved hearing Emma's journey of homeschooling thus far, one that celebrates following the lead of her children and trusting in them and as much as herself with the support of community both online and in reality. 

SUMMARY

• Being a defence family meant they moved often but after her husband left the army they chose Brisbane as their home base because of the lifestyle and community
• Emma reflects on her own education in Melbourne and Sydney being an under the radar kind of student
• Feeling drawn to teaching due to her love of children and mother duck nature
• Assuming she would return to the teaching profession until her eldest daughter was on the precipice of school but knowing her daughter, following her lead and development, knowing what awaited her, she had a gut feeling it wouldn't be right
• Backing herself that she knew her child and would be able to homeschool
• You don't need to be a teacher to homeschool but it does help other people believe that you can
• The long journey of de-schooling and how they started out in a school-at-home mindset which didn't work before evolving into unschooling
• Letting go of control has been the hardest but best thing she's done
• Follow the lead of the child - no set expectations, tune into what they need
• The importance of putting yourself out there to find community
• Emma's experience of starting her own in person homeschooling group that ran in her absence and that they were able to rejoin when they moved back to Brisbane
• The joy of inspiring others to play through social media
• The benefits of a multi-age environment
• It all comes down to trust

INSPIRATION
Free to Learn - Peter Gray
Social media homeschooling groups - Facebook groups in particular
Seek out real life support from a homeschooling community

CONNECT
@play_at_home_mummy Instagram
Play At Home Mummy Facebook

Have you for a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here

Sarah is a mother of three girls aged 6, 4 and 2 and she also happens to be a dear friend of mine. Similarly, we are raising our homeschooled kiddos amidst the spoils of the Mornington Peninsula. This is a candid conversation between friends about Sarah's  journey thus far - travels, motherhood and living with intention.

In a nutshell:

• The story of how Steph and Sarah met
• Seeking connection with likeminded folk in the pre-school years and how being brave and bold lead to a beautiful friendship
• Growing up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, attending a small community based kinder and primary school, walking to the local high school
• Becoming a registered nurse before jet setting to London and relishing this rite of passage for the freedom and independence that travel in your early 20s can bring
• Meeting her English husband overseas and deciding to put their roots down on the Mornington Peninsula, escaping the rate race for the slow life by the beach
• Coming across homeschooling through the gentle/natural parenting path
• Wishing she had more education pre-motherhood on alternatives such as home birth and attachment parenting
• How having her eldest daughter attend 3 year old kinder made her want to dive deeper into researching how homeschooling could look for their family
• Adopting homeschooling organically and slowly
• How Sarah's husband who is a teacher grappled with the idea of homeschooling his own children
• The rise in homeschooling in Australia as a response to the pandemic and lockdowns
• How homeschooling has made them question how they live full stop.
• The value in sibling connections & shared experiences
• Being together, growing together - as the why that trumps everything

INSPIRATION:
Happiness is Here blog
Futuresteading podcast

CONNECT:
Mornington Peninsula Homeschool Facebook group

Have you got a story to tell?
Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or send me an email [email protected]

This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here