On this episode of The Literate Child, our guest is the lovely Dayna Martin. Dayna is an advocate in the radical unschooling movement, and is an inspiring human being. She has written two books – ‘Radical Unschooling – A Revolution has Begun’, and ‘Sexy Birth’. She is a speaker, thought-provoker, and change maker. In this episode, we discuss radical unschooling, peaceful parenting, and the importance of parents meeting their own needs. If you have something you would like to add to the discussion, we welcome your comments! To find out more, go to www.daynamartin.com, visit the Sparkling Martin’s You Tube channel....

In this episode, Rebecca and Nanci talk about sensory, environmental, and emotional triggers, and how we can meet our children’s specific needs without limiting their experiences in the wider world. As well as playing an impromptu Trigger Game, Nanci and Rebecca explore the following concepts: Safeguarding against meltdowns before they occur. Identifying the triggers behind the behaviours. Breaking down behaviour to understand the cause. Desensitisation versus acclimatisation. Proactive (versus reactive) behaviour management strategies. Meeting needs before behaviour escalates. Paying attention to cues to understand and foresee your child’s triggers. Finding solutions for specific situations. Looking beneath the surface of behaviour....

In this episode, Rebecca talks with author, entrepreneur, mother, and fellow dyslexic Tiffany Sunday about learning by trying, throwing mud at walls, finding your community, identifying your ‘workarounds’, her inability to grasp phonics and learning to read by memorising words instead, knowledge-hungry brains, and failing upwards. Tiffany Sunday is the author of Dyslexia’s Competitive Edge and You Posted What!?. Tiffany’s writing topics are fluid, ranging from entrepreneurship to technology, personal development, and how dyslexia is a competitive edge. She writes about topics she believes are important. Her books have sold in multiple countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and Australia. You...

On this episode of The Literate Child, Rebecca Laffar-Smith and Nanci Nott chat with Lorri McCarthy. Lorri began home schooling her eight year old son, Maxx, after becoming unhappy with the way he was treated at school. Maxx has been diagnosed with ADHD, and is on the waiting list for an autism assessment. Since removing Maxx from school, and taking Maxx off his ADHD medication, Lorri has seen positive changes in her son. Instead of negative self-talk, depression, and suicidal thoughts, Maxx says, his ‘heart feels happy again’, and he has regained a healthy appetite. Massive lifestyle changes (such as...

This episode is unique, in that it was never intended to be a podcast episode. It was a casual, late night, on-line chat between Rebecca and Nanci, which was unknowingly recorded onto the tail end of an actual episode. We decided to share this honest, unguarded conversation with our listeners, as the content may be thought provoking and/or relevant to our audience. We welcome any feedback. You may (or may not) agree with our perspectives, but we invite our listeners to share their opinions, including opinions of our opinions. The concepts we contemplated throughout our late night chat ranged from...