Bel - Central Highlands, TAS / Muwinina Country

04/28/24 • 61 min

“How many of us are in our 40s now only just learning how to be artists again because we were told we weren't any good at it?”
Bel is raising her two boys (aged 8 and 5) alongside her sister and daughter (aged 6) with the loving support of their parents. They all live & learn together on four acres overlooking the beautiful Derwent River in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. This multigenerational family are an inspiring example of folk who have dared to do things a little differently. They are all reaping the benefits of living life without school, with plenty of love and support.

SUMMARY

Born and bred Tassie girl Bel attended a tiny primary school (42 kids in total) and aside from two difficult years, she mostly loved school. She had a great memory, was an early effortless reader and eager to please - a teacher’s dream!
Bel always knew she wanted to be a mum, but was unlucky in love. After a few nudges from others, she woke up one morning and thought, I’m just going to do it myself. It felt like the right thing to do and it was a straight forward IVF experience.
Bel recalls how one property sparked all their imaginations and brought three generations of the one family together, six years ago.
Her eldest son enjoyed his kindergarten experience so it came as a shock to Bel when his teacher suggested he would be labelled a naughty kid at school for being a bit of dreamer and that maybe she should consider homeschooling.
When Tassie borders re-opened post covid lockdown, Bel’s hand was forced into giving homeschooling a chance so to keep her family healthy in order to keep her business running.
They began with a play based pre-school curriculum at home and were learning & deschooling on the fly with their choice to homeschool being a last minute decision.
"And then by the time I’d really read into homeschooling, I was like, well, this is it. I can't go back now.”
How Bel is able to run her business, unschool her kids and take care of herself and her family
Bel outlines how each member of the family has a different role to play in the larger dynamic of this multigenerational household and how these have naturally fallen into place over the years.
Despite easily deschooling, Bel still gets the reading wobbles! Don’t we all?
Freedom and time together are her favourite aspects of homeschooling.
Homeschooling kids deserve to have interests that aren't an educational topic.

CONNECT
Instagram - @bel.birds

NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find quotes, links and references to all resources, books and inspiration Bel shares in this episode:
FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories
This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

SUMMARY

Born and bred Tassie girl Bel attended a tiny primary school (42 kids in total) and aside from two difficult years, she mostly loved school. She had a great memory, was an early effortless reader and eager to please - a teacher’s dream!
Bel always knew she wanted to be a mum, but was unlucky in love. After a few nudges from others, she woke up one morning and thought, I’m just going to do it myself. It felt like the right thing to do and it was a straight forward IVF experience.
Bel recalls how one property sparked all their imaginations and brought three generations of the one family together, six years ago.
Her eldest son enjoyed his kindergarten experience so it came as a shock to Bel when his teacher suggested he would be labelled a naughty kid at school for being a bit of dreamer and that maybe she should consider homeschooling.
When Tassie borders re-opened post covid lockdown, Bel’s hand was forced into giving homeschooling a chance so to keep her family healthy in order to keep her business running.
They began with a play based pre-school curriculum at home and were learning & deschooling on the fly with their choice to homeschool being a last minute decision.
"And then by the time I’d really read into homeschooling, I was like, well, this is it. I can't go back now.”
How Bel is able to run her business, unschool her kids and take care of herself and her family
Bel outlines how each member of the family has a different role to play in the larger dynamic of this multigenerational household and how these have naturally fallen into place over the years.
Despite easily deschooling, Bel still gets the reading wobbles! Don’t we all?
Freedom and time together are her favourite aspects of homeschooling.
Homeschooling kids deserve to have interests that aren't an educational topic.

