Unschooling Site News, SandraDodd.com

Rearrangement

2012-01-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time, I rearranged my index page:
http://SandraDodd.com
I moved the SCA stuff elsewhere (link at the bottom of the middle section) and put a remote feed to Just Add Light and Stir, which will update itself every day. Otherwise, it's about the same.

I've moved notifications of speaking to its own blog. Some of the links are to other blogs, but that's because some events are run by others, in other languages, and because I'm really enjoying having a blog particular to international trips, so I can keep my photos and exciting news there.
http://speakingsandradodd.blogspot.com/
Planned talks in the next two years (some more solid than others): MA, NJ-maybe, OR, France, Scotland, The Netherlands, England, CA, FL, NM, Portugal, Spain, CA-maybe, Australia, India.

Because other people's webpages disappear, I'm starting to try to save any translation of my writings (or Joyce's, or Pam's, or others of that ilk) that I come across. I have collections in six languages, with hints or promises of a few more. French, particularly, is really ratcheting up. There will be some Portuguese translations created in preparation for June 2013 (Joyce is going there with me).

The page for that is called "translation":
http://sandradodd.com/translation/

Labels, Languages, ALL Unschooling 2012

2012-01-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Something new by Jenny Cyphers at "Problems with labelling children"
http://sandradodd.com/labels

An attempt to gather and preserve translations of unschooling writings:
http://sandradodd.com/translation
(Yet another site has disappeared, and though I retrieved some with the Way Back Machine, some will likely be gone forever.)

There will be another ALL Unschooling Symposium in Albuquerque this December, and you can subscribe there to receive updates on that. The schedule has been published, and I'll start taking applications in a few weeks. Attendees will be expected to be members of the Always Learning discussion list (at least one of the parents), and to be familiar with Joyce Fetteroll's unschooling site and mine. It's not a gathering for beginning beginners.
http://allunschooling2012.blogspot.com/p/schedule.html

Lulu Discount on my books for a few days

2012-01-27T10:41:00.005-07:00

~~I'm not positive this will work outside the U.S. If someone tries it and it does or doesn't, please let me know. Thanks.~~ (It worked in British pounds from the UK, and it worked from Portugal.)
Worked from Canada!

Or Moving a Puddle, or both. Use SHELFSTOCK305 as a discount code before you finish checking out.

Adam Daniel, Limits, Netherlands & France

2012-01-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Some of Adam Daniel's presentation in Albuquerque from December 31, 2011:
http://sandradodd.com/adamlearns
(Adam is six years old and was one of the speakers
at the ALL Unschooling Symposium.)
the photo is by Tim Mensch.

French translation
http://www.journaljose.blogspot.com/2012/01/les-limites_17.html
of "Limits"
http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com/2012/01/limits.html

Plans for speaking in the Netherlands and in France:
http://sandraeurope2012.blogspot.com/p/netherlands.html
http://sandraeurope2012.blogspot.com/p/france.html

Sugar, expansion, courage

2012-01-18T20:15:00.001-07:00

Photo of Deb Lewis by Tim Mensch,
Albuquerque, December 30, 2011

Addition of a story about how many sugar cubes one child will eat, given a full box:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sugar
(third bit down the page)

Twinkies and blueberries, second small bit at the top:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sweets

The principles that make unschooling work can expand into all of one's life. Sylvia Woodman gave me permission to share something she wrote about her feelings as her mother was in intensive care. I will link a small bit from which you can choose to see more or not.
http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com/2012/01/do-what-it-takes.html

Deb Lewis, on Becoming Courageous
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/courage

Issues, speaking

2012-01-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Expansion of "When Parents Have Issues"
http://sandradodd.com/issues/

Summer plans (speaking in Scotland, England, the Netherlands and France in 2012)
http://sandraeurope2012.blogspot.com/
If you're interested in that one, please subscribe there, upper right of that page.

I'm speaking in Vancouver, Washington in May; in Sacramento, California in August; somewhere in the NE U.S. sometime in the fall. Information on the first two:
http://aboutunschooling.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-speaking-plans-for-next-nearly-year.html

There will be another ALL Unschooling Symposium in Albuquerque this December, though registration isn't yet open.
http://allunschooling2012.blogspot.com/

"Choix," food in quantity, dads

2012-01-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

La Valeur des Choix
Catherine Goudouchaouri's translation of "The Value of Choices" (a page with various authors)
http://sandradodd.com/french/choix (new)

Several translations of Just Add Light and Stir posts have been made, and are linked here:
http://sandradodd.com/french (additions)

Bingeing and hoarding (lesser variations of those, and food, and unschooling)
http://sandradodd.com/eating/quantities (new)

Dads (a paper-folding story of now-grown unschooled man)
http://sandradodd.com/dads (addition)

Feedback, Boredom, Spirituality, Le monde est à elle

2011-12-04T16:03:00.001-07:00

All new pages:

Very nice feedback:
http://sandradodd.com/feedback/betsyS

Boredom
http://sandradodd.com/boredom

Spirituality
http://sandradodd.com/spirituality

Another French translation (brief, but sweet) from Just Add Light and Stir:
http://journaljose.blogspot.com/2011/12/le-monde-est-elle.html

"Results"

2011-11-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some comments about when and natural learning starts to really show, and what it looks like.

New in the middle of this page:
http://sandradodd.com/deschoolingcomments
"... That has now changed and he has many interests—baking, voice-acting, chemistry, comedy writing, the Rennaisance (thanks, Merlin and the BBC!), and on and on. He had to find a peaceful home in himself before he could start to decorate it with knowledge."

Without deschooling on the child's part:
http://sandradodd.com/feedback/betsyS
"It's all come true...the kindness, the respect, the sparkle."

French translations

2011-11-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

Four articles (two by me, one by Pam Sorooshian and one by Deb Lewis) and ten "Just Add Light and Stir" posts are now linked on the French page.
SandraDodd.com/french

Thanks to Catherine Goudouchaouri, Claire Rakotonimaro, and Edith Chabot, of the UK, France and Quebec, respectively, for these gifts of translation! Please pass the links on to anyone who might want more unschooling input in French.

The new pages are:

Imagination De Deb Lewis - Traduit par Catherine Goudouchaouri
Respirer Traduit par Catherine Goudouchaouri
Pam Sorooshian's "I LIVE THEREFORE I LEARN: Living an Unschooling Life.", a translation by Claire Rakotonimaro
L'école dans ma tête Traduit par Edith Chabot

Also by Edith Chabot, from Just Add Light and Stir:

Photo by Leon McNeill, of Claire and me, last summer, in Baud, Bretagne

1994, 1999 (typical days at my house)

2011-11-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

"Out of Pink Crayons"
http://sandradodd.com/pinkcrayons

Transcriptions of things published many years ago, but never on my site until now.

On the day I wrote the first part, Holly was two years old, nearly three. She's twenty years old now. The follow-up was written at the end of 1999 or beginning of 2000, because Holly was eight and Marty was ten. There's only a small window between their birthdays.

There are photos and links to other photos, too. Anyone who thinks of me as the mother of young adults can visit a time I had nap-taking children I could carry around on my hip.

The Past, The Future and Now

2011-11-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

The talk I gave in London last summer can be listened to while looking at the power point presentation that went with it. Tadaa!

http://sandradodd.com/listen/london2011.html

There were two tongue-fumbles, but I put notes at the bottom. The slide show doesn't advance on its own. You'll need to change it yourself. Good luck. :-) [No problem just running it back and forth randomly while you're listening, really.]

This photo is me with Emma Fuller. She was over at my house the other day for Holly's birthday, and said she hadn't seen me since London. This was taken the day before I spoke at the LiTTLe Conference. If they have another one, I'm definitely going back.

UK article and chitchat

2011-11-04T12:50:00.000-06:00

I had posted something here that I meant to post at http://unschooling.blogspot.com/2011/11/womanmagazine-uk.html

Something else new but not on my site is a new link to a review of this last summer's London conference: http://www.lttl.org.uk/ The fourth link is new to the site, and she especially liked Schuyler's presentation.

Just Add Light and Stir continues.

This note is here so that anyone who got an earlier e-mail and tries to follow it back won't be frustrated. :-)
Have a nice November!

Gratuitous photo is of Holly on her 20th birthday, two days ago, in the parking lot after a nice lunch with the rest of her family (minus Kirby) and most of the McNeill's (minus Helene and Sophie, whom we'd spoken with by Skype the day before).

My speaking plans for the next nearly-a-year

2011-10-31T12:05:00.001-06:00

Over the next many-months, I will be speaking and hanging out here:

The ALL Unschooling Symposium
Albuquerque
December 28-31, 2011
http://sandradodd.com/all
It will be small, but is already international, with a family from Ontario, Canada, and one from Sussex, England.

HENA
Tempe, Arizona March 31/April 1, 2012
(no link yet, except the state org: http://www.hena.us/ )
Site lost; cancelled for this year.

