My mother will tell you that from the time I was a tot I had a tendency to compare. In my eyes everyone else was prettier, more talented, and happier than I was. And in the many, many conversations my mom and I had on the subject, she usually mentioned at some point that famous […]
Unschooling Blog
Making a Soap Souffle
A good experiment can entice all four of my kids, regardless of their age range. This one was super simple, but gave us lots of bang for our buck! We found Soap Souffle on Steve Spangler Science…but of course, we added a few twists of our own! Here’s what we did: First, we compared Ivory […]
School Days: the Sequel
This fall, Thomas decided to take on fifth grade academics. He was eager to know “everything a fifth grader knows”. It was the first time we’d be using formal curriculum in four years, but he and I were both up for it. Bright and early one September morning we officially launched fifth grade (okay, it […]
My Favorite Video Clips
Have you had a chance to check out the clips on my videos page? I love hearing what others have to say about unschooling, child development, and the current education system, and I’ve been collecting my favorites to share with you. If you have a few minutes, take a look! What would you add to […]
Taking Off the Training Wheels
“Mommy, take off my training wheels. I want to ride like a big kid!” my four-year old commanded. It was all of two weeks since she’d received her first two-wheeler, and she was tired of those “baby training wheels” holding her back. She wanted some speed, wanted to feel the wind whipping through her hair, […]
School Days
According to my town calendar, school officially starts tomorrow, and Thomas becomes a fifth grader. Having taught fifth grade, I’ve been feeling somewhat nostalgic all summer. How did my baby get this old so quickly? Is it possible that five academic years have passed since we started this homeschooling journey? It’s been a bittersweet feeling, […]
Catch the Unschooling Summit
I’m happy to announce the upcoming 2013 Unschooling Summit, created by Michelle Barone. Michelle has gathered an exciting line up of speakers to support you on your journey – wherever it may be taking you! Summit interviews will air June 10th through June 14th You can register for FREE at Unschooling Summit The 2013 Unschooling […]
It’s All in the Image
Recently we became the proud owners of a beautiful new Bengal kitten named Misty. He came into our lives because of my daughter Katy’s deep and abiding passion for cats. For a long time, we didn’t see a cat in our future (mainly because of the rattling asthmatic wheeze that I develop after about 10 […]
From Wheezing to Why Not?: Supporting Children’s Passions
This weekend, our new kitten, Misty, joined our family. He was a long time in coming – and I’m not just talking about the 10 weeks we had to wait until he was weaned and ready to leave his mama. No, for us the journey to our kitten was long and winding, with many challenges […]
Unschoolers Rock!
A month ago today, my family attended the Life Rocks! unschooling conference in beautiful North Conway, NH. It was five days of non-stop, jam-packed festivities. To be among like-minded people was, for many of us, a blessing, a respite, a sanctuary from the world in which we usually live. It was easy to see how […]