CONNECT
Instagram - @bel.birds

Previous Episode

Ilaria - Canberra, ACT / Ngunnawal Country

"I want to unschool to give her more freedom. I can't start the journey by forcing her out of school... you can send your kids to school and still be an unschooler in my view. The point is they have the choice”
Italy may be Ilaria’s country of origin but she well and truly calls our nations capital home. She and her husband (who fatefully met on the day she arrived in Australia over 23 years ago) are raising their two daughters (ages 14 and 8) on a small farm, that she lovingly describes as a geriatric retirement home for animals. Their unschooling experiment began during the covid pandemic lockdowns and they haven’t looked back.
SUMMARY

Growing up Ilaria's parents described school as her job. They went to work, she went to school. Her duty was to make the most of it and do a good job and she did.
The idea of homeschooling began as a joke when Ilaria was deciding on which school to send her daughter to and none of the local options were overly impressive, but it was lockdowns that opened her eyes to the real possibility of adopting an unschooling lifestyle.
Because her kids were home, she started observing them and thinking - if she let them do whatever they want, what would they actually learn?
Once she saw first hand that they were naturally ticking off the curriculum, they began their unschooling adventure in earnest.
Social connections, just like learning, are different in this lifestyle. Navigating teen friendships has been their greatest, but only challenge. Everything else has been a joy.
Ilaria loves that her kids ask a tonne of really amazing, left field questions as she herself remembers never asking questions in class because she was so terrified of saying the wrong thing.
"For the first time in my life, I'm learning because I want to. You know, I think maybe that's secretly the best part of it."
Ilaria and her family are a tech family, if they are not out and about in the world they tend to be on screens at home.
Other resources that contribute to unschooling for their family are Chat GPT, the wildlife sanctuary where her daughter volunteers, musical theatre, boardgames, science kits, podcasts, audiobooks and social media.
The Canberra Homeschool Open Day organised by Ilaria will be held on May 20th 2024 and you can find out more information about it via their website.
“I do have hobbies. Like I love to sew and I make soap and all of that. But really, at the moment, my main hobby is homeschooling my kids. It sounds pretty, I don't know, weird. But I'm having a ball doing it.”

INSPIRATION
Unschooling Mom2Mom podcast

CONNECT
Instagram - @unschooling_adventure
Canberra Homeschool Open Day website - homeschoolopendaycanberra.weebly.com

NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find a more detailed summary of what Ilaria shares in this episode.
FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories
This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Next Episode

Joss - Denmark, WA / Minang Country

"Even all the times when it was really, really hard, if I could go back right to the beginning now, I would make exactly the same choices to do it all over again. It's just been the most beautiful experience of my life.”
Today I have the pleasure of sharing Joss Goulden’s reflections on her adult children’s natural learning life. As an aware parenting instructor and parenting coach, Joss is passionate about supporting children and parents to thrive and heal with compassion and connection. In this episode she beautifully espouses how much her family’s homeschooling journey has meant to her. Settle in, pour yourself a cup of tea and let the sage words of encouragement from Joss wash over you.
SUMMARY

Joss was born in the Phillipines but grew up mostly in the UK. Her father was a diplomat which meant her family travelled a lot and at the age of 8 she was sent to boarding school in the UK, where she stayed for the remainder of her schooling.
Joss left school with a lot of trauma that she wasn’t aware of at the time but she was interested in people and psychology and how we work as humans and went on to study psychology, human communication science & counselling.
She and her husband settled in Australia after spending years travelling themselves, and when they decided to have children of their own, Joss dove deep into the attachment and aware parenting philosophies.
Attachment is the first and most fundamental aspect of aware parenting and what children need in order to thrive is this sense that they are safely connected with another adult who loves them, who cares about their wellbeing, who is tuned into them and is responsive to their needs. Where they feel safe and supported and loved.
Attachment, relationship, connection and safety are vitally important for children's well-being.
How & why homeschooling naturally evolved into natural learning for their family.
The importance of surrounding yourself with like minded community and how her own community varied and evolved over the years.
Seeing the value of all kinds of learning equally.
How Joss navigated the teen years and the natural separation process with the strong foundation of love and support that has guided them throughout.
The pathways her eldest took getting into TAFE and university.
It’s okay to take your children out of school. It’s okay to do things differently.

CONNECT
Instagram - @awareparentingwithjoss

Facebook - Aware Parenting with Joss

Website - awareparenting.com.au

NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find quotes, links and references to all Joss shares in this episode:
FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories
This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.