Virtual Kitchen Table

In this conversation, we think through some very common questions that homeschool parents receive and consider them from different angles.

We take into account questions in situations that just call for a short answer versus ones for which there is more time and interest in fuller detail.

We also look at the distinction between answering questions of people in our lives who are interested in or concerned about what we’re doing versus questions of families who are interested in or new to homeschooling. We’d love you to have a listen and share anything from your own experiences!

Questions We Cover:

Is homeschooling legal?

What kind of oversight do you have?

What questions do adults who were home educated receive?

How will they learn to read?

How will they learn to do math?

What curriculum do you use?

How do you know what to teach?

Will they have friends?

Resources:

Do Adults Who Homeschooled as Children Reflect Upon the Difference in their Education? - Erin, Ever Learning

How Do Unschoolers Learn to Read? Does Reading Need to Be Explicitly Taught? Episode 60

Unschooling Math - What Does Learning Math/s Naturally Look Like? Episode 36

More Unschooling Math/s - What Does Learning Mathematics Naturally Look Like, Episode 38

The Rich Experience of Unschooling Science, Episode 30

Socialization and Homeschooling, Exploring it from Different Angles - Part One, Episode 13

Socialization and Homeschooling, Exploring it from Different Angles - Part Two, Episode 13

Homeschool Community - Finding, Sustaining and How it Evolves, Episode 15

On our 60th episode, we are finally talking about Learning to Read! This can be a loaded topic with some proponents of self-directed education and unschooling taking the stand that reading will happen in its own time, versus reading research that strongly suggests otherwise, citing the complexities with learning to read requiring explicit instruction. When our experience doesn’t match the advice or research on either one of those, it can be confusing.

As we discuss this, we try to keep various angles in mind but full disclosure: we do have a lot of trust in a child’s inherent process. The distinction is likely that we also believe that parents and life itself are rich parts of a child’s literacy process and in some cases a child themself may request a supportive or formal resource.

We are grateful to have found a list by Sue Elvis (Stories of an Unschooling Family) from her post,Sharing Some Thoughts on Learning to Read which we used to guide the order of our discussion.

Resources:

Sharing Some Thoughts on Learning to Read - Sue Elvis, Stories of an Unschooling Family

Evoke Learning

Unschooling and reading: my daughter’s journey so far - Cyrille Tignard, Unschooling and Thriving

How Pokémon Sealed our Unschooling Fate - Missy Willis, Let ‘em Go Barefoot

Spot the Learning - Virtual Kitchen Table

Learning to Read 1 - Esther Jones, A Place on a Hill

Reading Doesn’t Need to Be Taught - Sara, Happiness is Here

Unschooling and Learning to Read - Sue Patterson, Unschooling Mom 2 Mom

8 Benefits to Learning to Read Later - Hayley, Taking a Kinder Path

We finally wrapped up Hayley’s What is Unschooling? blog post series in this conversation. Sue Elvis of Stories of an Unschooling Family joined us again as we had a second look at the Myths and Misconceptions related to unschooling.

While we do continue “busting myths,” ultimately we burrow deep into the beauty of living and learning curiously and respectfully with our children because, as we came to realize again through sharing our experiences, it’s so much more than just defending this remarkable way at life against the status quo.

Part 1 - Episode 56

Part 2 - Episode 57

Part 3 - Episode 58

Resources:

What is Unschooling? Part 3: Myths and Misconceptions - Taking a Kinder Path

Stories of an Unschooling Family

Degree Free

8 Benefits of Learning to Read Later (and taking a more natural approach) - Taking a Kinder Path

Unschooling Math - What Does Learning Math/s Naturally Look Like? - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

The Rich Experience of Unschooling Science - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

The State of Flow in Learning - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

Spot the Learning! How Our Children are Learning More Than We Might Think  - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What Do Our Unschooling Days Look Like? - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

Unschooling A-Ha Moments - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

We discussed Part 3 of Hayley’s What is Unschooling? series.  Sue Elvis from Stories of an Unschooling Family joined us to tap back into this next part of the topic.

This time we discussed Myths and Misconceptions about unschooling. We were keen to do this because we know how misunderstood unschooling often is, even by people embarking upon it. We found ourselves out of time with some of Hayley’s post to still discuss, so stay tuned for a continuation of the conversation. We’d love you to have a listen!