Life is Good
Vancouver Washington
May 24-27, 2012

Either before or after that, late Spring or June/July, The LiTTLe Conferencein London (if they have a 2012 conference) and so perhaps in Edinburgh, and probably, if the trip happens, I'll speak in Leiden, in the Netherlands.
UPDATES! Addition of France.

HSC Conference
Sacramento, California
August 2-5, 2012
(Site's not ready yet, but will be here later: http://www.hsc.org/index.php)
hscconference.com

Chat transcripts, More Random Excitement

2011-10-30T14:33:00.000-06:00

Directory of chat transcripts, each on one section of The Big Book of Unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/chats/bigbook/directory
To subscribe to chat announcements, join this list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChatNote/

I've added 88 pages to the random page generator:
http://sandradodd.com/random
They're all new in the past year and some, but many are from this month. Now the random generator has 734 links. Have fun!

Clarity, Skepticism, "Nook" books

2011-10-28T20:55:00.001-06:00

New on clarity of thought and expression, lower left:
http://sandradodd.com/clarity

Skepticism and the nature of unschooling
(skip this if you're in a light and fluffy mood)
I've added to the top of the page, and to the bottom.
The middle part was announced here in August, 2006.
http://sandradodd.com/skepticism

Barnes & Noble has electronic versions of my books on their site now.

Nook Book Version of The Big Book of Unschooling
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/big-book-of-unschooling-sandra-dodd/1105701706?ean=9781257152254&itm=1&usri=9781257152254
Nook Book Version of Moving a Puddle
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moving-a-puddle-sandra-dodd/1105698350?ean=9781257174911&itm=1&usri=9781257174911

When I first submitted these books to Lulu.com, Moving a Puddle had color pictures, but they advised after that to put photos in black and white. So The Big Book has b&w photos. Bummer in retrospect. At least in the iBook versions, anyway, Moving a Puddle has color images! :-)

iTunes:
Moving a Puddle
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/moving-a-puddle/id441773032?mt=11

The Big Book of Unschooling
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/big-book-of-unschooling/id441277658?mt=11

Spouses, Families, Movies, Stories

2011-10-26T10:40:00.000-06:00

Schuyler Waynforth, about a forgotten anniversary, and contentment:
http://sandradodd.com/spouses
(upper left)

Ben Lovejoy, four new pages to add to the one article I had. Three came from "Connections," and one Ben sent me in May, when I was in England, and it was lost in the shuffle until now!
http://sandradodd.com/benlovejoy
is the directory page, and the newly-presented information is here:

"No Rules-Sir ,Yes Sir" (Ben's life, the military, being an unschooling dad)
http://sandradodd.com/lovejoy/norules.html

A Look Back (movies, families)
http://sandradodd.com/lovejoy/alookback.html

Following our Passions to Bonnaroo (music, road trips, relationships)
http://sandradodd.com/lovejoy/bonnaroo.html

The Stories of Our Families (the value of storytelling)
http://sandradodd.com/lovejoy/stories.html

Natural Math, Needs, Science

2011-10-14T12:54:00.000-06:00

Lyla's story of her son stumping a teacher (unknowingly):
http://sandradodd.com/math/natural

New writing by Joyce on meeting a child's needs (or on the futility of resisting meeting a child's needs):
http://sandradodd.com/needs

Schuyler Waynforth, in an article from 2007, rescued just this week from a sinking website, with nice big photos sent directly from Schuyler yesterday!
http://sandradodd.com/schuyler/science.html

Moving a Puddle reviews; how to strew; cosleeping

2011-10-12T16:26:00.000-06:00

The Connections ezine site will not be maintained by its owner, and I was told to grab what I wanted before it was gone. One month, my first book was featured as a resource, and I've saved that page, with its reviews, here:
http://sandradodd.com/feedback/puddlebookreviews

A new part, second in, here, on how to strew:
http://sandradodd.com/strew/how

Two new bits up top on the co-sleeping page:
http://sandradodd.com/sleep/cosleeping

If someone has a good co-sleeping photo I can use there, I'd appreciate it. (I can use more than one.)

More by Deb Lewis

2011-10-06T20:30:00.001-06:00

All new pages, all Deb Lewis!

And if you like these ideas, please consider coming to the ALL Unschooling Symposium December 29-31, where Deb will speak about unschooling for the first time.

Sympathetic, Empathetic, or Simply Pathetic?
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/sympathetic

Cultural Ideas and Change
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/culturalideas
How accepted truths (memes) make unschooling difficult to see and believe.

The Evidence of Years: hindsight, milestones, and big differences
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/years

Unschooler's Pipe Wrench
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/humor
"We understand we don't always have a choice about what life brings us, but we always have a choice about how we face it. And we face it wearing big red clown noses."

Not Even Close to All For McNaught
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/notevenclose

Confessions of a Lawbreaker: "My son Dylan has been voting for years. According to the Twenty sixth Amendment he doesn't have the right to vote until he's eighteen years old, but we amended that amendment, at least in our own minds...."
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/confessions

Deb Lewis on Monsters; Ren Allen on Snowflakes

2011-10-05T20:19:00.000-06:00

These articles are both five years old, but have lived on a site that will be dissolving soon, so I've brought them and their photos and will be bringing some other articles by authors I've been collecting. Sometimes my pack-rat "collect the whole set" nature can benefit others.

How a Monster and a Dead Guy Named Howard Led a Boy to a World of Connections, by Deb Lewis
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/monster

Crystallized Learning, by Ren Allen
http://sandradodd.com/ren/crystallized

Praise of Joyce, Art, Science

2011-09-29T10:24:00.000-06:00

Praise of Joyce Fetteroll (from India this time):
http://sandradodd.com/joycefetteroll
(Click the image at right for another Joyce quote.)

Something fishy on the art page:
http://www.sandradodd.com/art/

The science page has balls (unless you're on an iPad):
http://sandradodd.com/science/

Abundance and Curiosity

2011-09-23T22:11:00.002-06:00

Something new by Jenny Cyphers, at the bottom of "Abundance"
http://sandradodd.com/abundance

New page on the value of curiosity in unschooling parents:
http://sandradodd.com/curiosity

Magnets for sale

2011-09-22T22:07:00.001-06:00

Holly and I made a set of five magnets with photos from Just Add Light and Stir, and quotes—not the same quotes they first appeared with, but some chosen to go with the photos. Quotes and photos maybe be seen in detail at http://SandraDodd.com/magnets .

We sold all the sets we had at The Good Vibrations Conference, but received a new shipment today. The proceeds will go toward rental of meeting rooms for the ALL Unschooling Symposium in Albuquerque in December. The result of having the magnets on your fridge or filing cabinet might be that might be inspired or reminded to be patient and present. They might also make great gifts!!

A full set of five is $10 (including shipping); individual magazines, with shipping, are $3.

Confidence, Principles, Unschooling without Labels

2011-09-20T10:01:00.000-06:00

Addition to the "Confidence" page, something Meredith Novak wrote on Facebook.
(top of the page:)
http://sandradodd.com/confidence

Principles, something new by Joyce up top, and links added at the bottom.
http://sandradodd.com/principles
This page could be a new starting place for the site, with a week's worth of reading.
Perhaps too intense for beginners.
Definitely a time for "Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch."

In light of another spate of arguments for diagnosing and labelling children's "shiny differences," Chris Sanders wrote about traits her daughter had that needed time, attention, and unschooling, rather than professional "help."
http://sandradodd.com/words/without

Magnets for sale

2011-09-14T16:19:00.001-06:00

Magnets for sale now! http://sandradodd.com/magnets

Photos by Sandra or Holly, quotes by Sandra, photoshop artistry by Holly, webpage by Sandra...

Magnets by Sandra and Holly Dodd

Minecraft, Needs, Math, Dice Games

2011-09-03T06:56:00.000-06:00

A new page on Minecraft, and parents not only accepting and supporting, but sharing a child's fascination with a game.
http://sandradodd.com/videogames/minecraft

That link and another new one are added up top here:
http://sandradodd.com/videogames/

A five year old is being sneaky; a parent is being an obstacle.
Joyce and Jenny C responded:
http://sandradodd.com/needs

New, about cows, Barbie and My Little Pony, on the math phobia page:
http://sandradodd.com/math/phobia.html

Games with dice that can be played out and about, by Pam Sorooshian (bottom part is new)
http://sandradodd.com/math/pamdice

My Just Add Light and Stir blog was a year old yesterday.

Co-Sleeping, Priorities, Control

2011-08-26T08:03:00.001-06:00

Co-Sleeping
New quote by Vickie Bergman, and link, lower left; general page cleanup.
http://sandradodd.com/sleep/cosleeping

Something new, about mid-page, by Caren Knox, about Priorities and unschooling:
http://sandradodd.com/priorities

I'm reminded again how much I like the titles Holly did for me a few years back.

