What inspired "Unschooling" as a term? I have written a report (with videos and images):
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/theterm
How important are words? When they're all you've got, they're all-important.
http://sandradodd.com/mindfulofwords
There's a new link on the chores page
http://sandradodd.com/chores
concerning hiring or bartering for housekeeping
http://sandradodd.com/chore/hiredhelp
An unschooling dad (with the help of his daughter) has made a techno/electronica style song called "Autodidact." It's instrumental except for that word. It can be heard or downloaded free from MySpace. There is information and a link here:
http://sandradodd.com/music/autodidact
and a link at the music page
http://sandradodd.com/music
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Jenny C. wrote something about saying "yes" which has been added here:
http://sandradodd.com/yes
(to the left of "My Favorite Word," the green box)
Winners of the Learn Nothing Day image contest
Madeline wrote something wonderful a few days ago at http://barn-raising.blogspot.com/2008/07/trying-to-take-break-from-learning.html
It's not technically on my site, but a link to it is.
Trying to Take a Break From Learning
Sandra Dodd's Learn Nothing Day has arrived! Unschoolers everywhere are finally taking a break. Kids who go to school get many breaks. Now we get one too.
So... how is it going? Well, my kids are at a fort-building camp this week and are staying with their cousin so I can tell you that they are not participating. Gillen told me on the phone that he is taking notes about this fort they are building so that he can come home and build one here. I am hoping he will then teach me to build a studio in the yard.
As for me, I have failed, as I knew I would, and am learning about all of the back-logged thoughts in my head that are having room to be heard in this quiet house.
There is no such thing as not learning. I challenge you to try! That is what makes our chosen path - unschooling - so delicious. We are learning all the time, even when we are "just" having fun, doing what people might term extra-curricular activities and even when we are quietly doing nothing—just letting what we have learned marinate and giving it space and time to morph into something new.
Six years ago, when I was reading about unschooling on discussion lists for the first time, I was intrigued by the idea that kids' natural curiosity, accompanied by committed parental support of their passions, could start them on a journey that would teach them everything they would ever need to know. Having embraced this philosophy for over five years now, I see that it is true. The more I trust that they know what they need, the more they thrive.
I expose them to a lot of possibilities and they pick and choose. They expose me to new ideas and pursuits as well. They talk and I listen. Sometimes I talk too much, and they don't listen and that's always a sure fire way to create a road block to relationship and joyful learning. Things go much better when I shut up more and really listen.
Sorry to talk so much on learn nothing day. I am embracing my failure to not learn and am recommitting to trust this process even more completely from here on out.
I've added some blogs of unschooling dads here:
http://sandradodd.com/dads
If any of you know of others that might be added, please let me know. Thanks.
Focus, Obsessions, Hobbies
http://sandradodd.com/focus
Page updated, new title art by Holly (not hand done this time, but something she knows how to do that I don't.)
Because of KT's Learn Nothing Day post, I added photos of her kids to this page:
http://sandradodd.com/sleeping
If you click them you can see her original post, which leads to Learn Nothing Day, which leads to a long list...
Well here:
http://sandradodd.com/learnnothingday
which has a growing list of sites and blogs with a link to Learn Nothing Day, which is only two or three days away (two and a half at my house while I write this, and maybe two if you read it Tuesday morning). There's a lot of reading to be had on those links!
The Learn Nothing Day contest has some entries in, and I figure other images will be made on the day itself and sent afterwards. My plan is to have the entries gathered and available for viewing by the 28th, and winners announced by the 31st.
Thank you all for your interest in my own personal obsession!
http://sandradodd.com/day/amandaflour
Children picking things up for others
http://sandradodd.com/chore/shift
(new story at the top)
"Attentive Parenting," with links to similar things
http://sandradodd.com/attentiveparenting
The first Learn Nothing Day images are in:
http://sandradodd.blogspot.com/2008/07/images-arriving.html
FEEDBACK:
"When I move thru your site, I feel like a child in a candy store, or like I'm in a fantastic meandering castle with hidden secret rooms and magic doors to new realities."
