Learning and joy

The best unschooling parents aim to avoid punishments and shaming. They try to facilitate learning and joy, peace and happiness. They slowly and incrementally learn to make choices themselves and soon they can better assist their children in learning to make thoughtful choices.

Becoming a Better Partner
photo by Nicole Kenyon

Learning by osmosis

A cranky person once wrote to me:

I do unschool but I obviously do not subscribe to your radical view of unschooling where children are expected to learn by osmosis and television shows.

To the Always Learning discussion list I wrote:

When the environment is rich, children learn by osmosis, if the membrane through which ideas pass is their perception of the world. What they see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think becomes a part of their experience, and they learn. And they learn from television shows, movies, paintings, books, plants, toys, games, movement, sports, dancing, singing, hearing music, drawing, sleeping.... as if by osmosis, they live and they learn.

"Osmosis and Television Shows"
photo by Janine Davies

Happy DAY!

This photo is the background for the word "DAY" on the Learn Nothing Day logo.

"It helps a lot to try for better moments not days. Don't judge a day by one upset, judge it as a bad moment and move forward. A little bit better each moment. A little bit more aware."

—Schuyler Waynforth
at Moments

The photo first appeared here in 2015: Water play
Thank you, Janine Davies.

"G" is for Growth

This photo is the background for the "G" on the lovely Learn Nothing Day logo.



Children need to be protected from physical and emotional harm. They need to have positive regard, food, shade and sun, things to see, hear, smell, taste and touch. They need someone to answer their questions and show them the world, which is as new to them as it was to us. Their growth can't be rushed, but it can be enriched.

from "Thoughts on Growth"
(one word changed)

The photo first appeared here in 2017: Sky
Thank you, Gail Higgins.

"N" is for No

This photo is the background for the third "N" on the spiffy Learn Nothing Day logo.

I like the idea that moms should think of saying "NO" as though the child comes with 200 tickets at birth. Some moms use them all up the first year and the child ignores "no" forever after.

—Sandra, here, third message down
(and it was my idea)

Yes is probably a happier link

The photo first appeared here in 2018: Amusing moments
Thank you, Brie Jontry.

"I" is for Integrity

This photo is the background for the "I" on the new/improved Learn Nothing Day logo.

Integrity is a strong wholeness. The fabric of the being of a thing can't be broken. A bucket with one hole in it is lacking integrity. It's not a good bucket. A frayed rope lacks integrity. No matter how long or strong the rest of the rope is, that frayed part keeps it from being a good rope.

In people, integrity requires some degree of reliability and honesty (the more the better).

from SandraDodd.com/integrity

The photo first appeared here in early 2020: Active participants
Thank you, Nina Haley.

"H" is for Healing

This art is in the "H" of "Nothing" in the logo created by Holly Dodd in 2020.

For me, it seems like a gift to me and my mom both, if I can do better than she did. She would have liked to have done better, too, so I can do it for her.

I get some healing benefit either way.

from the page SandraDodd.com/healing

from Kids' stuff, and sunrise. 2019
Thank you, Holly Dodd, for the photo and the logo.