New by Schuyler Waynforth, up top on the Control page: http://sandradodd.com/control
and another Holly title:

Sugar, Spouses, Law of Attraction

2011-08-21T13:26:00.000-06:00

Two new bits on kids and sugar, both by Annie Kessler, one she wrote on facebook, and the other she wrote to me so this will be a first-ever exclusive peek! :-)

http://sandradodd.com/eating/sugar#kessler
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sweets
They toggle back and forth, so you won't need to read the two pages to find them, but you might want to!

Gail posted photos and words about a hike she and Broc took together. It's sweet and inspiring.
I linked it here:
http://sandradodd.com/spouses
It's not so new now, but I forgot to announce it; sorry. Those attending the Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference in San Diego next month can hear Gail and Broc in person.

I was asked for what I had written on how "the law of attraction" can hinder unschooling. I've found two things and put them together here:
http://sandradodd.com/lawofattraction
If others remember where other discussions are, or have written something that could be added to that page, please send me a note.

Teens' jobs / force / "kind of" unschooling

2011-08-20T10:09:00.001-06:00

One new example on teens getting jobs (upper left):
http://sandradodd.com/teen/jobs

"Force" (not Yoda and Luke, but people feeling powerlessly "forced" to do things)
http://sandradodd.com/force

The idea of "kind of" unschooling has been being discussed at facebook. I don't like the impermanence of facebook. I know nothing is permanent; many large collections of unschooling writings are lost to us. But facebook discussions aren't even "permanent" for a week. So I saved things written by Sylvia Toyama and Schuyler Waynforth here, where there were already some great ideas stored:
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/marginal.html
(the page has also been cleaned up otherwise, and links added at the bottom)

the photo is a link to a recent Just Add Light post

Needs vs. Wants, limits & controls, beck and call

2011-08-09T16:13:00.000-06:00

Writing by Joyce, me and Meredith added to "Thinking about Needs"
http://sandradodd.com/needs

Deb Lewis on limits and controls (right-hand column):
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis/

Not being at someone's "beck and call" has been added to the "phrases to hear and avoid" page.
http://sandradodd.com/phrases

More or Less! (click)

Unschooling is like...

2011-08-05T09:44:00.000-06:00

NEW:
Vickie Bergman let me share something she wrote, with her photos.
Unschooling: It's Like Riding a Bicycle
http://sandradodd.com/bicycle
and it lends itself well to links to some other inspiring things.

REVAMPED:
Always Learning Live Unschooling Symposium
Albuquerque, New Mexico, December 28-31, 2011
http://sandradodd.com/all/
Information will be added to the FAQ pretty continuously, and to the blog.
http://sandradodd.com/all/faq
http://alwayslearninglive.blogspot.com/

Book ordering pages have been revised to discourage direct sales from outside the U.S., and to include eBook versions.
http://sandradodd.com/bigbook/order
http://sandradodd.com/bookorder

Recordings of two talks in Edinburgh, May 2011

2011-07-31T11:29:00.000-06:00

I knew these were there, but today is my first "you can slow down" day since about April. I'm home from eight weeks in Europe, have spoken at the CHN Expo in southern California, and Kirby's 25th birthday party has passed successfully.

So here are the links to talks you can listen to right there, or possibly download to your own devices, and they're free. I wish I hadn't spoken so quickly, but there it already is. :-)

http://www.sandradoddvisit.ebhe.org.uk/
from which I lifted the following:

Recordings

Both talks were recorded, and are available here for
downloading as podcasts (mp3 format), which should play on anything
(PCs, Macs, iPods, etc). Each talk is split over two files; please note
that these are quite large files.

Morning talk: Unschooling information and inspiration

Many ways to create an environment in which natural learning can
flourish

am Part 1 [72 MB]
am Part 2 [42 MB]

Afternoon talk: Unforeseen benefits of Unschooling

Some surprising outcomes of‭ ‬20‭ ‬years of unschooling

pm Part 1 [40 MB]
pm Part 2 [74 MB]

The talk was held in the Augustine United Church on Bridge Street:

Here's part of one of the audiences, and I don't have a photo of me speaking, but the backdrop was this:

Another day that week I spoke in a smaller place with a statue of Buddha behind me.

My photos from a few days either side of that day are here:

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c111/SandraDodd/Europe/Sandra2011/May%2019-Scotland/?start=all

Moving a Puddle as an iBook, in color

2011-07-25T20:46:00.001-06:00

Moving a Puddle is available on iTunes as an iBook for iPad, iPod or iPhone. I've downloaded it and the photos are in color.

I have heard that the iTunes version is only available in the U.S. but I'm not sure if that is so, or how long it will be true.

An electronic download of the file is available from Lulu.com, but it won't do the tricky format changes and notes and all of an iBook.
http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/moving-a-puddle-and-other-essays/428295

The Big Book of Unschooling on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/big-book-of-unschooling/id441277658?mt=11

and on Lulu.com as a downloadable file:
http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/big-book-of-unschooling/6009520

New search function, Wednesday chats

2011-07-18T10:10:00.008-06:00

I came to pass the hat, the collection basket, the international-coins jar.

The search function quit working on my site, and delivered an irritating error message if people tried to use it, trying to blame them and their computer. What happened, I think, was that Google custom search changed over a year ago and I didn't notice. Without a working custom search, my error message and my search page were worthless.

The new options were to have advertisements, or to pay $100 for a clean search page. I paid. It occurred to me that some of you who have used and appreciated my site and its search functions might be willing to help me with that unexpected cost.

Another slighter expense is the chatroom. I took off the time I was in Europe, and intended to pick up the Monday and Friday chats in August, but looking at the calendar, one mid-week chat would be better for me, and I will start Wednesday chats this week. The chatroom costs by usage, and is $15 every few months. (It would be free if I didn't mind strangers wandering in, or having advertisements pop in on us.) UPDATE November 2011; it's $12+ a month.

If it would make my begging any more effective, my birthday is near. OH! Rather I should say it's nearly Learn Nothing Day!

Donations may be made by PayPal to Sandra@SandraDodd.com or by paper (check) to the address at http://sandradodd.com/house. I vow to use all money received for the purpose of providing access to an expanding flow of unschooling information.

An interview

2011-05-12T11:18:00.000-06:00

http://www.homefires.com/teleconference/apr.asp

It's past now but...

I was interviewed by phone, and there is a sound file for sale. It was a pretty good interview, honestly, and so even though I don't make any of the money, I can happily recommend it. :-)

The description is above, and the order page is here:
http://www.homefires.com/store/audio.asp

Being Present, as partners, with appreciation

2011-05-09T08:45:00.000-06:00

Lissa commented on ways to be present and focussed with young children. Bottom right:
http://sandradodd.com/peace/noisy

New intro to being a child's partner:
http://sandradodd.com/partners/child

Kelli Traaseth wrote about Alec turning 18 (while his sisters are 16 and 14), and allowed me to add it here:
http://sandradodd.com/milestones/
http://sandradodd.com/milestones/kelli

Feedback, Fears

2011-05-02T05:35:00.001-06:00

The feedback page is updated a time or two a month, but I've had several in a week and thought that might be worth noting.
http://sandradodd.com/feedback
(new things are in the upper left)

"Fears can magnify anything way out of proportion." About the fearful danger of parental fears.
http://sandradodd.com/fears

"Ridiculous" and spoiled kids

2011-04-27T08:32:00.000-06:00

The problem with saying "That's ridiculous!" when people are discussing unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/issues/ridiculous

Spoiled kids, and about what can happen if you buy young children too many toys
http://sandradodd.com/spoiledkids

Change, a little more change, "again, again!"

2011-04-24T20:31:00.000-06:00

How can a person change? How long does it take to change?
http://sandradodd.com/change/

The main unschooling page now has the current "Just Add Light and Stir" each day, thanks to automated internet widgetry.
http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

Sometimes kids want to watch the same thing over and over. Me too!
Some things work in video, or aurally, that don't work in books or in writing.
http://sandradodd.com/again

Book Sale (shipping discount for the next two weeks)

2011-04-17T15:19:00.003-06:00

Until recently, Europeans (and Canadians, NZ, Australia—anybody outside the U.S.) needed to give me a lot of money for international shipping, but now Lulu has production centers on other continents. GOOD! [April 2011 is over.]And they have a shipping sale until the end of April.

Please check this out.

I also intend to have books with me in some places, at £9 for Moving a Puddle, and £15 for The Big Book, but for anyone interested in buying one directly now, with $4.95 off the shipping costs, I've collected details and links here:

http://sandradodd.com/booksale

Breathing

2011-03-21T06:59:00.000-06:00

A Springtime addition to the page on the benefits of breathing, at the bottom.
http://sandradodd.com/breathing

Milestones, Service, Europe

2011-03-20T17:30:00.001-06:00

Eighteen on 18: Gail's younger child, Logan has turned 18 while the older one is 21.
http://sandradodd.com/milestones/gail

Something new on the service page, by Lori Odhner, and some by me, about 1/3 of the way down the page in the righthand column.
http://sandradodd.com/service

My summer trip to Europe (UK and France) is coming more into focus, and people can subscribe to a blog where details are gathered and news will be announced. As I travel, I'll add photos and comments. You're welcome to subscribe even if you're in some other part of the world. There's a link in the upper right to get it by e-mail through feedburner, and in the lower right to subscribe by a blog notification method.
http://sandraeurope2011.blogspot.com/

The photo of Holly has nothing to do with the other links. I just liked it.