Learn Nothing Day Photo/Image contest with four categories:
Animal, Mineral, Vegetable or Video
Each image submitted should include the Learn Nothing Day logo/art. If you buy a t-shirt or magnet or notebook or something, that could be in the photo. Time is running out, so order soon to get things by the 24th!)
http://www.cafepress.com/LearnNothingDay
Alternatively, the image in a variety of sizes may be lifted freely for use:
http://sandradodd.com/learnnothingday/images
This was posted on AlwaysLearning by DaBreeze21/susanmay15. The first part is something I wrote:
-==It goes against "common knowledge," but if common
knowledge were worth a damn, wouldn't this culture be a paradise of
mental health and joy, with empty prisons and long-lasting marriages?
Sandra=--
This quote is GREAT! Made me smile, laugh inwardly and outwardly and I
think that it should be posted somewhere, anywhere, carved into a
granite mountain, or flown in the sky, maybe cut into a cornfield by
aliens... somewhere where lots of people can read it! :-) And I think
that it is a pretty gosh-darn good argument to have at my fingertips
whenever someone is questioning parenting methods that are counter to
popular beliefs... thanks Sandra!
After years and years of learning every day, here comes a holiday for unschoolers!
It's less than a month away now, so start thinking of how you can be ready for this momentous, first annual day of leisure for learners.
Learn Nothing Day
The art above is by Sandra (me) and Holly Dodd (my talented daughter).
How to Screw Up Unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/screwitup
New story on Late-night Learning
http://sandradodd.com/latenightlearningcomment.html
New link to a PBS program online about problems with food controls added here:
http://sandradodd.com/eating/longterm
Italian links added here:
http://sandradodd.com/world
There's some new stuff here, and something beautiful by Pam Sorooshian:
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/radical
Unschooling's second cousins
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/unitstudies
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/marginal
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/vsRelaxedHomeschooling.html
I've been saving this hoping to add more to a couple of those pages
before sending. I will add more, haven't yet, and when I do I'll
send the links again.
Here's the news:
http://sandradodd.com/yesGraphic
A graphic representation of thoughts about saying yes to children.
For the visual thinker!
(For everyone. By Katherine Anderson.)
http://sandradodd.com/why
I especially like the links on this. I like the way they look, and I think that if someone read that page and those six links, it would change their lives enough for them to improve their children's lives in wonderful ways.
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/gettingit
Something new there.
http://sandradodd.com/modeloftheuniverse
Your Own Model of the Universe
http://sandradodd.com/consideratechildren
Thinking I might have the only webpage in the world called "Considerate Children," I went to check. Just google, just one search. Results 1 - 10 of about 199,000 for considerate children. Of those first ten, seven were describing the traits of particular dogs. "The breed does fine with older considerate children" and such. One was being critical of a child (but not mean; slightly sarcastic, not bad). Two referred to an Emily Post book called Emily Post's The Gift of Good Manners: A Parent's Guide to Raising Respectful, Kind, Considerate Childrenhttp://www.amazon.com/Emily-Posts-Gift-Good-Manners/dp/006018549X
Second page had an article in Japanese, but in English it said "Considerate Children to Be Educated ..." I don't think it's a public article; can't read Japanese anyway. Two on the Emily Post book; the rest about dogs.
As comparison to the 199,000 hits for "considerate" and "children" even on the same page, I thought I'd look up "brat." I don't like that word, but I'm guessing there will be more than 199,000 occurrences.
Ah. I was right:
Results 1 - 10 of about 31,000,000 for brat
And so based on that, I hope my page on considerate children will continue to grow. If any of you have stories of your children being considerate that would help some of those millions of people who might never have considered it possible, please send them to me. I'll get it if you reply to this list (and it won't go through to
everyone).
An update and comment on rude feedback:
http://sandradodd.com/feedbackrude
Joy truly is invaluable.
