UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS Mid July 2002
[email protected]
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UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS
Mid-July 2002
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In this Issue:
John Holt on Enthusiasm
Collections
How to nurture your child's urge to collect
Disposable Checklists for Unschoolers
Quo Vadis Magazine
How to beat the heat
Cool Comfort
Fundamentalist Unschooling?
Unschool Friendly Conferences
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
"Children... do much of their learning in great bursts of passion and
enthusiasm. Except for those physical skills which can't be learned any other
way, children rarely learn on the slow, steady schedules that schools make
for them. They are more likely to be insatiably curious for a while about
some particular interest, and to read, write, talk, and ask questions about
it for hours a day and for days on end. Then suddenly they may drop that
interest and turn to something comepletely different, or even for a while
seem to have no interests at all. This usually means that for the time being
they have all the information on that subject that they can digest, and need
to explore the world in a different way, or perhaps simply get a firmer grip
on what they already know."
John Holt in How Children Learn (revised edition)
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Collections
We're five and six high in egg cartons of rocks. <g> Not painted rocks but
found crystals and minerals and we're going collecting again on Saturday. We
have a lot of rocks on our table for easy viewing under the microscope but
they're spreading out now to the bookshelves and coffee table and my kitchen
window sill. We just made a find at our little city park, of petrified wood
along the upper creek bank. We didn't have anything to dig with but our
hands and came away with thirty or so good pieces, some with fossils. We'll
have to go back with our shovel and see what else is there.
Deb L. in a discussion about rock collections on the HEM-Unschooling email
list
To join visit the group website at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Unschooling/
or send a blank email to [email protected]
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Aaron's Treasures
How to nurture your child's urge to collect (without letting it drive you
nuts)
by Eric D. Gyllenhaal
It started early last spring as the snow finally melted, revealing the sparse
grass of our neighbors' yards. Aaron's sharp, 4-year-old eyes soon discovered
wonderful things littered on the sticky ground. He searched, selected and
collected the best of them--bottle caps, broken bits of toys, lost barrettes,
even a few coins--and stuffed them in the mesh pocket of his backpack. Then
he brought them home and joyfully displayed them to his family.
"Treasures," he proclaimed, and so they were. Aaron's treasures became the
latest passion in our collection-packed home.
Aaron accumulated a large cardboard box of treasures before the end of May.
Five-year-old Ethan joined in the adventure, collecting seeds, rocks and bugs
instead of human litter, but he'd always been a naturalist at heart.
I empathized. I understood their need to constantly scan the ground. I'm also
a born naturalist and collector, having been raised in a nature center,
trained in geology, and often employed in museums. I carried zippered plastic
bags in my pockets and held them open so the boys could save their finds. My
wife sighed, stuffed a few plastic bags in her pockets, and played along.
We'd been through this before. We first learned what kind of family we'd
become when Ethan, at the age of 1, developed a passion for turtles. We
visited live turtles at the zoo, searched for mounted turtles in natural
history museums, borrowed turtle books from the library, and scanned videos
and nature shows for brief glimpses of his favorite turtle, the "great big
Alligator Snap." Soon there was a collection at the center of his passion.
Ethan collected plastic turtles by the dozen, begging us to buy him more.
Plastic turtles marched across Ethan's floor, ate whatever plastic worms he
had to offer, and sloshed about in his bath.
Ethan has lived his way through many passions since then: dinosaurs, seeds,
trains, shells, insects, Pokémon, rocks--then dinosaurs, insects, trains and
Pokémon again. Each passion lasts four months or so, sometimes overlapping
with the previous one, and each involves a collection: plastic dinosaurs,
dried seeds, wooden trains, real shells, live and dead insects, Pokémon toys
and cards, and boxes full of rocks. Ethan's bedroom looks like a museum
storeroom because he never lets anything go."
Read the rest of this fascinating article at
http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle1.htm
Mr. Gyllenhaal includes suggestions for organizing and growing collections,
along with compelling arguments for assisting your child in his collecting
passion or at least not getting in the way.