Recordings available from the HSC site, $7 each

2011-03-19T17:21:00.001-06:00

Two talks I gave in August 2010 at the HSC conference are available for download. Both were well received in person, and weren't available until last month. I forgot to link them here.

Unschooling: How to Screw it Up
Michelangelo said that to carve his statue of David, he just chipped away everything that didn't look like David. Or maybe he didn't say that. But clearly that's what he ultimately did. Here will be ideas to help you chip away what doesn't look like unschooling. It's not as difficult as you might think.

Partnerships and Teams in the Family
Seeing and avoiding adversarial relationships. Nurturing partnerships with spouses or significant others, and with our children.

These are $7 each. I was supposed to get freebies, but I finally gave up and went and bought them, so I can advise you on how to work the site.

You will need to register, before or after your order. They'll send a password by e-mail. It took my money and offered to let me print out a receipt, but never said "Okay! Here are your files!" An e-mail arrived later with links. I'm too impatient. So I went back into the site, checked my account, clicked "FILES" and there were the downloadable files. Without a download button. Click the name of the file. It won't tell you it's downloading, but it will be. If you click it six times (as I discovered) it will download six copies.

So...
Register.
Go back and click "file."
Enjoy!

Jill Parmer; Rules/Principles; main page

2011-03-14T09:58:00.000-06:00

Jill Parmer, who will be speaking this summer at the Always Learning Live Symposium, has a new site on unschooling in Colorado. Because of her linking to it, I cleaned up an article she wrote a couple of years ago to commemorate their 7th anniversary of unschooling. So here are links to her site, that article, and the opportunity for you to hear her speak.
http://coloradounschoolingresources.blogspot.com
http://sandradodd.com/milestones/jill
http://sandradodd.com/all

Two examples (old stories, newly added) at "rulebound":
http://sandradodd.com/rulebound

Tweaks and clean-up, main page; automated most-recent-posts for JustAddLight
SandraDodd.com/unschooling

The photo is of Jill, her two children, and one of mine; details here.

Issues (in parents), Dads playing, food, healing

2011-02-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

New addition to ideas about parents dealing with their own issues, for the benefit of their children:
http://sandradodd.com/issues

Bob Collier wrote about playing Polly Pocket with his daughter. Very sweet.
I added it here:
http://sandradodd.com/dads

Pam Sorooshian about "fifteen more minutes" with food (bottom right):
http://sandradodd.com/eating/idea

Being with children in healing ways (for new unschoolers getting a rough start)
http://sandradodd.com/being/healing

mathematics, success, parental authority

2011-02-05T23:42:00.001-07:00

All New Pages this time:

Pam Sorooshian comments on the article "Mathematics: The Most Misunderstood Subject," by Dr. Robert H. Lewis of Fordham University
http://sandradodd.com/math/scaffolding

Ideas about "success":
http://sandradodd.com/success

Parental Authority, an antique post from 1997, added to the site:
http://sandradodd.com/parentalauthority

Monkey Platter Tales

2011-02-01T21:45:00.002-07:00

The first one is not as new, but I include it in this set of three. If you ever lose them, the links have been added near the bottom, righthand side of the main monkeyplatter page.

"There's a scene in the movie 'Ratatouille'..."
http://sandradodd.com/eating/ratplate

Logan's Inspiration
http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatterLogan

Charlie Eats an Apple
http://sandradodd.com/eating/apple

Control, "Needs," Snakes and Ladders

2011-01-18T10:04:00.001-07:00

Between Neglect and Control (bottom of the page)
http://sandradodd.com/control
Something new on an important page.

New page:
What do people need? What do people need to know? "Need" is a problem.
http://sandradodd.com/needs
I will be adding to this page, so if you're interested or have examples, check back or write. You could leave a note in the blog comments section, too.

Snakes and Ladders, the French connection
http://sandradodd.com/game/snakesandladders
I received and e-mail from someone in France who recognized the sleds and toboggans image as a game she had played as a child, which had belonged to her great grandmother. I knew the original had been printed in France. Isn't that cool!? The note is there, and the page was rearranged and cleaned up some.

I'm visiting the northeast in February

2011-01-06T22:06:00.011-07:00

February 10, 2011 Halfmoon, NY

Live and Learn Homeschool Co-op Meeting
King of Kings Lutheran Church in Halfmoon, NY
Thursday, February 10, 2011, noonish
Workshop on breathing, 1:00
Q&A on radical unschooling follows

February 12, 2011, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania

Not an Unschooling presentation, but...

Caring for Marriage Conference

Monday, February 14th, 2011, Ivyland, PA

11-2 Lunch and Presentation at Ivyland New Church (Ivyland, PA) www.ivyland.org

All ages welcome (there will be a separate room for kids, parents take turns supervising, and bring things to occupy their young ones)

$15 donation covers lunch and presentation

RSVP to Emily Schnarr [marillabernice AT yahoo.com], drop ins also welcome

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011, near Quakertown, PA; Chadds Ford, PA

11-1
Greenshire Arts Consortium Gathering (near Quakertown, PA) www.greenshirearts.org

All ages welcome (there will be a separate room for kids and great places to play outside, parents take turns supervising, or maybe someone will bring an older child who wants to babysit)

Bring a bag lunch and a snack to share, and things to play with

RSVP to Arlene Curly [arlenerose.mm AT comcast.net], drop ins also welcome

3-7
Games then Potluck Dinner at Brie Jontry's house (Chadds Ford, PA)

All ages welcome (great play spaces, indoor and out, including world's most amazing tree house)

Bring a potluck contribution and some money for pizza if you're staying after 5

RSVP to Brie Jontry [briejontry AT mac.com]

Wednesday, February 16th, Pennsport, PA; Philadelphia, PA

10-2
Philadelphia Free School (Pennsport, PA) www.phillyfreeschool.org

All ages welcome (the Free School is still setting up their space, and there will be lots of room to play - bring games, projects, toys to share)

Bring snacks or lunch (if you'll be hungry)

RSVP to Michelle Loucas [learn AT phillyfreeschool.org], drop ins also welcome

6-8:30pm
Potluck Dinner then Discussion at Amy Childs's house (Philadelphia)

Best for people who like to sit, talk and listen (no extra play space)

Bring a dish to share, or come at 7pm for discussion after dinner

RSVP to Amy Childs [amy AT amychilds.com]

Thursday, February 17th, 2011, Trenton, NJ (or nearby); Princeton, NJ

2-5pm
Informal Gathering for families somewhere near Trenton NJ

Not exactly sure where or when

email Sylvia Woodman [sylvia057 AT gmail.com] if interested

7-8:30pm
Presentation about Self-Directed Learning at Princeton Learning Cooperative www.princetonlearningcooperative.org (Princeton, NJ)

Teens and adults welcome (especially good for teens who hate school, and for people who are afraid of unschooling in the teen years)

RSVP to Paul Scutt [paul AT pscutt.org]

If you intend to attend any gathering beyond this point, contact Mary Draper for directions.

Friday, February 18, 2011
New York City with Peter Kowalke more details
The Roc, from 12:30 on, most of the day.

Sunday, February 20, 2011
2:00 – 4:00pm
The Alchemy Juice Bar
203 New Britain Ave. Hartford , CT 06106
http://alchemyjuicebar.com/

The Alchemy Juice Bar (a homeschooling family owned business) will be open
for Brunch prior to this event (10am to 2pm) and they will also offer a
selection of delicious organic food and drinks for sale during this event

Feel free to bring games or toys for children to share.

Talk and Potluck with Sandra Dodd
Monday, February 21, 2011
11:00am – 2:00pm
Redding, CTBring a dish to share and feel free to bring games or toys for children to share.

Talk and Potluck with Sandra Dodd
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
11:00am – 2:00pm
Briarcliff Manor, NYBring a dish to share and feel free to bring games or toys for children to share.

Negativity (meaning.... be positive!)

2010-12-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Something very encouraging has been added to the right-hand side at the page on negativity.
http://sandradodd.com/negativity

It came from a chat, in which a mom said she tried unschooling while still being negative, and it didn't work.

One little news item: I'll be speaking in Palo Alto, California (between San Francisco and San Jose) October 1. More details will follow in January.

Video clip and interview reminders

2010-12-16T05:45:00.002-07:00

3Storyfilms put a very short clip, less than a minute, of a long interview with me and Kirby. I hope to see more of what Kirby said someday. "Sandra Dodd talks about the differences between school, education and learning"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHJSvbR_Mg8
At the end it's nearly cut off but I said "...separate a person from the world."

