01 Alternative Education and Learning – Parenting for the Future

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 08 self-directed learning, 27 Play Hanging out and Fun, 30 Screen Time, 017 Happy Healthy Parents Introduction

Great grades without years of schooling? Yes! Here is the recipe.

In all truth, I wouldn’t have 100% believed that years ago but the answer is a definite yes, a child can get their grades without years of schooling!Our 17 year old daughters were not homeschoolers but solid self directed learners for 8 years, from the age of about 8 through to 16. Nor was our son homeschooling. He was also self directed aged 5 through till, well he is still doing it. Prior to that they had a few years in school and a few years of me not really

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 27 Play Hanging out and Fun

Key One; Nurturing Curiosity, a wonderful gift for your child and yourself

When we went to live in Italy, I was the one who could speak Italian. There was a moment where I didn't understand a joke that the kids were sharing in the car with their friends. In that instant I knew that they had surpassed me in their Italian, I knew from then on I would always be keeping up with them. That they are now fluent in two languages is, to me, invaluable. They will always now have that skill. I think that giving kids the opportunity to learn

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 09 For Parents, 16 The healthy child, 18 Self Care for Parents, 28 Self Care, 32 Mindfulness

Uplifting the Next Generation and Gently Changing the Course of History

How we show up is so important for our children and we are shaping who they are to become. I was struck by this thought the other day. I am raising children that will most likely go on to have children and I am modelling for them how to be as a parent. We as parents have a choice as to how we show up and we can change script for future generations. If you stop and think about it that is an amazing thought! I was brought up in

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 09 For Parents

What on earth is the difference between homechooling and unschooling?

There is some confusion as what on earth Unschooling actually is. So for clarity here is an excerpt from our book that breaks it down from our persepective. How does unschooling differ from homeschooling?Home schooling is teaching school subjects and following a curriculum outside of a learning institution such as a school, usually at home. Home schooling parents may collaborate with other home-schooling families. A home-schooling family can have widely varying approaches to learning but the core principle is the teaching of children to a curriculum linked to examinations. Many

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 31 Technology

You don’t need school to learn maths.

Is it really possible to learn a subject in a few months as opposed to a few years? The answer is clearly, yes and that goes against everything I thought about learning. I kind of thought you had to slog away for years and years to learn a subject. It is simply not true. If you are truly motivated and love what you are learning then you will learn it. I have seen this with the kids, our girls know that they will need Maths and English if they want

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents

How do Unschoolers take Exams?

This morning I woke up at 6am in an Airbnb room, the girls were asleep and I was convinced that I had left the lights on in the car and that the battery would be flat and that I wouldn’t be able to get to the exam room on time. Like in a bad dream. In a panic, I stepped outside and checked the car, the car was fine. I wasn’t, I was anxious, knowing that the girls were taking part two of their IGCSE Italian. They were breezy, I

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 32 Mindfulness, 37 Mental Health

Unschooling and the Fear of Failing

I heard a lovely interview on the radio the other day with a man whom I think is brilliant. He is Sugata Mitra and he won the TED Prize to work on something called S.O.L.E. projects. Which stands for Self-Organised Learning Environments. He believes that children learn very well by themselves, with a computer. Look him up if you can, as he and his project I think are very interesting. The interviewer said something along the lines of ‘Do you know that a lot of people think that what you

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 20 Creativity

The First Step towards Unschooling is Unschooling yourself

Three sentences ring out when I think back on our journey of unschooling ‘Just let me live my life’ ‘Mum, the best thing you could do with my reading, is leave me alone’ ‘Mum, we are fine’ I used to lesson plan, I used to day plan, I used to lie awake at night thinking about what I could do with the kids the next day to broaden their learning. I made the perfect classroom, put loads of work up on the walls. I put the subjects in sections, art

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 19 Reading and Writing

When unschooling there is no such thing as a late reader

We pack the car to go on a family trip, our girls need to go back to the library to renew books. The library is a new thing we haven’t been in English speaking countries for a while, now we are, the library is exciting. Our son says ‘I don’t have a book for the journey’ we say ‘Use the library’ he chooses three books, he marvels that it is a free service. ‘What, for free? A book? Really? Amazing!’ he has three books but I know that he is

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 27 Play Hanging out and Fun, 29 Gaming, 39 learning maths

What is Self Directed Learning?

Right now one daughter is the computer, on the Khan Academy, my other daughter is cooking, my son is on a new scooter that was kindly donated to him by another very generous worldschooler. The kids choose their activities, we flit in and out trying to assist where we can but mostly we step out of the way. That to me has been one of the hardest parts, the stepping away bit, which we talk about a lot in our book. Here are some self directed things that they are

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