In a world that often measures success by grades and schedules, unschooling offers a gentle, heart-centred alternative that honours each child’s natural curiosity and unique path. For our family, this approach means embracing learning through life’s everyday moments—whether it’s picking up litter to protect wildlife, exploring new places, or simply playing freely and safely atContinue reading “Poem About Unschooling: The Way We Wander”
Author Archives: Julia
Hold Onto Your Kids: An Ode to Dr. Gordon Neufeld
Why I Hold Onto Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s Wisdom: A Poetic Tribute In a world where childhood often feels overshadowed by peer pressure and social calendars packed with endless play dates, it can be challenging to share a different perspective on what children truly need to thrive. For over two decades, Dr. Gordon Neufeld has beenContinue reading “Hold Onto Your Kids: An Ode to Dr. Gordon Neufeld”
Poem: Strings and Wings
For much of my life, I felt like a puppet—my actions dictated by fear, perfectionism, and a constant urge to please. Growing up in an authoritarian home where affection was conditional and expectations unyielding, I learned early to silence my true self for the sake of harmony and approval. It took years of struggle, loss,Continue reading “Poem: Strings and Wings”
Poem: The (W)hole of Me
My life so far has been a powerful and moving story—one not widely known. For years, I struggled to find a way to set it free. This poem was born from that journey, inspired by the idea of transforming “the hole of me” into “the whole of me,” a concept I embraced after taking aContinue reading “Poem: The (W)hole of Me”
Breaking the “Don’t Care” Habit: Our Journey to Raising Caring Kids
My young children were so caring-worried about whether we might accidentally tread on a passing ant, always showing concern to each other or animals in particular. But almost overnight, it seemed, they became 6- and 8-year-olds with a new favourite phrase: “I don’t care!” The empathy I cherished seemed to vanish, replaced by indifference andContinue reading “Breaking the “Don’t Care” Habit: Our Journey to Raising Caring Kids”
Bringing Pinocchio to Life: A Magical Read-Aloud Experience for Kids
When my oldest daughter was about four or five years old, I wanted to find a chapter book version of Pinocchio for her. We had already enjoyed some shorter adaptations of the story, but I was eager for her to experience the full magic of the tale. Growing up, I was enchanted by Disney’s classic Pinocchio film, and IContinue reading “Bringing Pinocchio to Life: A Magical Read-Aloud Experience for Kids”
Why Our Kids’ Freedom Means More Stress for Us
Have you ever felt torn between wanting your child to be independent and worrying about what might happen if you let go? You’re not alone. Autonomy is defined as “the ability to make your own decisions without being controlled by anyone else”. Thinking of our kids, the more control we give our children, the less stress they experience. As children gain autonomy, parents naturallyContinue reading “Why Our Kids’ Freedom Means More Stress for Us”
Guinea Pigs Take the Stage: An Emotional Adaptation of Romeo & Juliet for Kids
A Guinea Pig Romeo & Juliet was one of the first guinea pig books we had read together. I sought out stories featuring guinea pigs to create a special connection with my children, especially after we recently welcomed two new guinea pigs into our family home. We home educate our three children, and when weContinue reading “Guinea Pigs Take the Stage: An Emotional Adaptation of Romeo & Juliet for Kids”
Tidy Attic, Happy Home: Storing Kids’ Unused Items Without Saying Goodbye
Being solo with 3 young kids and a lot of hoarded toys, books, teddies… it made for a very stressful life clearing away. I desperately wanted things to be organised so we could find things easily and so it would leave room for creative sparks to happen. Tidying up was becoming very burdensome. Something hadContinue reading “Tidy Attic, Happy Home: Storing Kids’ Unused Items Without Saying Goodbye”
Discovering Roald Dahl: Reading ‘The Witches’ Aloud and Bringing Stories to Life for My Kids
We home educate 3 children. When I first started to read them Roald Dahl’s books, the kids were approximately 6 years and 4 year old twins. We also found there were script versions of most of Roald Dahl’s books, which meant we spent hours creating our own home movies to watch back in the yearsContinue reading “Discovering Roald Dahl: Reading ‘The Witches’ Aloud and Bringing Stories to Life for My Kids”
Gentle Parent 