Note to interviewers: Don't put me on a deep, comfy couch. I need to sit up!

Here are two recent interviews that I failed to link on my site until today, though they had been announced on this blog earlier. One is print and the other is audio.

"An unschooling surprise: Sandra Dodd is in the house!", by Kim Houssenloge in Australia, November 2010.
http://featherandnestkim.blogspot.com/2010/11/unschooling-surprise-sandra-dodd-is-in.html
Now linked at http://sandradodd.com/unschooling, righthand column

Amy Childs' "Interview with Sandra Dodd," on WhateverAmen.com, October 11, 2010.
http://whateveramen.com/parenting26-interview-with-sandra-dodd
You can listen to a 20 minute version, a 40 minute version, or download the MP3.
Links added to my site here: http://sandradodd.com/listen/ and http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

Travel notes for next year

2010-12-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

In various cross-pollinating ways, I'm helping unschoolers meet other unschoolers. Even in India, some people met who wouldn't have if I hadn't been there, and that was fun for me and useful for them.

My plans for the next several months aren't crystal clear yet, but there are some solidifying details. I will be meeting with and hanging out with unschoolers in these places, and details (times and dates) will be confirmed here as they're more definite:

January 2011: ALBUQUERQUE! My house, January.
Julie Daniel's family, Robin Bentley, and several local families are the only ones I know of for sure. Any others?
If you're planning to be in Albuquerque January 7-10, 2011, please come over!

February 2011:
10 Halfmoon, NY
12 Bryn Athyn, PA (that one's a marriage conference, not unschooling)
13 Bryn Athyn, PA (unschooling)
15-17 other Pennsylvania and NJ, being determined this week, but tentatively: Quakertown, Chadd's Ford, Philadelphia and Princeton
18 or 19, NYC (not speaking, just visiting)
21, 22, CT/NY (still being planned)

March 2011:
4-6 Atlanta, GA [AND SOMEONE (someone I hope will write to me again) wrote about me coming to Alabama afterwards***]
24-26 St. Charles, IL (Holly will be there, too.)

***I had a hard drive die on me, and much saved mail poofed away; *sorry!****

June/July 2011, UK/France
London (maybe a small conference)
Edinburgh (maybe not in this order)
Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Baud, Bretagne, France (others who want to visit my friend Helene... she has room for people to stay or camp)
some other to-be-determined visits in the UK; I've also lost some of those contacts. :-/

September 2011:
8-11 San Diego (Good Vibrations Conference; Holly will be there too)

Anyone here who has not yet met other unschooling families, please consider using me as an excuse if you need to, to get to one of these places if they're near you, or if these are crazy-far from you, find something nearer, and meet some others. They don't need to become your best friends for life or anything, but knowing others in person will help you be more confident and less afraid (if you're afraid). And if you're not afraid, and you ARE confident, maybe some other unschoolers could benefit from hanging out with you some!

ACE festival, Real Learning, Finishing what you Start,

2010-12-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

ACE festival reminder, for anyone who wants to visit Albuquerque next month and hang out with some unschoolers! Meet Julie Daniel and her husband James and her son Adam, from England. The gathering is free except for museum admissions and meals and a place to stay, and transportation, but otherwise Free! (And if you have relatives or friends to stay with, bonus!)
http://sandradodd.com/ace

Sandra and Joyce on what real learning looks like:
http://sandradodd.com/reallearning

Finish what you start: Good idea or crazy rule?
http://SandraDodd.com/finishwhatyoustart

New Interview

2010-11-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by Kim Houssenloge. She was in Australia and I was in India.
http://featherandnestkim.blogspot.com/2010/11/unschooling-surprise-sandra-dodd-is-in.html

Contentment and Joy, food choices

2010-11-04T04:30:00.001-06:00

Schuyler Waynforth on contentment and joy (halfway down, on the left):
http://sandradodd.com/spouses

New on "True Tales of Kids Turning Down Sweets":
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sweets

Abundance, Deschooling, India

2010-10-24T17:43:00.000-06:00

New analogy on "filling up" by Joyce (third item):
http://sandradodd.com/abundance/

Another perfect piece of Joyce-thought, on deschooling, and I'll quote it below, but it's also here:
http://sandradodd.com/deschooling

Don't expect right now to feel smooth. The days spent in school are like living with a broken leg. The days when unschooling runs smoothly are like living with two strong legs. But the deschooling phase between them is like living with a cast while the leg heals. It won't be as bad as school but won't be as smooth as unschooling.—Joyce Fetteroll

I'm in India for a month, visiting unschooling families. Notes and images are starting to be collected here:
http://sandraindia2010.blogspot.com/

Efficiency, Pokemon, Add Light, Ouija Book

2010-10-20T18:22:00.000-06:00

Something new by Schuyler about the efficiency of unschooling:
http://sandradodd.com/substance

Old page, refurbished a bit, with links to others you might be glad to see again:
http://sandradodd.com/game/pokemon
something new by Jenny Cyphers, but definitely re-read the others

In case anyone missed the notice last month, the Just Add Light and Stir blog/mailing list is going strong:
http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com

A note on using The Big Book of Unschooling as a "ouija book":
http://sandradodd.com/bigbook/random

Co-sleeping; memories; interview

2010-10-11T22:51:00.000-06:00

Something new about co-sleeping in India, upper right:
http://sandradodd.com/sleep/cosleeping

Some of the writings that led to the post noted above (new page):
http://sandradodd.com/sleep/memories

Amy Childs interviewed me recently, and today published short and long versions, set in a very nice page!
http://whateveramen.com/parenting26-interview-with-sandra-dodd/

Click the photo for its source.

Priorities

2010-10-08T12:08:00.001-06:00

New list on the Priorities page, "Example of priorities than can hamper unschooling"
http://sandradodd.com/priorities
Down a bit on the righthand side, in a box. Can't miss it.

Dads; phrases to avoid; relatives

2010-10-05T13:00:00.000-06:00

One Dad’s Journey Thru Unschooling
Phil Biegler—Northeast Unschooling Conference, Wakefield, MA, August, 2010
http://sandradodd.com/philbiegler/NEUC2010
(now with photos)

There are also new photos at the dads page, of Ross Bentley and his daughter:
http://sandradodd.com/dads
(upper left)

Two additions to "Phrases to Avoid," one at the top and one near the bottom.
http://sandradodd.com/phrases

Kelly Lovejoy made a great suggestion about responding to critical grandparents. I added it here:
http://sandradodd.com/relatives

Teen/college; Energy; Big Book

2010-09-27T08:52:00.000-06:00

Priscilla Sanstead wrote about her daughter's applications to art schools, acceptance to one, at 16, and decision not to go. The side discussions of what and why are very interesting. That's now here (second item):
http://sandradodd.com/teen/college

New page on Energy (personal, unschooling, learning, living energy):
http://sandradodd.com/energy

New page on Robbie taking The Big Book of Unschooling to read as soon as it arrives. (He's seven years old.)
http://sandradodd.com/bigbook/robbiereads
A quote:
And, he adds, “Tell her my favorite part so far is where someone asks what unschooling costs and she says unschooling is priceless—because she’s right—it sure is!”

Trouble, TV, differences/intelligences

2010-09-21T13:35:00.000-06:00

"Fell in shit and came out smelling like roses" - teenage trouble
http://sandradodd.com/teen/trouble

Addition to a page about adults looking back at what they've learned from TV.
http://sandradodd.com/t/gilligan
Dola, in New Delhi, telling what she has learned of the world beyond India (bottom of the page)

Something new on the Multiple Intelligences page:
http://sandradodd.com/intelligences
(at the bottom, something Katherine Anderson wrote last night)

One Dad's Journey; "Violent" games; Peace with food

2010-09-19T11:26:00.000-06:00

New online (and it's on my site!)
One Dad’s Journey Thru Unschooling (full text)
Phil Biegler—Northeast Unschooling Conference, Wakefield, MA, August, 2010
http://sandradodd.com/philbiegler/NEUC2010
It will have photos eventually; when it does, I'll link it here again.

Hema Bharadwaj, on video games, added to this page:
http://sandradodd.com/game/benefits
(righthand column)

Not new, but new on my site. I've lifted and slightly tweaked a year-old blogpost by Shannon Burton, a beautiful juxtaposition of words and images, about the rules for meals in her childhood, and the way her own children eat.
http://sandradodd.com/eating/childhood
(Thanks to Kelly Lovejoy for pressing me to help make sure that item was seen by more people.)

respect, costs, a shift in thinking

2010-09-09T15:08:00.007-06:00

Holly, by Holly, last week

Kids feeling respected and supported, second item, new from Joyce Fetteroll:
http://sandradodd.com/partners/child

How Much does Unschooling Cost?
http://sandradodd.com/unschoolingcost

Definitions of Unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/definition

I've added this quote by Jenny Cyphers:

Just like ALL learning, learning how to live comfortably and happy are really wonderful things. It takes a focus on turning away from what you know you don't like and turning towards something else, that something else that creates happy learning and living. Unschooling really is a shift in thinking and then acting on it.

