UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS Mid September 2002
[email protected]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS
Mid-September 2002
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In this Issue:
Life is a Journey
What About Socialization?
Islands of Expertise
Do you like to learn?
Group functions
Nature Helps
Forms of Curiosity
Photography on the Web
T.C. Confesses
NHEN - Homeschoolers Helping Homeschoolers
Unschool Friendly Conferences
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Life is a journey. Our unschooling life is just the path we've taken, it's
not the
destination. Our kids will continue on this path their whole lives. There's
no
reason for them to know everything in the whole wide world right now. It's
not
even possible. Knowing what it is to really be alive, to ask questions and
question the answers...that's the path we're on.
Mary (zenmomma) writing on the Unschooling-dotcom email list
To join the conversation send a blank email to:
[email protected]
Or visit the group web site at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unschooling-dotcom/
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
What About Socialization?
"Despite its growing acceptance, there are nagging shortcomings to home
schooling. If you spend time with home schoolers, you get a sense that some
of them have missed out on whole swaths of childhood; the admirable efforts
by their parents to ensure their education and safety sometimes seem to
have gone too far. In 1992 psychotherapist Larry Shyers did a study while at
the University of Florida in which he closely examined the behavior of 35 home
schoolers and 35 public schoolers. He found that home schoolers were
generally more patient and less competitive. They tended to introduce
themselves to one another more; they didn't fight as much. And the home
schoolers were much more prone to exchange addresses and phone numbers.
In short, they behaved like miniature adults. "
From Time Magazine cover article, August 2001 - Seceding from school
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010827/index.html
"Kids today are missing some essential social skills for relating to each
other.
They don't know how to introduce themselves to other kids. They don't know
how to negotiate or sustain a conversation. They relate to each other via
put-downs."
Teacher describing school children in "The Shelter of Each Other" by Mary
Pipher (Ballantine 1996)
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Islands of Expertise
by Eric D. Gyllenhaal
"Islands of expertise" is a term coined by Kevin Crowley, Ph.D., an
educational
researcher at University of Pittsburgh who studies the ways that children and
parents learn together in museums ( http://www.kevincrowley.com ). It refers
to the areas of relatively deep and rich knowledge children develop when they
are passionately interested in something like dinosaurs, Pokémon, rocks,
turtles and other things. These islands emerge over weeks or months as
children talk, read and learn about their passions.
On their islands of expertise, children remember, reason and explain in more
advanced ways than they usually do when submerged in the wider sea of
knowledge. Even preschoolers can think more like an expert does, which is
very
different from a beginner's approach to the subject. I guess you could also
say
they think more like an adult, growing up faster on their island than in the
rest
of their lives. (Just the opposite of Peter Pan.)
Crowley emphasizes that children aren't alone on their islands. They build
and
inhabit them with their parents through the things they do together every
day.
Preschoolers especially need their parents' help...
Read the rest of this wonderful article at
http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle2.htm
Eric Gyllenhaal has a PhD in paleontology from the University of Chicago.
He's
currently a stay-at-home dad and a part-time museum consultant. I'm
becoming quite a fan of his writings about children and learning.
This article appeared in the September, 2002 issue of Chicago Parent
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Do you like to learn?
Four years ago, two riding pals asked me to write an article about learning.
I did not consider them students, although one would ask for a little help
occasionally and the other set up a lesson a couple of times a year, if that
often, for which she insisted on paying. When she finally explained that
paying
for the information meant that she would learn, I stopped protesting. It was
my first exposure to this sort of thinking. I did not understand it, but I
wanted
to.
They were both good riders who'd learned "the old way" and they wanted to
improve. They pressed me to share with them anything I knew about learning
how-to-relearn to ride. I told them I also had questions--more questions than
I
had answers. This struck me as a good opportunity to ferret out some
answers, so I started researching this article right then. It began with a
short
interview and a few days later I interviewed three more people we knew. It was
a simple interview: one question. "Do you like learning?" Their five unanimous
answers stunned me.
They all answered with the question: "What do you mean?"
