Just Add Light and Stir

From a 2003 article, "Some Thoughts on Homeschooling," by Sandra Dodd My children learned to read without phonics lessons,...

Q: How will you know if they're learning? A: Teachers need to measure and document because they need to show progress so they can ...

Pam Sorooshian wrote: Unschoolers do not preplan a curriculum and we don't have predetermined lesson plans. What we have instead is ...

In 1997, someone asked how unschooling moms stayed patient. Other moms have told me they think I'm patient. It makes me feel guilty b...

"Is the goal to have a clean kitchen or the experience of making a cake? If the goal is a clean kitchen, then it's bett...

Okay, eight years. Lots of light, but slowed down Earth years. Slowed down-to-Earth years. September 2 is Just Add Light and Sti...

"Round" is whole, and strong. Something circular can represent completion or continuation. When everyone has had a turn that...

There is a depth of understanding, and a practice of many years, that make unschooling work well. Joining a group, or subscribing to a magaz...

Energy is shared, and that's how unschooling works. Whether I'm excited about something new, or my children are excited about so...

by Deb Lewis, once upon a time: I wrote once before about how dish washing has come to be my mental health moment. I light a candl...

Look around for what is new and different. Be open to unexpected art. Words are new, but the ideas are a good match for: Sug...

Lisa Jonick took this photo in a park in Albuquerque where I have been many times. The shadow is round, but flatter than the tree is. Stil...

One of my main principles has been that it's my job to protect the peace of each of my children in his or her own home insofar as I ...

"I found early on      the less I talked           the more I was heard." —Karen James SandraDodd.com/peace photo...

The world doesn't always give people opportunities to be courageous, selfless and honest, but being an unschooling parent does i...

"Compass rose" is a beautiful term for directions set in tile, or stone, or metal, or painted... It's a symbol for knowing wha...

Deb Lewis wrote: Studies are now popping up suggesting laughter makes our brains work better, reduces stress and helps sick people get wel...

Photos don't have to be upright, but I usually like for them to be. I'm sorry for the glitch with today's post, and it's n...

My granny had a button box, in a fruit-cake tin. The kind with Texas pictures on it—a star, a cowboy, the Alamo. I still see those tins ...

I often think back to the things I learned in La Leche League, from readings and other moms. If you nurse a child a long time does it make...