New interview (me)

2010-09-07T13:49:00.004-06:00

A little interview, different from others!
http://naturalparentingcenter.typepad.com/natural_parenting_center/2010/08/interview-with-sandra-dodd.html

My favorite part is the last section which begins:

5. How have you created such a successful presence/business while pouring your heart into family?

Gradually. It's not "a business" so much as it's a self-supporting mission. (...and I include Keith and the kids in the description and "credits.")

This photo doesn't go with the interview. I took it this morning, because Brenna made the cup. It was given to me for speaking at the Good Vibrations Conference in San Diego last year. And today is Brenna McBroom's twenty-first birthday. Here she is seven years ago: http://sandradodd.com/teen/brenna. I think I'll request an update. :-)

Words, connections, dads

2010-09-05T21:54:00.005-06:00

Clean-up and a video added at Words, Words, Words
http://sandradodd.com/words/words.html

Connections: an example (new page)
http://sandradodd.com/connections/example

Dads, by dads, for dads (link to something new by Phil Biegler, up top)
http://sandradodd.com/dads

(I could use pictures of unschooling dads, to add to that dads page, please.)

"Just Add Light and Stir" (new blog and e-mail service)

2010-09-02T17:25:00.004-06:00

Alison Potter, of Glastonbury, Somerset, wrote:

We came to the London Unschooling conference in 2009. I loved listening to you, you were my favourite—you made so much sense to me and left me with a lovely warm glow. Thank you for your website full of amazing tales of wonder and discovery and for your love of life and children. Sometimes i need a paper reminder... Do you do daily email reminders too?

And so in response to Alison Potter, who already has both my books and who wants more input, I'm launching a series of frequent (perhaps daily) notes.

It is September 2, 2010, and I've been a mother since 1986. My three children are safely and happily grown, without school, and there are things I can share with others.

To subscribe to (maybe) brief daily e-mails:
.... [yahoogroups info removed, because there's a better way to subscribe, at the blog itself]
or
at the related new blog, subscribe by RSS feed.
http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Alison, for the kind words and inspiration.

Gratuitous cat photo by Holly Dodd

Coins, video games, phrases to avoid

2010-08-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

New Page: Learning about values and coins in and around games
http://sandradodd.com/coins

From 2002, an article by Kathy Ward, newly transcribed and available again after some years.
http://sandradodd.com/people/kathyward/videogames

An addition to the page on Phrases to Hear and Avoid:
http://sandradodd.com/phrases

Dishes; gradual change; partnership

2010-08-06T14:12:00.000-06:00

New page on owning and washing dishes:
http://sandradodd.com/dishes

Additions to the valuable "gradual change" page, nearly halfway down
http://sandradodd.com/gradualchange
Pam Sorooshian and Leah Rose

"The leaps I've tried to take always seem to leave me feeling shaky and uncertain that I'm on the right track. When I inch forward in baby steps the ground feels solid and I know I'm heading in the right direction." ~Leah Rose

Partnership with children
http://sandradodd.com/partners/child
Lyla Wolfenstein and Pam Sorooshian, second section

"responsibility"; abundance; breathing

2010-07-30T15:44:00.002-06:00

Added another good new story, at the bottom, by Pam Sorooshian.
http://sandradodd.com/chores/tales

Jenny Cyphers, on finding abundance in simple ways
http://SandraDodd.com/abundance

Breathing (and abundance), right side halfway down, Glenda and Leah Rose:
http://sandradodd.com/breathing

A quote from that:

I took a deep breath, and as I inhaled I felt my whole being kind of slide into place—it was weird, almost a tangible sensation—and suddenly I felt completely peaceful.

The bunny image is a link to a site with lots of bubble-blowing recipes and ideas.
(I'd ignore the one about bubble blowing and early language,
unless you turn it around...)

"chores," TV-watching and health, some more Yes

2010-07-18T14:56:00.008-06:00

Several new accounts of kids helping with housework, for fun, to be nice!
http://sandradodd.com/chores/tales

"House" fan gets mom a new diagnosis:
http://sandradodd.com/t/learning

New writing about saying yes, by Jenny Cyphers.
http://sandradodd.com/yes.html
And below that is a story of when Kirby was little and "cross pollinated" some piles of armor, and tripped over a string. The story builds up to other things. The nice young man about 30 who is mentioned in that writing was my friend Leif Ivarson (Bill Hammond) who died last week and so for my friends who knew him, I'm noting that.
(an SCA memorial page for him—on my site, but not about unschooling)

The photo is a link to Jenny Cyphers' blog.

Sacramento conference, teens, "same and different"

2010-07-13T07:59:00.014-06:00

HSC advance-registration time has been extended (JULY 18! Do it today if you've been stalling), and there's a cute video preview/advertisement for the conference. I have it here, with a list of my own presentations:
http://sandradodd.blogspot.com/2010/07/kirby-and-i-will-be-here.html

Teens who came later to unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/teen/latertounschooling
Not new, but spruced up.

Same and Different: Easy answers and second looks
A HREF="http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com/2010/07/same-and-different-easy-answers-and.html
Many answers that seemed obvious to us in childhood look different in the light of years and experience.

HSC schedule, Kids KNOWing, and TV in Spain

2010-07-05T14:11:00.003-06:00

These things are not "on my site" directly, thought what's quoted below will be at some point.

The schedule for the HSC conference in Sacramento is online. Kirby and have been added in to a discussion on video games (Rose Sorooshian is the organizer; her boyfriend Daniel is the assistant organizer, and then Kirby, Pam Sorooshian and I have been invited as add-ons. That's at 4:00 Friday afternoon.

My 2:00 Friday talk is "Partnerships" (in case the typo confused you).

I'm presenting something every day, sometimes two or three things.

There was a piece on TV in Spain on the evening of July 4, and it's linked here:
http://unschooling.blogspot.com/2010/07/spanish-tv-coverage-of-homeschooling.html

Renee Cabatic is the mother of nine-year-old twins and has two new stories about their bodily awareness:

2 sweet stories about sweets

First one:

We were at a bar-b-q party and a 5 yr old friend dug into the cooler, pulled out a coke-a-cola and asked his Ma could he have it.
She said, "Heavens no, especially with that chocolate cake on your plate."
She then looked at me asking, "How do you do it?"
I told her, "I don't restrict what my kids eat," and pointed to their plates. XuMei had watermelon, strawberries, green beans and chocolate cake on her plate. Xander had chosen salmon, corn on the cob, watermelon, strawberries and a root beer to drink.
Later I was telling Chris (my spouse) the story and Xander, who I thought was asleep in the back of the van, perked up and said, "The trick is, there is no trick."

Second one:
At a second party the next day a Mom friend was having an upset tummy and she asked XuMei what she might do to feel better. XuMei said whenever her tummy hurts it's one of two things: either she is hungry or she needs to poop. The Mom friend was impressed because she felt the cause of her upset tummy was having over eaten the desserts at the potluck. She commented to me how great it was that XuMei had such a healthy relationship to food. XuMei has no need to over eat.

Renee Cabatic
Ma to Xander and XuMei (9)

That was sent to the Always Learning list, and I'll quote it on my pages about eating, later, sometime. I thought it was too valuable to risk losing though, so I'm putting it here.

Dads, Getting Appreciation, monkey platter, cake

2010-06-09T18:36:00.006-06:00

a new link on the dads page:
http://sandradodd.com/dads
Living and Learning as a Father in an Unschooling Family
Drew, unschooling father of three, writes about unschooling from the point of view of a teacher (and more).

"Getting kids (and spouses!) to appreciate what you do," by Joyce Fetteroll
http://sandradodd.com/chores/appreciation
(Originally on Family RUNning; link is on the page there.)

Image and text in the area of Monkey Platters ("We call it a rat plate.")
http://sandradodd.com/eating/ratplate

Another beautiful image added to the Cake page, from Melinda Gates (top righthand column):
http://sandradodd.com/cake

Notes on my planned events and activities:
http://sandradodd.blogspot.com/2010/06/back-home-back-to-business.html

Movies, teens, service, ACE Festival

2010-05-29T17:24:00.004-06:00

More movies that remind an unschooler of unschooling:
http://sandradodd.com/t/movies
Anne Mills list, at the bottom (and other lists you might not have seen lately, or ever)

Something by Lyla Wolfenstein:
"a message to parents of teens: the illusion of control - a fairy tale of truthful proportions"
http://sandradodd.com/teen/control

This isn't new, but it is obscure and still interesting. When I put Lyla's piece up, I cleaned up a few corners and bits of the teen pages. What I did mention in a discussion at the time, but didn't mention on the page, is that someone who professionally worked with teenaged employees through a school program was very impressed with Kirby (not knowing he hadn't ever gone to school; that would have made a difference to her opinion, I think, but I don't know what kind of difference).
http://sandradodd.com/kirbyatdions

Something about service, by Vanessa, right-hand column here:
http://sandradodd.com/service

In early 2011, January 7-10, a home-ed family with a five year old boy will be visiting in Albuquerque, and others are invited to come and hang out. The first of the details are here:
http://sandradodd.com/ace
It won't be a conference with a site and speakers, but an opportunity to meet others informally.