Leslie Diamond writing for The Trail Less Traveled
Read the rest of this fascinating article at:
http://www.lesliedesmond.com/articles/us/horse13-4.asp
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Group Functions
"I can no longer stand group outings with other families. I tried for a few
years
to get used to them, to accept them, to think that I was just being an
uncooperative pain, but then I realized no, I would rather be with JUST my
kids
and not have to worry about whether six or ten other moms thought it was
okay for them to balance on the curb or the parking bumpers, whether the
other moms thought their T-shirts were acceptable, or whether they could get
a gumball or a soda, or whether they should sit lined up with the other kids
with their hands folded."
From a recent conversation on the Unschooling.com message boards about
group classes for small children, field trips, and other "contrived
learning". To
join (or just read) the conversation, go to:
http://www.unschooling.com/discus/messages/537/6578.html?WednesdaySeptember112
0020924am
To find the rest of the messages click on Contrived Learning in the header of
the page.
Check out all the engrossing topics on our message boards at:
http://www.unschooling.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Nature Helps
Looking for plants or animals native to your area? Find wildflowers, birds,
reptiles, and more at www.enature.com -- home of online field guides you can
search by zip code. We found this site useful to identify the spider that
recently set up housekeeping in our window well.
Find plans to make your own flower press at:
Pressing Flowers
http://www.vandycks.com/kids/projects/flowerpressing/default.htm
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Forms of Curiosity
Children are tremendously curious about a wide variety of subjects. If you
took
a class of twenty-five first-graders and researched what really turned them
on, you'd find that each boy and girl has a burning desire to learn more
about
something. One child may be curious about birds, another might have all sorts
of questions about the planets, and a third might be fascinated by cars. On a
more general level, we know the areas that children are eager to explore and
learn about: why people treat them the way they do, their own bodies, sports,
how to make things, drawing, music, and so on. Very few children, however,
are naturally curious about the subjects school forces them to learn. Most
kids don't have an intense curiosity about Dickens, state capitals, or
algorithms.
...This is the problem with school and curiosity. Most kids only ask
questions
about the subjects they're being taught out of a sense of "duty" or because
they're worried they'll be criticized or downgraded, not because they're
really
curious about the answers. In fact, school tends to answer questions kids
don't have rather than the ones they want answered. When you don't have
questions about a subject, you don't learn. You simply memorize, take the
test, and forget.
Heartfelt questions, then, are a manifestation of inquisitiveness. When your
child starts asking you a million question about a specific topic, this
identifies
a real area of interest. The fact that he's curious about something weird or
trivial -- why cats land on their feet when dropped off the balcony, or the
smell, texture, and taste of coffee beans -- is neither here nor there. No
matter where curiosity originates, it's a valid starting point, which as
we'll see
can lead to other, more "useful" areas of inquiry.
Questions, however, aren't the only form curiosity takes. People express
their
curiosity through different behaviors. A teenager, for instance, might drive
fast because he's curious about how fast his car can go. A younger kid is
curious about what will happen if he invites the new student to his house for
lunch. A chemist is curious about what might happen if he mixes the liquids
in
test tubes X and Y. A kid is curious about what might happen if he fixes his
best friend up with the girl who sits next to him in math class. Picasso was
one
of the most curious of modern artists, constantly experimenting with his
painting techniques. In a very real sense, inquisitiveness involves
experimentation. Like scientists, curious people are fascinated to see "what
would happen if..." An avant-garde musician experiments with different
tonalities and instruments in the same way a small child experiments with
different types of balls to see how they bounce.
Curiosity is a curious thing, especially when we probe beneath the surface of
our questions and behaviors and see how it helps us learn.
Roger Schank - from Coloring Outside the Lines - Raising a Smarter Kid By
Breaking All the Rules (Harper Collins 2000)
Mr. Schank considers school mostly inescapable, thus the book is a treatise
on
how to minimize the damage school does to a child's intelligence. Unschoolers
will still find it a fascinating look at how learning happens, and full of
cautionary tales -- what not to do to your children in the name of
"education".
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Photographic Collections
I think one of the best uses of the internet is as limitless exhibition space
-
the infinite museum. Here are some of my favorite browsing spots for
photographic collections.