We Discuss:

Deschooling - what it is and different ways to think about it

Moving in an unschooling direction without having specific language for deschooling

The idea of unschooling as lazy parenting

The idea of child-led (in learning and in living and whether there’s a distinction)

Unschooling as a rejection of curriculums, classes, checklists, routines, timetables

The concern about children being  ‘behind’, uneducated and unprepared for the real world

The different things that the “real world” means to different people

Questions of post-secondary education and options

Choosing to live a life with rhythm and order

Resources:

What is Unschooling? Part 3: Myths and Misconceptions- Taking a Kinder Path

Stories of an Unschooling Family

What is Unschooling? Part One: A Framework of Ideas - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What is Unschooling? Part Two: What Unschooling Looks Like - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

Deschooling Through the Lens of the Unschool Challenge - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What is Unschooling and How Does it Work? - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What Do Our Unschooling Days Look Like? - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

Unschooling A-Ha Moments - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

We welcomed Sue Elvis of Stories of an Unschooling Family to discuss Part Two of Hayley’s What is Unschooling? series.

It was another rich opportunity to dig deeply into the nuts and bolts of the practical side of unschooling, with concrete examples and shared experiences.

We hope you’ll have a listen and learn something new.

Resources:

What is Unschooling, Part 2: What Does Unschooling Like? Taking a Kinder Path

Unschooling: What’s in a Name? – Ever Learning

Home Ed Labels and Jargon: Sorting Them Through, Episode 19 – Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What is Unschooling and How Does it Work? Episode 18 - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What Do Our Unschooling Days Look Like? Part One, Episode 1 - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

What Do Our Unschooling Days Look Like? Part One, Episode 2 - Virtual Kitchen Table Podcast

Sandra Dodd's Big Book of Unschooling by Sandra Dodd  - Sandra Dodd

Ladies Fixing the World podcast

EU382: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: It’s Not the Unschooling - Exploring Unschooling Podcast

Understanding Unschooling – Ever Learning

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. What a joy to speak with Sue Elvis from Stories of an Unschooling Family and reflect about the framework of unschooling in detail based on Hayley’s ideas and our own. We seem to learn as we discuss and think you’ll gain some perspective from this conversation and some fuel for your own realizations.  

Resources:

What is Unschooling? Part 1: A Framework of Ideas, Hayley, Taking a Kinder Path

Stories of an Unschooling Family

Curious Unschoolers, Sue Elvis

Radical Unschool Love, Sue Elvis

The Unschool Challenge, Sue Elvis

Unschooling: A Voyage of Discovery, Episode 31

Unschooling – What’s in a Name, Ever Learning

What is Unschooling and How Does it Work? Episode 18

Do We Deserve Joy? Unpacking Perspectives of Joy in Home Education, Episode 8

Ladies Fixing the World podcast 

8 Benefits of Learning to Read Later (and taking a more natural approach), Taking a Kinder Path

Resources:

Episode 54: Parents Can’t Teach Their Children Everything and That’s Okay 

Episode 16: Lists or Not: How Do We and Those We Love Keep Organized?

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.

At the same time, it’s not a conversation about “hands-off” parenting — far from it! Instead it’s a reminder of the roles that our presence, relationship and belief in children play as we walk alongside them (and ahead as needed) in their development.

In this discussion, we look at the pressure that parents are under to prepare their kids for various stages of childhood and adulthood, as well as the pressure kids feel to live a life of “getting prepared” for future stages. It is neither possible nor necessary.

We really enjoyed the directions this topic took us in and hope you will too. Join us as we think it through!

Resources:

A Lifetime for Learning – Parents Don’t Need to Offer Everything, Ever Learning

Reflecting on the Process of Self-Directed Learning, Ever Learning

On Chores, Learning Respect and Such … Is There a Gentler Way? Ever Learning

Episode 25: Self-Directed Learning Beyond Academics

Episode 52: Does Teaching Have a Place in Self-Directed Education?

Why I’m Divesting from Parenting, Fran Liberatore, A Life Unschooled Substack

Virtual Kitchen Table Community

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.  In this conversation we explore what it is about looking at things through the lens of stories, and the flexibility within those stories, that is so powerful, how the past stories that we carry about ourselves and our children impact the way we see things and show up in our role as parent.  We also talk about how we can support our children in the way they see or tell their stories.  

Resources:

Living Joyfully Podcast

Exploring Unschooling Podcast

Living Joyfully Network

Exploring Unschooling Podcast Episode 404: Foundations: Stories

Taking a Kinder Path – The Power of Words and the Stories We Tell Ourselves

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!

Resources:

Unschooling and the Magic of Learning – Esther Jones Substack

Unschooling – What’s in a Name?

Episode 19: Home Ed Labels and Jargon: Sorting Them Through

Homeschool High School Ideas – The Beauty of Mentorships For Teens – Ever Learning

Financially Accessible Homeschooling – How Do We Offer our Children an Abundant Life? – Ever Learning