Author Archives: Carla

One of the difficulties of parenting a neurodivergent child is the idea that everything we do is by choice and could be done differently. Of course, we all make choices but sometimes the difference between two choices is stark. Many parents send their children to school and there may be bumps in the road butContinue reading “Is unschooling a choice for PDAers”

What is game schooling and how does it work? I personally think game schooling is one of the best ways to mix up your unschooling/homeschooling days. Turning anything into a game works well with toddlers but it also makes learning more interesting. You can make up your own game, things like skipping rope, hopscotch andContinue reading “Game schooling”

Is it ethical to spend billions on space missions to the Moon and Mars?Is it ethical to spend millions on movies?Is it ethical to spend hundreds of thousands on homes? Is it ethical? Personally, I don’t think so. Why are we continuing to ignore the impending catastrophe of climate change? Scientists are almost unanimous… NASAContinue reading “Is it ethical?”

PDA is a profile of autism called Pathological Demand Avoidance… officially. But recently a term of Persistent Drive for Autonomy has been circulating which seems a better and less medical fit. Unschooling is child-led, natural learning at home and in the community. For some, there is still an emphasis on education but for others, whoContinue reading “Unschooling PDAers”

What is learning? In the past seven days, my children have played many games of Bear Grylls survival outside, gone ‘camping’ in the backyard, made endless obstacle courses and ridden their bikes. My oldest has practiced some letter recognition and sounds but this is driven by a desire to read. My youngest has played withContinue reading “Radical acceptance”

When I first heard of unschooling, I was not part of some radical, anti-vaccination group of hippies. I was studying a Master of Teaching at University. Yes, in a teaching degree, I heard about unschooling. Not only did the course mention it, it was discussed in detail as a philosophy which could improve the currentContinue reading “Unschooling 101”

Motherhood shatters my identity. My face felt heavy as I stumbled out of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). My baby was connected to so many tubes and wires. Questions raged, and my heart raced, sweaty palms pulsing with anxiety. How could this be my life? How had this happened? That morning, I had drivenContinue reading “Becoming”

Home education neurodivergent (autistic, ADHD etc) kids is a lesson in acceptance. Part of the unschooling philosophy is to follow your child’s lead. If you are the parent of an autistic or other neurodivergent diagnosis, actually doing this in practice is actually really difficult. One of the ways to accept the less than ‘educational’ interestsContinue reading “Acceptance”

Becoming intentional is about learning how to value your time and money and use it in the best way you can. As a former high income earner, who is now a low income earner, I know what it is like to have to evaluate everything in terms of how useful it is. Becoming intentional beganContinue reading “Books I recommend”