This article appeared in the July, 2002, issue of Chicago Parent
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Disposable Checklists for Unschoolers
Beginning homeschoolers are often afraid. Sometimes they homeschool for a
while, and a curriculum keeps the fear to a manageable level. Sometimes a
curriculum is a workable alternative to school for a family. For some it is
not. Some of those give up and the kids go back to school. Some give up the
curriculum and move toward unschooling.
Beginning unschoolers are often afraid. Without the touchstone of a schedule
and a list, they don't know how they will see progress, or how they will
recognize "sufficient effort" on the part of children or parents.
For some people, treating their first months of unschooling as summer
vacation, or a month or two of Saturdays is sufficient, but some people
schedule even their Saturdays and vacations. "Just hang out with your kids"
sounds torturous to them, and may be more frightening than abandoning public
school was.
Here, then, are some possible replacement checklists and scheduling aids for
those who truly want to unschool but who can't breathe well or sleep soundly
without a plan.
Sink-Like-a-Stone Method: Instead of skimming the surface of a subject or
interest, drop anchor there for a while. If someone is interested in chess,
mess with chess. Not just the game, but the structure and history of
tournaments. How do chess clocks work? What is the history of the names and
shapes of the playing pieces? What other board games are also traditional and
which are older than chess? If you're near a games shop or a fancy gift shop,
wander by and look at different chess sets on display. It will be like a
teeny chess museum. The interest will either increase or burn out - don't
push it past the child's interest.
When someone understands the depth and breadth of one subject, he will know
that any other subject has breadth and depth.
Sandra Dodd in the July/August issue of Home Education Magazine
Find the rest of Sandra's column (and the rest of the checklists!) at
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/194/jaunschooling.html
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Quo Vadis Magazine
I recently received this announcement for Quo Vadis, described as a Magazine
by and for self-educating people of all varieties.
"This magazine will contain articles, stories, poetry, announcements,
shameless self-promotion, etc., written by you, to fascinate, entertain, and
inspire.
As a brief introduction, my name is Zack Shuman, and I live in Olympia WA?.
I've home/unschooled my whole life and I've been part of the Not Back To
School Camp (NBTSC) community since it began in 1996. My goal with this
magazine is to help foster a community of people who see self-education and
learning as a philosophy for a lifetime, not simply and alternative for 6-18
year olds, to the mainstream American schooling systems. If you are a
home/unschooling parent, start thinking of yourself as an autodidact with
kids. If you are a home/unschooler, start thinking of yourself as a person
with a passion for life, and for learning, who happens to be young. And if
you have no prior connection to the home/unschooling movement, or the NBTSC
community, welcome, it's your love of life and learning that make you a part
of this community, not your educational history.
Want to be a part of this? Good! ...cause I'm not writing all the content
myself!"
For more information, visit http://www.nbtsc.org/wiki/QVMagazine
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
How to beat the heat
"It was hot in Montana today. We get hot here but not humid so mostly folks
can stand it. We stand it by playing in the pool. *The pool* is a ten foot
inflatable rim, 36" deep vinyl kids pool, but oh, is it lovely in the heat.
However fun they are vinyl pools need to be cleaned sometimes and today it
just wasn't going to wait anymore. So I drained it and floundered around in
there scrubbing and being hot and thinking almost anything would be better
than what I was doing. It was an all day thing, draining, cleaning and
refilling and then mowing the lawn and what not.
But when I came in Dylan had made ice cream. Not ice cream really, non dairy
frozen desert. Last week or so we borrowed my moms old, (really old) ice
cream maker. It's the "Dolly Madison Home Ice Cream Freezer", and says
*HUSKY* on the label, and my mom got it when my brother was little, about
fifty four years ago. We made a batch the first day and it was fun, but we
hadn't tried it again. While I was squishing around in the pool he was
secretly picking strawberries, and cracking ice and measuring soy milk and
sugar and vanilla and making me the happiest mom in Deer Lodge, Montana.