Transcontinental Railroad Exhibits
http://CPRR.org/Museum/Exhibits.html
Photos, stereographs, engravings, postcards, maps about the Central Pacific
Railroad, includes a section of 1868 and 1997 photo comparatives
Home Page: American Memory from the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html
American Memory: Historical collections for the National Digital Library
American Museum of Photography
http://www.photographymuseum.com/
The History Place
http://www.historyplace.com/
Photo galleries include the work of Dorothea Lange, who photographed migrant
farm families and Lewis Hine, whose photos of child laborers 1908 - 1912
helped fuel the child protection movement
Exploratorium: Ten Cool Sites: Photography
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cool/photography.html
From San Francisco's Exploratorium - a collection of ten great photography
web site links. Warning - not for when you've only got a few minutes to
spare.
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
T.C. Confesses
One group that fascinated me was the unschoolers. It is nearly impossible to
accurately define unschooling, but foundationally it rests upon the idea that
if
you provide a rich learning environment and plenty of opportunity, a child
will
learn what he needs to know when he needs to know it. Intellectually, my head
was nodding over this one; I knew it worked for me, personally, and could see
where it would work for children too, especially considering the progress
Thomas had made during a year of NO SCHOOL. Not, mind you, that I would dare
try unschooling my own sons especially since I was surrounded by people
(mostly relatives) who questioned the legitimacy of our homeschooling anyway.
I only saw it as being a really good thing for those who possessed the
whatever it took to actually do it.
Tammy Cardwell - Eclectic Homeschool Online columnist
Confession Time
http://eho.org/features/confession_time.htm
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Homeschoolers Helping Homeschoolers
by Pam Sorooshian and Sue Patterson, NHEN
This year, record numbers of families are choosing home education. They are
often confused, scared and apprehensive. Support from experienced
homeschoolers can sometimes provide just what they need to help them gain
confidence in themselves. Homeschooling moms are happy to help all the new
families choosing home education. Read what they have to say -- it may be
*just* what you needed to hear today!
Read the entire article at: http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=408
Look at the special webpages for New Homeschoolers:
http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=227
Subscribe to the N-H-E-N (New Homeschoolers' Encouragement Newsletter)
http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=402
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
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, including many regular posters at the unschooling.com
website and email discussion list.
Texas Family Learning Conference
Keynote Speakers - David Albert, Sandra Dodd
October 4 & 5, 2002
Sheraton Brookhollow in Houston, Texas
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
The September/October issue of Home Education Magazine includes an interview
with Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation; articles on unschooling and
deschooling; and a wonderful piece by the founder of the apricotpie.com web
site for young homeschooled writers! Check out the HEM web site for a free
sample issue and the best subscription deals: http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are regularly $32.00 for oneyear/6
issues; single issue $6.50. Take advantage of our "Don't Send Your Kids to
School!" offer, a one year subscription for only $20.00:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ORD/_nottoschool.html
Or write 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
"Children will happily dig and fill holes all through the gardens of their
minds. It
is only through repeatedly hammering our particular posts into those holes
that we set up fences around their learning."
Sue Truscott - "Are There Holes in Their Education"
Life Learning Magazine July/August 2002
http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
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
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See you in October!
Deborah A Cunefare, Newsletter Editor
newsletter@...
Unschooling.com is a service of Home Education Magazine
UNSCHOOLING.COM ONLINE NEWS
Mid-September 2002
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In this Issue:
Life is a Journey
What About Socialization?
Islands of Expertise
Do you like to learn?
Group functions
Nature Helps
Forms of Curiosity
Photography on the Web
T.C. Confesses
NHEN - Homeschoolers Helping Homeschoolers
Unschool Friendly Conferences
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Life is a journey. Our unschooling life is just the path we've taken, it's
not the
destination. Our kids will continue on this path their whole lives. There's
no
reason for them to know everything in the whole wide world right now. It's
not
even possible. Knowing what it is to really be alive, to ask questions and
question the answers...that's the path we're on.
Mary (zenmomma) writing on the Unschooling-dotcom email list
To join the conversation send a blank email to:
[email protected]
Or visit the group web site at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unschooling-dotcom/
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
What About Socialization?