Teens helping, physicality, Big Book review

2010-05-22T08:02:00.001-06:00

Alysia woke up to several clean rooms "as if the cleaning fairies had come last night."
http://sandradodd.com/chores/tales
(second item)

Physicality; when kids need more activity
A collection of ideas from Pat Robinson (aka wuweimama)
http://sandradodd.com/physicality

Review of The Big Book of Unschooling (with comments on the web page, as well)
http://kelly.halldorson.com/blog/?p=678

Dads, eating in peace, abundance, benefits

2010-04-30T20:53:00.000-06:00

Lefthand, halfway down, James on formal education and unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/dads

New (third item) on eating in peace:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/peace
I wasn't sure where to put it. I don't have a page on sad stories (nor do I want one), and there's a joy to it to, in a way.

New (second item) on abundance:
http://sandradodd.com/abundance/

Unexpected Benefits
New article, 4/30/10 in Life Learning Magazine (online magazine)
http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/1006/index.htm (by subscription)
A sound file of a presentation of similar material will be added to the site soon.

Online chats in French, and in English

2010-04-25T09:50:00.004-06:00

chatzy.com/unschooling
Password/le mot de passe: goodidea

Upcoming chats:

en français

Discussions en ligne en français sur le thème du unschooling
les lundi de 9h à 10h heure du Québéc (15h à 16h heure de France)
et les mercredi de midi à 13h (18h à 19h heure de France)
Beatrice Mantovani

In English:

Monday 3:00-5:00 Mountain Daylight time
Friday 10:00-noon Mountain Daylight time
SandraDodd.com/chats/regular

New Interview, Sugar, Deb Lewis, TV, Connections

2010-04-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

Deb Lewis comments on whether people can or cannot choose freely to eat something sweet:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sugar
and so a link to that page was added to the Deb Lewis page
http://sandradodd.com/deblewis

Unexpected learning from TV, longterm report
http://sandradodd.com/t/learning

New Interview:
To make up for a wildly unfair commentary on this site, one of the editors spoke with me by phone for half an hour, and then gave me a list of questions based on that conversation. Except for the intro, title and questions, it's my writing.
http://www.momlogic.com/2010/04/why_i_unschooled_my_three_kids.php

On the Thinking Sticks blog the format has been changed so that each article has suggestions for other links within the site, and the left sidebar starts off with the blogs of unschoolers. I've added some other blogs. If you know of a good blog by a radical unschooler that's not there, let me know. Thanks!
http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com

Coming in May, an article-version of a talk I've given two and a half times called variously Unforeseen Benefits of Unschooling or Unexpected Benefits of Unchooling. I wrote it for Life Learning Magazine, which isn't published on paper anymore, but is a subscription online (or printable PDF) magazine. Click the advance-cover image for a table of contents for the upcoming issue.

"If only..."; divorce; new quote; Kirby

2010-04-18T21:23:00.001-06:00

A new bit here:
http://sandradodd.com/ifonly

Some adjustment here:
http://sandradodd.com/divorce

New quote added to random quote generator here:
http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

The quote:
I can spend my energy on limiting my child's world so that he will be safe and happy or I can spend my energy on helping my child learn the skills to navigate our world himself so that he will be safe and happy. I think the latter has a better chance of success in the long term. —Eva Witsel

http://sandradodd.com/quotes
(It's in there, too.)

Two new things on the Kirby page to back up all of the above:
http://sandradodd.com/kirby
http://sandradodd.com/kirby/review
The first has notes on a comic for which Kirby's appearance and name are lifted (changed a bit, but based on Kirby).
The second is a place to collect unschooling-related notes, starting with something I wrote about a presentation he gave in Arizona last year. He'll be at the HSC conference in Sacramento in August, helping me with a workshop or two, and being on the young adult panel.

Protection, Nest, Chat

2010-04-14T18:45:00.000-06:00

People protect their children from what? How?
http://sandradodd.com/protect

Addition to Building an Unschooling Nest, by Joanna Murphy
http://sandradodd.com/nest

Improved Chat Room Entry:
http://sandradodd.com/room

The chat topic on Friday, April 15, 2010 will be helping our older teen/young adult unschoolers with their traveling and adventures.

toy guns, science, "Revolution in a Box"

2010-04-11T08:17:00.001-06:00

New images (slide show, lower right) on Peaceful Kids with Toy Guns
http://sandradodd.com/peace/guns

Scientific playing of video games (new link, top:)
http://sandradodd.com/videogames/

New link on TV page, to "Revolution in a Box," first link, bottom right, on outside links:
http://sandradodd.com/tv

(Thanks for that link to Colleen Paeff, and for the other news and photos to Crystal Miller.)

Sound Files from San Diego conference in 2009

2010-04-04T22:21:00.004-06:00

With the permission of Flo Gascon, organizer of the Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference, the following 2009 recordings are made available to hear on my site. Each has the description of the talk from the conference site, and the biography of the speaker at that time. I'm really glad these details and images won't be lost when that site is gone!

Unschooling and Math, Pam Sorooshian

Roya Repeating Herself, Roya Sorooshian

Connections, Sandra Dodd

Transformations, Sandra Dodd

In Pursuit of a Passionate Life, Jeff Sabo

Teen and Young Adult Panel, Ronnie Maier, Moderator

Radical Thoughts for Radical Unschoolers, Miranda Demarest

Writey-Drawey, "If only...", spanking,

2010-04-02T07:41:00.002-06:00

As a footnote to a facebook post where Kelly Lovejoy asked Holly Dodd about a game Holly mentioned, ended up making a page of instructions and samples of a pencil and paper game, writey-drawey:
http://sandradodd.com/writey

A quote with a link to a longer piece of writing, on the page about regret for not unschooling sooner:
http://sandradodd.com/ifonly

Added a note and link about the harm of spanking or punishment, from Lori, on the Always Learning list:
http://sandradodd.com/s/stop

Also added to that page: a link to the No More Spanking discussion list, run by an unschooler:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NoMoreSpanking/

I'll be speaking in Quebec and in New Jersey, in June

2010-03-28T09:42:00.003-06:00

Tentative but likely:
June 4, afternoon or evening, Montreal
http://www.montrealhomelearners.ca/

For sure!
June 7-10, Great Big Happy Life Unschoolers' Conference Retreat
Camp Vacamas - West Milford, New Jersey
http://www.greatbighappylife.com/

Hitting, Destruction, Attitude

2010-03-27T11:19:00.005-06:00

I was looking for a place to save a quote from Jill (from the chat), and some discussion about children hitting and throwing things. I searched for "hit" in the place where posts can be edited, and only found these:
Biscochitos, and Hitler
http://sandradodd.com/bizcochitos
http://sandradodd.com/hitler.html
I should add photos to the bizcochitos.

But here's where the other things went:
http://sandradodd.com/destructive
and
http://sandradodd.com/attitude, which has enough links to keep anyone busy for an hour or three, so don't forget your kids.
(gratuitous photo of my daughter Holly with Bea Mantovani's daughter Linnea)

Priorities, Principles, TV, Breathing

2010-03-16T11:02:00.005-06:00

Something new by Joyce Fetteroll, at the bottom of a page you might not have seen at all (or lately):
http://sandradodd.com/priorities

Principles (It's not just another word for "rules"!)
http://sandradodd.com/chats/rules

Direct effects of watching television (new writing by Deb Lewis, at the bottom):
http://sandradodd.com/t/whatif.html
and that reminds me of Jacki's daughter Hannah's experience, in the box at right on this page:
TV, Learning, Choices and FOOD—How Unschoolers Watch TV
http://sandradodd.com/t/holly
If the photo has been used before, it deserves to be seen again!

Two things on breathing:

Schuyler Waynforth's account of learning, in Japan when her children were very young, the value of learning to calm herself:
http://sandradodd.com/breathing (bottom of the page)
and the transcript of a chat on breathing
http://sandradodd.com/chats/breathing

Sleep, Teens, My Little Pony & Science

2010-03-11T16:00:00.008-07:00

There's a peaceful, warm new image on the sleep directory page, lower right, with a link to its home:
http://sandradodd.com/sleep

Following a question concerning people taking teens out of high school to unschool there right near the end, other ideas and links were added here:
http://sandradodd.com/teen/latertounschooling

How playing with My Little Pony inspired a career in science:
http://sandradodd.com/mylittlepony

Focus, Respect, the problem with "Support"

2010-03-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Find more videos like this on Soundtrack Fans

Great moments from the 2010 Oscars (two wonderful comments from acceptance speeches, transcribed by Robyn Coburn, added to the "Focus, Hobbies, Obsessions" page:
http://sandradodd.com/focus

A teen boy out with his mom; what's "the secret"?
http://sandradodd.com/respect/marina
(all new page, which inspired all-new index page)
http://sandradodd.com/respect

The problem with "Support"
http://sandradodd.com/support/problem

I want to help support people's KIDS, not supporting the parents to do as little as possible for their kids. So back to the beginning, with that.