Yessiree.
I'll remember forever how good it tasted and how pleased he looked and how
lucky I felt. How it felt to sit in our little kitchen and look out into the
back yard, with the grass freshly cut and the bright blue pool filling up
with water and see Dylan's happy face across the table. And I won't be
grumpy next time I have to clean the pool either, because however yucky the
pool is, the kid who likes the pool is awesome. "
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Visit the Unschooling.com message boards at
http://www.unschooling.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html
To subscribe to the Unschooling-dotcom email list send a blank email to:
[email protected]
Or visit the email list website at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unschooling-dotcom
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Cool Comfort
Recently my father said to me that he thought TV and video games are
unhealthy because they lure children inside during the summer. I told him I
think the blame lies with air conditioning. On pleasant days my children bang
outside at first light and don't return until hunger strikes. Hot days are
another matter, however. When even the big shade tree in our front yard
offers little relief from the heat, the neighborhood children all vanish into
their houses, with the blinds drawn against the glare and the air
conditioning pouring out liquid cool. When I was their age, neither our house
nor those of our neighbors was air conditioned. When heat waves struck we'd
flee the stifling air inside to spend the day roaming in search of shade and
cooling breezes, begging for sprinklers and Popsicles.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of air-conditioning (depending on
whose history you read). Celebrate by checking out a new book exploring "how
the idea of "cooling" became firmly embedded in the social perceptions and
expectations of Americans, transforming our definition of comfort and the way
we live, work, and play."
Cool Comfort by MARSHA E. ACKERMANN
http://www.sipress.si.edu/books/titles_books/1-58834-040-6.html
Or check out the web exhibit at the National Building Museum
http://www.nbm.org/Exhibits/past/2000_1996/Stay_Cool!.html
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Fundamentalist Unschooling?
"....people assume unschoolers are not going to be bound by some sort of
dogma or fundamentalism."
Unschooling is "something" though - it isn't "anything goes." It does
comprise beliefs about how people learn and it is a philosophy of education.
Unschoolers are not bound by any dogma - there is no authority who lays it
out, not even John Holt really did that - his thought was always a work in
progress, his ideas and insights were always developing.
But, there is something to the idea of "fundamental" that strikes me as
important. I realize that "fundamentalism" was probably meant as an insult,
but getting people to look at what is really "fundamental" does seem to me to
be very appropriate unschooling advice.
Something is fundamental when it is one of the basic constituents without
which a thing or system would not be what it is. So, for example, we could
probably all agree that it is fundamental to unschooling that a parent gives
up preplanning a systematic progressive curriculum of study for their child.
Lots of what people ask about or seem to be confused or disagree about does
have to do with what is fundamental to unschooling.
Pam Sorooshian in a discussion on the HEM-Unschooling email list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Unschooling/
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Unschool Friendly Conferences
Feeling like a fish out of water after attending a large curriculum oriented
homeschool convention? The following conferences have unschooling presenters
and participants, some including many regular posters at the unschooling.com
website and email discussion list.
Trusting the Children, Trusting Ourselves
Keynote speakers - Jane Healy, Frank Smith
August 16-18, 2002
Radisson Hotel Sacramento, CA
http://conference.hsc.org/default.html
Diversity in Education
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - LINDA DOBSON
September 14, 2002
Iroquois Ridge High School, Oakville, Ontario
http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/2002conferenceframeset.html
Texas Family Learning Conference
October 4 & 5, 2002
Sheraton Brookhollow in Houston, Texas
Keynote Speakers - David Albert, Sandra Dodd
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/wlr/conference.html
Live and Learn Unschool Conference
October 11 - 13, 2002
Columbia, SC
http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/index.html
If you have information on other unschooling friendly conferences please
email the editor at newsletter@...
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this
newsletter, please contact the editor at:
newsletter@...
