ESTHER JONES

Society seems to have created an odd hierarchy of children's activities which, at first glance, is there to help us parent better and ensure our children go on to great things. Sitting at the top are the worthwhile activities (reading, playing an instrument, doing a craft etc) and, lurking at the bottom, are the time-wasters (think screen time or just not doing anything much at all). Between these extremes are all the other things our children spend their time on. As believer

I often reflect now on my own learning experiences and the ones that have impacted me most. I think that being willing to look at our own engagement with learning is an essential part of the 'deschooling' process. It can take some courage, but unschooling requires a good dose of courage, so being truthful to ourselves is a natural place to start. Plus, our own experiences are the only firsthand knowledge we're ever going to have of this magical process, so why not dive in and

Our sons, who are now 12 and 11, both learned to read about three years ago, when they were nine and eight respectively. When they were younger, I'd tried for a while to help them with their reading, assuming that with some gentle encouragement they would learn, but they'd pushed me away every time. I didn't really understand their lack of interest. They were smart and had lots of books, so why weren't they itching to read? Luckily, I came across a wonderful book called How c