
That was written in 1999; greeting cards can be $4 and $5 now, and used puzzles might be $2.
image by Sandra Dodd, done with a scanner (pieces set face down)
![]() | Whether it's warm outside or cold, the sun through the window is the same. Be light. |
If a child is bored and agitated, she's not learning. If she's happy and smiling and humming and engaged with what she's thinking, seeing, hearing, tasting, touching or smelling, then she's learning.
Be ready to discover temporary fragile beauty. | ![]() |
Strewing is a little like at school, when they change the bulletin boards for different seasons, or museums when they change displays. It's restaging the learning area. Unschoolers don't need to wait weeks or months to restage, though. Something interesting might be set out every day or two. |
See what is beautiful, even briefly. Appreciate what is, even for a moment. | ![]() |
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So how do you choose? You decide where you want to go before you decide to turn left or right, don't you? Just like that. |
Favorite tools, stored in the same old way, make your home special, and will be part of a child's memories. Love your normal stuff. | ![]() |
How long should you be calm? Longer than you think you need to be. | ![]() |
![]() | Props and costumes can help children to perceive the world in a slightly different way, and those thoughts add to their knowledge. |
![]() | We can't tell by looking at a child that learning is taking place. When unschooling is working well, though, we begin to know know that if they are interested, engaged and thinking, they are making their own connections, large or small. |
"Rather than experiencing you as a gate that either opens or closes, let him experience you as someone he can depend on to help." —Joyce Fetteroll |
"Be present. Be engaged. Celebrate the joy of a child doing anything and everything they feel thrilled about. Notice what they're learning as they play and watch. It's all pretty amazing. Build on what you learn about your child. Confidence deepens when a child is supported in whatever they find captivating. Confidence grows for the parent when they're paying attention to what the child is learning from their chosen activities." —Karen James | ![]() |
Seasons and flowers are variable, and local. Deserts and jungles, mountains and shorelines, all have special things to discover at different times of the day, and of the season, and of the year. Be still and appreciate the many peaceful moments. Store up gentle memories. | ![]() |
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New things are added to old things. Antiques are repaired. New children meet old people. Forgotten toys are re-discovered. Change is part of growth, of life, of past and of future. |
How are you thinking? How are you feeling? How you are thinking and feeling is how you are living and learning. | ![]() |