________________________
THE RESOURCEFUL HOMESCHOOLER
www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com
What do you call your family? Unschoolers...Interest-Based
Learners...Life-Long Learners...Eclectic Homeschoolers...Learner-Led
Schoolers...Relaxed Homeschoolers...Whatever you call yourselves, The
Resourceful Homeschooler carries great books, science materials and kits,
learning games, and the most interesting software.
Visit us at http://www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com
Materials to involve, inspire and support independent learners of all ages!
________________________
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
In the July/August issue of Home Education Magazine, you'll enjoy articles on
learning to write without school, German, single-parent homeschooling, a
family learning center and more. Columns include: Peter Kowalke wonders if
college and homeschool fit; Linda Dobson celebrates independence; Laura
Weldon offers advice on animal husbandry and science; Ann Zeise stays
on-topic in email conversations; and Barbara Theisen goes to infinity and
beyond. Other columnists include Larry and Susan Kaseman, Sandra Dodd, Becky
Rupp, David Albert and Carol Narigon. HEM also offers a special essay by
publisher Helen Hegener, classified ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and
networking, and more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are currently $26 (regularly $32.00)
for one year/6 issues; $48 (regularly $64) for 2 years; single issue $6.50.
Home Education Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA
98855; for orders: toll-free 1-800-236-3278; email
orders@.... MC/Visa cards accepted.
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Final Thought
"How did it come to pass that I was the one to develop the theory of
relativity? The reason, I think, is that a normal adult never stops to think
about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought of as
a child. But my intellectual development was retarded, as a result of which I
began to wonder about space and time only when I had already grown up.
Naturally I could go deeper into the problem than a child with normal
abilities."
Albert Einstein
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Thanks for reading the Unschooling.com newsletter! Feel free to forward this
newsletter to all your friends, your local support group, and your
mother-in-law!
To subscribe, visit our web site at http://www.unschooling.com or send an
email to majordomo@... with the words subscribe
unschooling-newsletter followed by your name@your address.com in the body of
the email. (e.g. subscribe unschooling-newsletter youremailaddress).
To unsubscribe, send an email to majordomo@... with the words
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To change the address at which you receive the newsletter, unsubscribe your
old address and then subscribe with your new one.
The next edition of this newsletter will be distributed on August 18th. See
you then!
Deborah A Cunefare, Newsletter Editor
newsletter@...
www.unschooling.com
Unschooling.com is a service of Home Education Magazine
UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS
Mid-July 2002
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In this Issue:
John Holt on Enthusiasm
Collections
How to nurture your child's urge to collect
Disposable Checklists for Unschoolers
Quo Vadis Magazine
How to beat the heat
Cool Comfort
Fundamentalist Unschooling?
Unschool Friendly Conferences
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
"Children... do much of their learning in great bursts of passion and
enthusiasm. Except for those physical skills which can't be learned any other
way, children rarely learn on the slow, steady schedules that schools make
for them. They are more likely to be insatiably curious for a while about
some particular interest, and to read, write, talk, and ask questions about
it for hours a day and for days on end. Then suddenly they may drop that
interest and turn to something comepletely different, or even for a while
seem to have no interests at all. This usually means that for the time being
they have all the information on that subject that they can digest, and need
to explore the world in a different way, or perhaps simply get a firmer grip
on what they already know."
John Holt in How Children Learn (revised edition)
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Collections
We're five and six high in egg cartons of rocks. <g> Not painted rocks but
found crystals and minerals and we're going collecting again on Saturday. We
have a lot of rocks on our table for easy viewing under the microscope but
they're spreading out now to the bookshelves and coffee table and my kitchen
window sill. We just made a find at our little city park, of petrified wood
along the upper creek bank. We didn't have anything to dig with but our
hands and came away with thirty or so good pieces, some with fossils. We'll
have to go back with our shovel and see what else is there.