Balance, Flitting, Brainstorm

2010-03-05T13:26:00.006-07:00

A new quote by Joyce on balance and what unschooling is, 2/3 of the way down on the right:
http://sandradodd.com/balance

Some kids flit from interest to interest instead of having a single obsession. More will be added to this page, but here's a start:
http://sandradodd.com/flitting

A girl was interested in fashion design and her mom told her she needed to study math from a textbook. Unfortunately, the mom told the Always Learning list. This page is also still being added to, but here are ideas for things to do for a girl interested in fashion design, and the things she could learn from that interest.
http://sandradodd.com/connections/design

Pam Sorooshian is blogging again, and I've listed her blog on my Pam page.
http://learninghappens.wordpress.com/
http://sandradodd.com/pamsorooshian

Be positive! TV, and The Mahogany Way

2010-02-22T07:37:00.003-07:00

New quote from Schuyler Waynforth added to the page on negativity. How to become more positive in the moment, and then in the long term!
http://sandradodd.com/negativity

Success with Later Unschooling? A link corrected.
http://sandradodd.com/later/unschooling
(Thanks to Pamela Knapp for finding the problem AND finding the correct link for me!)

TV page, another corrected link.
http://sandradodd.com/tv
PRESCHOOL TELEVISION VIEWING AND ADOLESCENT TEST SCORES
Eva Witzel found that the PDF for "Preschool Television Viewing and Adolescent Test Scores" had been moved to a new URL, and she sent the new link to me. It's all fixed now.

Amanda Horein found many links broken at
http://sandradodd.com/world
Most of them were geocities sites, which were all taken down (after a year of warnings) last year.

While I was in there, I added The Mahogany Way, a ning for mothers of color:
http://themahoganyway.ning.com/

The photo is Kirby and Marty, years ago.

Photos needed, Separation, "Perfect Vision"

2010-02-18T08:22:00.003-07:00

If you would like to share a photo of your child or your children for use in Unschooling: The Movie, please go here to read more and for an e-mail link, already filled out with permission to use the photo:
http://unschooling.info/photosneeded.html

A new page on what to consider if there is frustration in a marriage:
http://sandradodd.com/separation
It will be expanded, but the list of considerations that's already there is by Glenda Sikes.

I can tell you how this is about unschooling, but not in one or two lines. It's about the connections that both unschooling and the internet makes possible, about what kinds of people become unschoolers, and about looking back, and forward.
http://sandradodd.com/perfectvision
If anyone reading here was in Cambridge (England's Cambridge) in the 1980's or knows people who were, maybe forward that. I'd love to have more on the page. Memories. Photos, maybe. Posters.

If you're on Facebook, please check out a new group called Radical Unschooling Info, the purpose of which is to help provide good unschooling resources to anyone who comes by there. I created the page, but many others are contributing to it. Come and help us out if you want to!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=303347574750

The photo is something I plan to send to Lee for his collection. It's Holly, half a dozen years ago, in a t-shirt I had kept from the early 1970's.

Schuyler, spanking, Godzilla, reading, TV

2010-02-12T09:21:00.008-07:00

I've added a link to the page on Schuyler Waynforth, and anyone who hasn't been there for a while should revisit it anyway. I have the transcript of a talk she gave in London last summer, too.
http://sandradodd.com/schuylerwaynforth

In Europe there is a campaign against spanking. The one-minute public service announcement video and a news interview are both here:
http://sandradodd.com/s/europe
and it's been added in the bottom right corner of the page about spanking
http://sandradodd.com/spanking

Deb Lewis wrote about her son's reading having a great leap from watching Godzilla with subtitles. It joins another Godzilla article, with a link to a slightly revamped wolfman and monsters article, with kid art:
http://sandradodd.com/t/godzilla
http://sandradodd.com/t/monstermania

Thanks! ...and a new video

2010-02-05T21:04:00.005-07:00

I'm grateful for gratitude. Thanks for this thank-you:
http://crunchyconmom.xanga.com/721284269/thank-you-to-sandra-dodd-and-alwayslearning/
Susan May has documented some specific changes in her life and thoughts,and credited me, Pam Sorooshian, Joyce Fetteroll and others. It's not on my site, but it's partly about my stuff, and it's worth a read.

Lee Stranahan has put up a new video of me on YouTube, but I have it here, too (with notes):
http://sandradodd.blogspot.com/2010/02/unexpected-benefits-of-unschooling.html

There's more, for supporters of his Unschooling movie project. You can still subscribe to that if you want to, and see more video here: http://unschoolingmovie.info/

None of that's actually on my own page, though, so I hope you don't mind some news that's not directly at SandraDodd.com this time. I did touch up the index page a bit lately, and I try to remember to update the main unschooling page when the blogs change. And there are a few new quotes on the random quotes generator, and some new ones on support! So though these aren't radically different, there are tweaks and improvements here:
http://sandradodd.com
http://sandradodd.com/unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/support

Starting later, Big Book (baby review), discussion list

2010-01-30T10:27:00.009-07:00

"As we get older and our kids grow up, we eventually come to realize that all the big things in our lives are really the direct result of how we've handled all the little things." —Pam Sorooshian, June 4, 2007

New page on starting to unschool later:
http://sandradodd.com/later/unschooling

A new review of The Big Book of Unschooling, by a two-year-old (kind of) here:
http://sandradodd.com/bigbook
(not kind of a two-year-old, but kind of a review!)

The discussions on the Always Learning list have been intense of late, and the side benefit of intensity is really good responses. Schuyler's been posting, too, for those of you who missed her. If you're on and haven't been reading, maybe check out the past few topics.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlwaysLearning/messages

Sugar-high, unschooling search, Unschooling.info

2010-01-27T11:43:00.002-07:00

New page on the damaging myth of "sugar high":
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sugar

New search tool, which searches unschooling.com, unschooling.info, Danielle Conger's "Connections ezine," Joyfully Rejoycing and my site:
http://unschooling.blogspot.com

The old Unschooling.info site had decayed and then found its demise, but I was given the name and the keys and it's being remodelled here:
http://unschooling.info
My original hope had been to mine the message board for the good parts, and I did get some, but folders were mysteriously disappearing though the settings said they should remain. It was dismaying. But here's an opportunity to have a general resource site for different kinds of unschooling in one place, perhaps, depending who contributes and volunteers.

Not all the pages are working yet, and I'm not in a huge hurry, but did want to keep all the thousands of links out there from hitting a dead end.

Anyone interested in helping or keeping up with the progress should subscribe to this yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschINFO/

Turning Down Sweets

2009-12-31T09:27:00.003-07:00

Another shocking but true tale of children turning down sweets:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/sweets
Nancy, righthand column.
That's one of the coolest pages on the site.

Kate O'Mara's review of my Big Book of Unschooling
http://whenkateblogs.blogspot.com/2010/01/sandra-dodds-big-book-of-unschooling.html

I've changed the index page of my site, a bit. Newer photos; more than one. Better link to the books.
http://sandradodd.com/

There's a new link on the TV page:
http://sandradodd.com/tv
(to Is "I Love Lucy" Educational? by Jan Hunt, The Natural Child Project)

The Santa Fe Unschooling Symposium was really fun, and tiring. There are photos here, and might be more eventually:
http://santafeunschoolingsymposium.blogspot.com/
Kirby took that photo of me (top right) there.

Two things not fully about unschooling, but I can justify listing them:

More on the letter David Bowie wrote me in 1967, including a bit about Holly (which she considers to be a misquote or a bad angle on what she said:
http://sandradodd.com/bowieletter

and an interesting connection (small-world shock) about my little pump organ:
http://sandradodd.com/organ
(a block of notes near the bottom)

Hindsight: What Would You Have Done Differently?

2009-12-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

What would you have done differently?
http://sandradodd.com/hindsight
with links to a chat transcript and some other contributions.

http://sandradodd.com/hindsight/chat
http://sandradodd.com/hindsight/outside

Choicemaking, WoW, Vegetarians and Vampires

2009-12-22T09:55:00.003-07:00

Pam Sorooshian's clear explanation of learning to make better choices:
http://sandradodd.com/betterchoice

Something new on World of Warcraft:
http://sandradodd.com/game/wow

New on the Monkey Platter page: Vampire monkey platter, and Robin Yaeger's beautiful vegetarian platter:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter