The Unschool Space

In this episode, I’m joined by Lehla Eldridge. Lehla is an illustrator and a performer. She and her husband Anthony have three children, twin daughters, who are nearly 18, and their son who is 15. They’ve been unschooling for many years, and their desire to try something different took them to Italy for four years, and then back to the UK. Lehla and her husband wrote about their experiences in their book Jump Fall Fly, which they published four years ago. An updated edition will be coming out soon. I was really delighted to finally chat with Lehla. I came across her blog about living an unschooling life in Italy when I was doing a similar thing in Spain, and so much of her experiences resonated with me.  Today, among other things, we talk about the long process of letting go, undoing our own scripts, rediscovering our passions and unschooling with teenagers. You can find out more about Lehla on her website https://www.jumpfallfly.com and on Instagram at @unschooling_the_kidsYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest in this episode is Paige Hall. Paige has three children, who are nine, seven and four, and she came to unschooling during the pandemic. Without the expectations of school and with the focus entirely on her connection with her children, she found that everyone was  happier and more confident, and learning to exercise their own autonomy. So, from there she has embraced a new way of living, and has spent this year learning and really working at picking apart the old paradigms. I absolutely loved talking with Paige, and hearing how radically her family is being transformed. And, more than anything, about how her children have responded to being trusted and embraced wholly for who they are. I hope you enjoy the conversation.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

In this episode I am joined by Heidi Steel. Heidi has four children and lives in West Sussex in the UK. Before having children, Heidi used to work as an early years primary school teacher. Her experience in the education system was part of her and her husband’s choice not to send their children to school. Heidi runs a Facebook group called Live Play Learn, where she supports unschooling families. Heidi also works with unschooling families, one on one, and runs the podcast Unschooling Conversations. Among other things, we talk about how learning happens without a curriculum, living in connection with our children, and why finding our own selves in the process is perhaps an inevitable part of  deschooling. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest this episode is Naomi Fisher. Naomi is a clinical psychologist and mother of two. Her children were unschooled for six years and now attend a self-directed learning centre. Naomi has just published a wonderful book about self-directed learning, entitled Changing our  Minds, which explores the theory and research behind autonomous learning, alongside lots of real-life examples. In this episode, we talk about why autonomy is so important to learning, why school can be particularly tough for  our neurodivergent children and how these children can truly thrive in an unschooling environment.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today, I’m joined by writer and mother-of-two, Sophie Lovett. Sophie has two sons, aged eight and three, and found her way to unschooling as a natural progression of attachment-style parenting. Sophie was formerly a teacher, but found it hard to reconcile how she wanted her children to live with the demands of mainstream schooling. Like so many of us, she has found the journey into unschooling to also be a journey into her own learning and into the ways that her own experiences of education continued to manifest in her life long into adulthood. For Sophie, this has in particular meant unpicking the power imbalances that are so prevalent in our society, and understanding how they serve to disempower us. Since having children, she has rekindled her passion for writing, and she is currently writing a book about how we raise children. You can find out more about Sophie on her blog www.raisingrevolutionaries.co.ukYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

In this episode of The Unschool Space, I'm delighted to be talking to my friend Sophie Larcher. We met when we both lived in Barcelona, and I remember being so excited to finally come across another unschooling family. Sophie is French and is a costume designer. She, her partner Claudio, who is an artist and teacher, and their two children, Rita and Sacha, have just moved to London. Sophie's journey into unschooling began when they took their daughter out of school after just three weeks. From there, she has never really looked back. In this episode we chat about living an authentic life with our children,  all the things we discover about ourselves along the way, and how we can stay grounded in the midst of it all. Like most unschooling parents, Sophie has found the journey to be one of intense learning and discovery for herself.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I'm joined by Nicola Corcoran, whose journey into life without school began as a search for wellness and happiness. Nicola was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago, when her children were just three and six. She left her job as an illustrator and took time to focus on her healing. The following year, after her son became seriously ill, she and her husband decided to take both children out of school and find a new way to live as a family.  They moved from the city to a small town in  pursuit of a less stressful, more joyful life. Nicola has found her healing process often reflected in her parenting choices. Not only in the need to cherish every moment of life, but also in how important it is that each of us has autonomy to make the choices and decisions that are right for us. Whilst she been nurturing trust in herself, she has also nurtured it in her children.Nicola shares the wellness knowledge she has cultivated over 11 years of learning through workshops for young people and wellness packages. If you'd like to know more about Nicola or connect with her, you can find her at: https://www.facebook.com/Nourish-and-Grow-2009320902518392/https://www.instagram.com/nourish_and.grow/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Artist and single mother, Jenny Arran, joins me to chat about the process of our own deschooling. We talk about cultivating trust in our children, the ways they direct their own learning, and what we need to do in order to support ourselves on this sometimes challenging journey. As an artist, Jenny brings a wonderfully observant eye to her own process, and shares how being in nature and making time for reflection help keep her nourished.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace