L&L vs RE
gminthecountry
Hi all,
I did a quick search of the archives but all I could really find was a comment by Kelly saying
Rethinking Education was different but still cool? Anybody been to both conferences and
willing to give me a bit of a description of the major differences - we've only been to Live &
Learn. From the website it looks like RE has more segregation by age in the activities, and
more "experts" speaking? Of course L&L will be different again this year with the new venue,
but I am just wanting a general comparison...
Thanks,
Gillian
& Craig of Effie (7) and Fergus (3)
Victoria, BC, Canada
I did a quick search of the archives but all I could really find was a comment by Kelly saying
Rethinking Education was different but still cool? Anybody been to both conferences and
willing to give me a bit of a description of the major differences - we've only been to Live &
Learn. From the website it looks like RE has more segregation by age in the activities, and
more "experts" speaking? Of course L&L will be different again this year with the new venue,
but I am just wanting a general comparison...
Thanks,
Gillian
& Craig of Effie (7) and Fergus (3)
Victoria, BC, Canada
Susan
> I did a quick search of the archives but all I could really find was a comment by Kelly sayingI haven't been to either (but will be at L&L in Sept, yay!) but from
> Rethinking Education was different but still cool? Anybody been to both conferences and
> willing to give me a bit of a description of the major differences - we've only been to Live &
> Learn. From the website it looks like RE has more segregation by age in the activities, and
> more "experts" speaking? Of course L&L will be different again this year with the new venue,
> but I am just wanting a general comparison...
what I understand RE is not an unschooling conference but might still
be of interest to unschoolers since it explores alternative education
and has diverse speakers & topics. Live and Learn - at least in it's
current configuration this year - strikes me an intentional community
of unschooling families and I'm thinking it will probably feel more
like a really awesome camp than a traditional conference.
~ Susan
Ren Allen
> I haven't been to either (but will be at L&L in Sept, yay!) but fromActually, RE is most definitely an unschooling conference. It just
> what I understand RE is not an unschooling conference but might still
> be of interest to unschoolers since it explores alternative education
> and has diverse speakers & topics.
hosts a variety of unschooling viewpoints, including speakers that
believe tv should be limited etc...
I will be one offering the other perspective of course.:)
Barb Lundgren, who organizes that conference is a die-hard unschooler.
What I love about L&L (never been to RE, though I will be speaking
this year) is the RU focus. It is (and always has been) for and about
radical unschooling. There is no age segregation at all. I am curious
to see how the age segregation at RE will play out. I have heard
really good things about the entire conference and Barb has been a joy
to work with.
I am biased to L&L of course, seeing as Kelly is a close friend...but
I think both venues (though different) offer a lot of fun and bonding
for unschooling families.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Susan
> Actually, RE is most definitely an unschooling conference. It justOops, I guess I was thinking of another conference I heard about
> hosts a variety of unschooling viewpoints, including speakers that
> believe tv should be limited etc...
> I will be one offering the other perspective of course.:)
recently that has a similar name. It had some unschoolish topics and a
few presenters from the homeschooling community, but was aimed
primarily at encouraging school reformation. Sorry for the confusion!
~ Susan
Sylvia Toyama
Rethinking Education was different but still cool? Anybody been to both conferences and
willing to give me a bit of a description of the major differences
*****
I went to RE in 2004, and I've been to two L&L since then (St. Louis & Abq). RE wasn't really an unschooling conference. That year it was a 3-day affair (Fri-Sun) with Friday being almost completely presentations by curriculum reps. The vendor area was filled with curriculum dealers all weekend. There were a couple of non-curriculum tables, but not with the completely unschooling feel of L&L.
There was a box-town kinda play area for little kids and some other kid stuff, but since I'd gone alone -- the kids were with dh and my sister's family while I went conferencing -- I don't really know much about that part of it.
Overall, I like L&L much better.
