If I'm good at presenting information up front, there won't be any "frequently asked questions," but in traditional online lingo, this is a FAQ. Some of the paragraphs have been lifted from the actual answering of individuals' questions.

*Who should come?
Unlike some gatherings, this is ideal for a parent (or two) to attend alone. Children are welcome, and there will be games and things to play with, and lists of things outside the hotel to do, but the presentations will be by and for unschoolers—parents and young adults who were unschooled throughout. The Daniel Family will speak, with Adam who is seven and who spoke on his own in 2011.

*What is the name of the gathering again? The Always Learning Live Unschooling Symposium.
At first I was calling it Always Learning Live, but that's long. What has evolved to be quicker and more descriptive is the "ALL Unschooling"... Symposium. The ALL Unschooling thing. Sometimes I call it "that thing in December," but it's not specific enough. "ALL Unschooling" is shorter and clearer, I think.

The hotel calls it "Sandra Dodd's Conference," so when you make a hotel reservation, that's what they want to hear.

*What is it?What''s the difference between a symposium and a conference?
I intend to create a quieter, gentler extension of the Always Learning list. Or maybe a funnier one with snacks.

I like quieter gatherings with shared experiences and time to think. It will be rich in information, but intimate. No really early sessions. No long hikes between presentations with a ten-minute "passing period." Time to sit and visit and play. There will be table games, toys, puzzles and coloring sheets.

Speakers have been invited based mostly on their value to the Always Learning discussion. The discussions will be all unschooling, all the time.

*When?
The week between Christmas and New Year's. The hotel rates are good for a whole week, and every night will count toward our group's credit (applied toward meeting rooms). If you want the full conference experience, please stay there at least Thursday the 27th through Saturday night, the 28th. We will have one evening session Thursday, all-day doings Friday and Saturday, and a couple of things Sunday morning. Then people can leave to have New Year's at home or somewhere. But if you want to stay longer, others will be too, and it will be helpful toward the cost of the symposium (for us to get the conference rooms and to cover some of the nights the speakers stay), so THANK YOU for staying at the hotel! Reviews from the feedback forms following the 2011 conference are here: Comments on the hotel

*Where is it going to be?
RAMADA Hotel & Convention Center (formerly "Sandia Courtard Hotel & Convention Center"). It's a small conference hotel just NE of I-40 and Eubank Blvd. in Albuquerque. Many more details of where it is and how to get there are here: SandraDodd.com/all/location

*Why a Symposium?
Why smaller and quieter? So we will have time to speak calmly, to wind down slowly, to clarify, to laugh and to smile. Time to think.

*Are babies and young children okay to bring?
Yes, sure, and we'll have a place for them to play, right next to the presentations/discussions room. If you bring toys to share, bring Very Quiet toys, please. We'll bring quiet toys and paper and pens from our house. It will be possible for parents of younger children to stand where they can hear the speaker and see their kids playing, too. I'll bring some futons for naps for younger kids, so they can sleep where we are, too.

*What about older kids?
The kids who might be the most bored are the middlin' ages, but if they're too old for toys, they might be old enough for games, which will be in a room off another side of the main meeting room. There will be tables with board games and cards and such. Off that is a reception area with couches where kids can hang out, too.

If you have a nine year old (give or take four years, depending on the kid), it might be a good idea to bring another adult or to leave him with another adult. Judge that by how much you want to concentrate on the presentations and discussions, and how well your child can entertain himself quietly or get along with others he's never met.

I don't figure teens will have any problem hanging out with other people of all ages and finding things to do or games to play, either near us or in the rooms or out and about in the neighborhood.

The hotel is all one building, so if kids are the rooms, they can get to where we are or back barefooted and in pajamas on carpetted hallways, and it's only a two-story building, so as safety in buildings goes, this is a good one.

*There is an outdoor hottub. The outdoor pool will be closed for winter, but the hottub will be open.

* Swimming won't be happening at the hotel (combination of December and an outdoor pool), but an indoor city pool, Los Altos Pool, is an easy walk from there. It's closed after "earlybird hours" on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but should have some hours available otherwise for people who are habitual swimmers or want to go and play. By shortcut on foot, it's across the road and beyond two baseball fields, or it's a two minute drive "the long way" by car (0.4 mile).

*If you ski, Sandia ski area is accessible from the tram which is only eight miles from the hotel. If there's no snow yet on the north side of the Sandia Mountains, Santa Fe Ski area is 60 miles north.

Sandia Peak or Ski Santa Fe

Most museums are closed on New Year's Day, so if one looks really good, come a day early if you can't stay until Tuesday.

*What kind of games and game room?
I don't know. We'll take a pile of board and table games and people can play them or not. We'll need to try to take some that are non-raucous so they can be played in the room next to speakers, but we have one more smallish room down the hall where louder things might be played.

Probably there will be hand-held games being played here and there, and maybe some games in rooms. It won't be an anti-gaming gathering, just keep an eye on your things to keep them close and safe.

*What about food? Food in rooms, food during discussions, restaurants between:

Our hotel is across the parking lot from a large Target store that has groceries. The $56 rooms each have a fridge and a microwave, so people can eat on the cheap.

Click here for details on restaurants in walking distance and within very short drives: FOOD

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