Virtual Kitchen Table

Erin

We’d like to welcome you to the Virtual Kitchen Table. We are Hayley from Taking a Kinder Path, Erin from Ever Learning and Ashley from Ashley as Mama and Storytime Shelves. We’re gathering to have conversations about family life and home education, most specifically unschooling, which is sometimes known as self-directed education or, as we sometimes refer to it, whole life learning, consent-based education or natural learning. We’ll be sharing experiences and ideas, learning as we go through relaxed conversation. We hope you’ll pull a chair up to the table and join us.

  1. 6 days ago

    Episode 61: How to Answer Common Homeschool Questions - Honest Talk and Deciding When to Say What, Part 1

    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

  2. 18 Aug

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

    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

  3. 5 Aug

    Episode 59: What is Unschooling? Part 3: Myths and Misconceptions, Continued

    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

  4. 15 July

    Episode 58: What is Unschooling? Part 3: Myths and Misconceptions

    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

  5. 2 July

    Episode 57: What is Unschooling, Part 2: What Unschooling Looks Like

    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

  6. 7 June

    What is Unschooling, Part 1: A Framework of Ideas

    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

  7. 18 May

    Episode 55: Young People Often Do Know What They Don’t Know

    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?

  8. 29 Apr

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

    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

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About

We’d like to welcome you to the Virtual Kitchen Table. We are Hayley from Taking a Kinder Path, Erin from Ever Learning and Ashley from Ashley as Mama and Storytime Shelves. We’re gathering to have conversations about family life and home education, most specifically unschooling, which is sometimes known as self-directed education or, as we sometimes refer to it, whole life learning, consent-based education or natural learning. We’ll be sharing experiences and ideas, learning as we go through relaxed conversation. We hope you’ll pull a chair up to the table and join us.

Information

  • Creator
    Erin
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Erin
  • Show Website
    Virtual Kitchen Table