10 for grandparents – Parenting for the Future

by Lehla Eldridge in

02 parenting for the future, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 16 The healthy child, 21 For Mothers, 22 For Fathers, 23 For LGBT parents, 32 Mindfulness

Ten Things I Tell Myself to Remember Around Parenting

How do I love these children as much as I can? How do kids learn things that connect with their souls? How do the fireflies of inspiration spark their spirits? Can I help keep those iridescent lights of creativity shining? I ask myself these questions... I know that for me putting the kids in a schooling environment stopped being an option when I saw their spirits shrinking and the sparkle diminishing from their eyes. I also know that this may not be easy to read, especially if in your heart you feel through

by Lehla Eldridge in

04 Family Wellbeing, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 12 relationships

Some of your questions answered about Unschooling

Are you taking the kids out of society if they are not in school? Schooling is not the only gateway to social interaction or societal involvement. So yes we are definitely part of society. If you see society as a much bigger all-encompassing picture, which is how we see the word, then no we are not taking them out of society. Do your children have any friends? Yes, our children have a lot of friends. We were very lucky to have had the chance to meet an interesting group of

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, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 16 The healthy child, 19 Reading and Writing, 70 Age 0 to 7yrs, 71 Age 7 to 14 yrs

A Letter to a Parent About reading

This is what I would I have told my worried self about reading and my children about three years ago. One of children was diagnosed with Irlen’s syndrome and so I was very stressed about whether she would be able to read or not. As time went by she did. But here is a letter that I would have liked to have read as worrying served nothing for me. Dear Lehla, Please stop it, stop worrying about the children’s ability to read. Have more faith in them. You have been

by Lehla Eldridge in

09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 21 For Mothers, 22 For Fathers

Learning Never Stops. Even when you are Stranded at the Edge of the Highway.

At midnight whilst driving on a toll road in Italy my husband gasps and say ‘Oh No, I have done something terrible.’ I wonder how bad can it be but judging by the depth of his gasp I know it isn’t great. He pulls over and declares he has left his wallet on top of a petrol pump. It slowly dawns on me that we filled up the car two hours ago. We also both realize that all the cash cards are in his wallet and between us we have

by Lehla Eldridge in

02 parenting for the future, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 20 Creativity, 27 Play Hanging out and Fun

The First Step Toward Unschooling: Unschooling the Parents.

‘Just let me live my life’ were the words that came out of my sons mouth yesterday as I tried to teach him about following a recipe. He was furious. He was wanting to cook, I was wanting to help him cook. He was wanting to make biscuits, I was wanting him to follow a recipe. He didn’t want to. I wanted him to. We hit a stalemate. ‘Just let me live my life and let me learn how I want to learn’ I caught myself in that moment, caught

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 15 Entrepreneurship, 27 Play Hanging out and Fun, 41 Socializing

18 things I learnt from the S-COOL HOMESCHOOLING/UNSCHOOLING BIGGEST MEETING EVER IN ITALY.

Our mechanic crashed our car prior to going to this unschooling/homeschooling event. Yes, you read that right. So the five of us were left with a very small 4 seater car which belonged to the garage. It wasn’t great. But we got there. The girls took the train with Ant and I drove with Jahli. Things don’t always go as planned. Turning up in Rimini was like going to Blackpool in the height of summer. I had a sleeping boy in the back and due to the fact that my sat nav didn’t work

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 16 The healthy child, 32 Mindfulness

Do we need to teach our kids table manners?

We tend to talk about the table manners across the table. We sometimes bark. I say bark because we are not perfect and we have been saying the same thing about eating nicely for a while now. We talk about it. We talk about if one of the kids went on a date to an Indian restaurant for example and their table manners were really bad, the date might be over at the first poppadom. Unless they went to one of these restaurants where they would be totally free to eat with their hands. I go on

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 21 For Mothers, 22 For Fathers

Frequently asked questions about UNSCHOOLING. PART ONE

If you take your kids out of ‘normal’ society, how do you expect them to ever be able to get back into society? I have never known what ‘normal’ society is, I don’t know that I have ever been in it, so in answering that question, I would ask another question. What is ‘normal society?’Aren’t we all just humans trying to live as best we can? Are you worried that your kids will never be able to get into higher education? I am not at all worried because I strongly believe that, if they want to get into

by Lehla Eldridge in

01 Alternative Education and Learning, 06 homechooling, 07 Unschooling, 08 self-directed learning, 09 For Parents, 10 for grandparents, 11 for friends, 27 Play Hanging out and Fun, 39 learning maths

What is Unschooling Anyway?

This is what I, Lehla mean by Unschooling. I do find it tricky having a label slapped on anything. So for the purpose of basic communication we are ‘unschooling’. But what does that actually mean? For me unschooling means many things but mainly these things listed below. Not going to school. Our hope is that our kids remain open, independent, curious, playful and questioning. Following the children’s desires and wants as best as we can by guiding them towards self directed learning. Unschooling for me, is what starts from minute

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