Teen/college; Energy; Big Book

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

"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

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

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)

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.")

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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

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)

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.

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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

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

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

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

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"

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.