Sylvia
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willing to give me a bit of a description of the major differences
*****
I went to RE in 2004, and I've been to two L&L since then (St. Louis & Abq). RE wasn't really an unschooling conference. That year it was a 3-day affair (Fri-Sun) with Friday being almost completely presentations by curriculum reps. The vendor area was filled with curriculum dealers all weekend. There were a couple of non-curriculum tables, but not with the completely unschooling feel of L&L.
There was a box-town kinda play area for little kids and some other kid stuff, but since I'd gone alone -- the kids were with dh and my sister's family while I went conferencing -- I don't really know much about that part of it.
Overall, I like L&L much better.
Sylvia
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Robert Saxon
Hi there,
I went to RE last year, and have never been to L&L (but it sounds very
interesting!). I was only really just getting into unschooling when we
went, AND since my kids were 3 & 4 at the time, I wasn't really looking at
curriculum. I second the statement that Barb Lundgren is a die-hard
unschooler (this year they will be showing a preview of the movie "Schooled"
- previews look good). I also remember feeling very uncomfortable at how
free the kids were allowed to be. I felt like I was free-falling sometimes
(those kids should be sitting down or just leave -- wait, wait, breathe,
it's OK.) Yes, there were "experts" and it definitely was a "conference" --
at least for me, as I went to as many meetings as I could. But for me,
those meetings did more for me for unschooling and RU (though I didn't know
it at the time) than most other things I've read since (haven't been able to
go anywhere else, sadly).
Last year I worked in the Kids' Village at RE. The area for them was huge,
I think it took up three of the hotel's conferene areas (movable dividers).
The workers there appeared to be much less dominating and directive than
other child care-givers I've used. The tone also appeared to be that you
could bring in your kid IF you wanted to. There were a number of children
in some of the meetings, but there were also a number of things for kids to
do (up through teens) IF they wanted to. I think there was a perpetual
group of teens just hanging out in one area in the atrium(?). The kids were
(to me at the time) essentially allowed to go where they wanted to and do
what they wanted to. but there was stuff scheduled for them if they were
interested.
I think the biggest relief to me was the large amount of DADS that
attended. I was really quite worried about attending this huge
estrogen-fest. We had a Dad's Meeting on Sat. night which was also really
helpful for me. I'm hoping there'll be even more dads there this year.
--Rob Saxon
DH to Seana for 10 years
"Daddy!" to Genevieve (5.5) and Elissa (4+)
--Rob
I went to RE last year, and have never been to L&L (but it sounds very
interesting!). I was only really just getting into unschooling when we
went, AND since my kids were 3 & 4 at the time, I wasn't really looking at
curriculum. I second the statement that Barb Lundgren is a die-hard
unschooler (this year they will be showing a preview of the movie "Schooled"
- previews look good). I also remember feeling very uncomfortable at how
free the kids were allowed to be. I felt like I was free-falling sometimes
(those kids should be sitting down or just leave -- wait, wait, breathe,
it's OK.) Yes, there were "experts" and it definitely was a "conference" --
at least for me, as I went to as many meetings as I could. But for me,
those meetings did more for me for unschooling and RU (though I didn't know
it at the time) than most other things I've read since (haven't been able to
go anywhere else, sadly).
Last year I worked in the Kids' Village at RE. The area for them was huge,
I think it took up three of the hotel's conferene areas (movable dividers).
The workers there appeared to be much less dominating and directive than
other child care-givers I've used. The tone also appeared to be that you
could bring in your kid IF you wanted to. There were a number of children
in some of the meetings, but there were also a number of things for kids to
do (up through teens) IF they wanted to. I think there was a perpetual
group of teens just hanging out in one area in the atrium(?). The kids were
(to me at the time) essentially allowed to go where they wanted to and do
what they wanted to. but there was stuff scheduled for them if they were
interested.
I think the biggest relief to me was the large amount of DADS that
attended. I was really quite worried about attending this huge
estrogen-fest. We had a Dad's Meeting on Sat. night which was also really
helpful for me. I'm hoping there'll be even more dads there this year.
--Rob Saxon
DH to Seana for 10 years
"Daddy!" to Genevieve (5.5) and Elissa (4+)
--Rob
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