Deb L. in a discussion about rock collections on the HEM-Unschooling email
list
To join visit the group website at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Unschooling/
or send a blank email to [email protected]
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Aaron's Treasures
How to nurture your child's urge to collect (without letting it drive you
nuts)
by Eric D. Gyllenhaal
It started early last spring as the snow finally melted, revealing the sparse
grass of our neighbors' yards. Aaron's sharp, 4-year-old eyes soon discovered
wonderful things littered on the sticky ground. He searched, selected and
collected the best of them--bottle caps, broken bits of toys, lost barrettes,
even a few coins--and stuffed them in the mesh pocket of his backpack. Then
he brought them home and joyfully displayed them to his family.
"Treasures," he proclaimed, and so they were. Aaron's treasures became the
latest passion in our collection-packed home.
Aaron accumulated a large cardboard box of treasures before the end of May.
Five-year-old Ethan joined in the adventure, collecting seeds, rocks and bugs
instead of human litter, but he'd always been a naturalist at heart.
I empathized. I understood their need to constantly scan the ground. I'm also
a born naturalist and collector, having been raised in a nature center,
trained in geology, and often employed in museums. I carried zippered plastic
bags in my pockets and held them open so the boys could save their finds. My
wife sighed, stuffed a few plastic bags in her pockets, and played along.
We'd been through this before. We first learned what kind of family we'd
become when Ethan, at the age of 1, developed a passion for turtles. We
visited live turtles at the zoo, searched for mounted turtles in natural
history museums, borrowed turtle books from the library, and scanned videos
and nature shows for brief glimpses of his favorite turtle, the "great big
Alligator Snap." Soon there was a collection at the center of his passion.
Ethan collected plastic turtles by the dozen, begging us to buy him more.
Plastic turtles marched across Ethan's floor, ate whatever plastic worms he
had to offer, and sloshed about in his bath.
Ethan has lived his way through many passions since then: dinosaurs, seeds,
trains, shells, insects, Pokémon, rocks--then dinosaurs, insects, trains and
Pokémon again. Each passion lasts four months or so, sometimes overlapping
with the previous one, and each involves a collection: plastic dinosaurs,
dried seeds, wooden trains, real shells, live and dead insects, Pokémon toys
and cards, and boxes full of rocks. Ethan's bedroom looks like a museum
storeroom because he never lets anything go."
Read the rest of this fascinating article at
http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle1.htm
Mr. Gyllenhaal includes suggestions for organizing and growing collections,
along with compelling arguments for assisting your child in his collecting
passion or at least not getting in the way.
This article appeared in the July, 2002, issue of Chicago Parent
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Disposable Checklists for Unschoolers
Beginning homeschoolers are often afraid. Sometimes they homeschool for a
while, and a curriculum keeps the fear to a manageable level. Sometimes a
curriculum is a workable alternative to school for a family. For some it is
not. Some of those give up and the kids go back to school. Some give up the
curriculum and move toward unschooling.
Beginning unschoolers are often afraid. Without the touchstone of a schedule
and a list, they don't know how they will see progress, or how they will
recognize "sufficient effort" on the part of children or parents.
For some people, treating their first months of unschooling as summer
vacation, or a month or two of Saturdays is sufficient, but some people
schedule even their Saturdays and vacations. "Just hang out with your kids"
sounds torturous to them, and may be more frightening than abandoning public
school was.
Here, then, are some possible replacement checklists and scheduling aids for
those who truly want to unschool but who can't breathe well or sleep soundly
without a plan.
Sink-Like-a-Stone Method: Instead of skimming the surface of a subject or
interest, drop anchor there for a while. If someone is interested in chess,
mess with chess. Not just the game, but the structure and history of
tournaments. How do chess clocks work? What is the history of the names and
shapes of the playing pieces? What other board games are also traditional and
which are older than chess? If you're near a games shop or a fancy gift shop,
wander by and look at different chess sets on display. It will be like a
teeny chess museum. The interest will either increase or burn out - don't
push it past the child's interest.
When someone understands the depth and breadth of one subject, he will know
that any other subject has breadth and depth.
