Recordings of two talks in Edinburgh, May 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!"

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)

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

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

Milestones, Service, Europe

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

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!