Sandra Dodd in the July/August issue of Home Education Magazine
Find the rest of Sandra's column (and the rest of the checklists!) at
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/194/jaunschooling.html
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Quo Vadis Magazine
I recently received this announcement for Quo Vadis, described as a Magazine
by and for self-educating people of all varieties.
"This magazine will contain articles, stories, poetry, announcements,
shameless self-promotion, etc., written by you, to fascinate, entertain, and
inspire.
As a brief introduction, my name is Zack Shuman, and I live in Olympia WA?.
I've home/unschooled my whole life and I've been part of the Not Back To
School Camp (NBTSC) community since it began in 1996. My goal with this
magazine is to help foster a community of people who see self-education and
learning as a philosophy for a lifetime, not simply and alternative for 6-18
year olds, to the mainstream American schooling systems. If you are a
home/unschooling parent, start thinking of yourself as an autodidact with
kids. If you are a home/unschooler, start thinking of yourself as a person
with a passion for life, and for learning, who happens to be young. And if
you have no prior connection to the home/unschooling movement, or the NBTSC
community, welcome, it's your love of life and learning that make you a part
of this community, not your educational history.
Want to be a part of this? Good! ...cause I'm not writing all the content
myself!"
For more information, visit http://www.nbtsc.org/wiki/QVMagazine
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
How to beat the heat
"It was hot in Montana today. We get hot here but not humid so mostly folks
can stand it. We stand it by playing in the pool. *The pool* is a ten foot
inflatable rim, 36" deep vinyl kids pool, but oh, is it lovely in the heat.
However fun they are vinyl pools need to be cleaned sometimes and today it
just wasn't going to wait anymore. So I drained it and floundered around in
there scrubbing and being hot and thinking almost anything would be better
than what I was doing. It was an all day thing, draining, cleaning and
refilling and then mowing the lawn and what not.
But when I came in Dylan had made ice cream. Not ice cream really, non dairy
frozen desert. Last week or so we borrowed my moms old, (really old) ice
cream maker. It's the "Dolly Madison Home Ice Cream Freezer", and says
*HUSKY* on the label, and my mom got it when my brother was little, about
fifty four years ago. We made a batch the first day and it was fun, but we
hadn't tried it again. While I was squishing around in the pool he was
secretly picking strawberries, and cracking ice and measuring soy milk and
sugar and vanilla and making me the happiest mom in Deer Lodge, Montana.
Yessiree.
I'll remember forever how good it tasted and how pleased he looked and how
lucky I felt. How it felt to sit in our little kitchen and look out into the
back yard, with the grass freshly cut and the bright blue pool filling up
with water and see Dylan's happy face across the table. And I won't be
grumpy next time I have to clean the pool either, because however yucky the
pool is, the kid who likes the pool is awesome. "
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Visit the Unschooling.com message boards at
http://www.unschooling.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html
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[email protected]
Or visit the email list website at:
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Cool Comfort
Recently my father said to me that he thought TV and video games are
unhealthy because they lure children inside during the summer. I told him I
think the blame lies with air conditioning. On pleasant days my children bang
outside at first light and don't return until hunger strikes. Hot days are
another matter, however. When even the big shade tree in our front yard
offers little relief from the heat, the neighborhood children all vanish into
their houses, with the blinds drawn against the glare and the air
conditioning pouring out liquid cool. When I was their age, neither our house
nor those of our neighbors was air conditioned. When heat waves struck we'd
flee the stifling air inside to spend the day roaming in search of shade and
cooling breezes, begging for sprinklers and Popsicles.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of air-conditioning (depending on
whose history you read). Celebrate by checking out a new book exploring "how
the idea of "cooling" became firmly embedded in the social perceptions and
expectations of Americans, transforming our definition of comfort and the way
we live, work, and play."
Cool Comfort by MARSHA E. ACKERMANN
http://www.sipress.si.edu/books/titles_books/1-58834-040-6.html
Or check out the web exhibit at the National Building Museum
http://www.nbm.org/Exhibits/past/2000_1996/Stay_Cool!.html
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Fundamentalist Unschooling?
"....people assume unschoolers are not going to be bound by some sort of
dogma or fundamentalism."
Unschooling is "something" though - it isn't "anything goes." It does
comprise beliefs about how people learn and it is a philosophy of education.
Unschoolers are not bound by any dogma - there is no authority who lays it
out, not even John Holt really did that - his thought was always a work in
progress, his ideas and insights were always developing.
But, there is something to the idea of "fundamental" that strikes me as
important. I realize that "fundamentalism" was probably meant as an insult,
but getting people to look at what is really "fundamental" does seem to me to
be very appropriate unschooling advice.
Something is fundamental when it is one of the basic constituents without
which a thing or system would not be what it is. So, for example, we could
probably all agree that it is fundamental to unschooling that a parent gives
up preplanning a systematic progressive curriculum of study for their child.
Lots of what people ask about or seem to be confused or disagree about does
have to do with what is fundamental to unschooling.
Pam Sorooshian in a discussion on the HEM-Unschooling email list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Unschooling/
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Unschool Friendly Conferences
Feeling like a fish out of water after attending a large curriculum oriented
homeschool convention? The following conferences have unschooling presenters
and participants, some including many regular posters at the unschooling.com
website and email discussion list.
Trusting the Children, Trusting Ourselves
Keynote speakers - Jane Healy, Frank Smith
August 16-18, 2002
Radisson Hotel Sacramento, CA
http://conference.hsc.org/default.html
Diversity in Education
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - LINDA DOBSON
September 14, 2002
Iroquois Ridge High School, Oakville, Ontario
http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/2002conferenceframeset.html
Texas Family Learning Conference
October 4 & 5, 2002
Sheraton Brookhollow in Houston, Texas
Keynote Speakers - David Albert, Sandra Dodd
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/wlr/conference.html
Live and Learn Unschool Conference
October 11 - 13, 2002
Columbia, SC
http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/index.html
If you have information on other unschooling friendly conferences please
email the editor at newsletter@...
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UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this
newsletter, please contact the editor at:
newsletter@...
________________________
THE RESOURCEFUL HOMESCHOOLER
www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com
What do you call your family? Unschoolers...Interest-Based
Learners...Life-Long Learners...Eclectic Homeschoolers...Learner-Led
Schoolers...Relaxed Homeschoolers...Whatever you call yourselves, The
Resourceful Homeschooler carries great books, science materials and kits,
learning games, and the most interesting software.
Visit us at http://www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com
Materials to involve, inspire and support independent learners of all ages!
________________________
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
In the July/August issue of Home Education Magazine, you'll enjoy articles on
learning to write without school, German, single-parent homeschooling, a
family learning center and more. Columns include: Peter Kowalke wonders if
college and homeschool fit; Linda Dobson celebrates independence; Laura
Weldon offers advice on animal husbandry and science; Ann Zeise stays
on-topic in email conversations; and Barbara Theisen goes to infinity and
beyond. Other columnists include Larry and Susan Kaseman, Sandra Dodd, Becky
Rupp, David Albert and Carol Narigon. HEM also offers a special essay by
publisher Helen Hegener, classified ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and
networking, and more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are currently $26 (regularly $32.00)
for one year/6 issues; $48 (regularly $64) for 2 years; single issue $6.50.
Home Education Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA
98855; for orders: toll-free 1-800-236-3278; email
orders@.... MC/Visa cards accepted.
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Final Thought
"How did it come to pass that I was the one to develop the theory of
relativity? The reason, I think, is that a normal adult never stops to think
about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought of as
a child. But my intellectual development was retarded, as a result of which I
began to wonder about space and time only when I had already grown up.
Naturally I could go deeper into the problem than a child with normal
abilities."
Albert Einstein
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The next edition of this newsletter will be distributed on August 18th. See
you then!
Deborah A Cunefare, Newsletter Editor
newsletter@...
www.unschooling.com
Unschooling.com is a service of Home Education Magazine