"Despite its growing acceptance, there are nagging shortcomings to home
schooling. If you spend time with home schoolers, you get a sense that some
of them have missed out on whole swaths of childhood; the admirable efforts
by their parents to ensure their education and safety sometimes seem to
have gone too far. In 1992 psychotherapist Larry Shyers did a study while at
the University of Florida in which he closely examined the behavior of 35 home
schoolers and 35 public schoolers. He found that home schoolers were
generally more patient and less competitive. They tended to introduce
themselves to one another more; they didn't fight as much. And the home
schoolers were much more prone to exchange addresses and phone numbers.
In short, they behaved like miniature adults. "
From Time Magazine cover article, August 2001 - Seceding from school
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010827/index.html
"Kids today are missing some essential social skills for relating to each
other.
They don't know how to introduce themselves to other kids. They don't know
how to negotiate or sustain a conversation. They relate to each other via
put-downs."
Teacher describing school children in "The Shelter of Each Other" by Mary
Pipher (Ballantine 1996)
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Islands of Expertise
by Eric D. Gyllenhaal
"Islands of expertise" is a term coined by Kevin Crowley, Ph.D., an
educational
researcher at University of Pittsburgh who studies the ways that children and
parents learn together in museums ( http://www.kevincrowley.com ). It refers
to the areas of relatively deep and rich knowledge children develop when they
are passionately interested in something like dinosaurs, Pokémon, rocks,
turtles and other things. These islands emerge over weeks or months as
children talk, read and learn about their passions.
On their islands of expertise, children remember, reason and explain in more
advanced ways than they usually do when submerged in the wider sea of
knowledge. Even preschoolers can think more like an expert does, which is
very
different from a beginner's approach to the subject. I guess you could also
say
they think more like an adult, growing up faster on their island than in the
rest
of their lives. (Just the opposite of Peter Pan.)
Crowley emphasizes that children aren't alone on their islands. They build
and
inhabit them with their parents through the things they do together every
day.
Preschoolers especially need their parents' help...
Read the rest of this wonderful article at
http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle2.htm
Eric Gyllenhaal has a PhD in paleontology from the University of Chicago.
He's
currently a stay-at-home dad and a part-time museum consultant. I'm
becoming quite a fan of his writings about children and learning.
This article appeared in the September, 2002 issue of Chicago Parent
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Do you like to learn?
Four years ago, two riding pals asked me to write an article about learning.
I did not consider them students, although one would ask for a little help
occasionally and the other set up a lesson a couple of times a year, if that
often, for which she insisted on paying. When she finally explained that
paying
for the information meant that she would learn, I stopped protesting. It was
my first exposure to this sort of thinking. I did not understand it, but I
wanted
to.
They were both good riders who'd learned "the old way" and they wanted to
improve. They pressed me to share with them anything I knew about learning
how-to-relearn to ride. I told them I also had questions--more questions than
I
had answers. This struck me as a good opportunity to ferret out some
answers, so I started researching this article right then. It began with a
short
interview and a few days later I interviewed three more people we knew. It was
a simple interview: one question. "Do you like learning?" Their five unanimous
answers stunned me.
They all answered with the question: "What do you mean?"
Leslie Diamond writing for The Trail Less Traveled
Read the rest of this fascinating article at:
http://www.lesliedesmond.com/articles/us/horse13-4.asp
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Group Functions
"I can no longer stand group outings with other families. I tried for a few
years
to get used to them, to accept them, to think that I was just being an
uncooperative pain, but then I realized no, I would rather be with JUST my
kids
and not have to worry about whether six or ten other moms thought it was
okay for them to balance on the curb or the parking bumpers, whether the
other moms thought their T-shirts were acceptable, or whether they could get
a gumball or a soda, or whether they should sit lined up with the other kids
with their hands folded."
From a recent conversation on the Unschooling.com message boards about
group classes for small children, field trips, and other "contrived
learning". To
join (or just read) the conversation, go to:
http://www.unschooling.com/discus/messages/537/6578.html?WednesdaySeptember112
0020924am
To find the rest of the messages click on Contrived Learning in the header of
the page.
Check out all the engrossing topics on our message boards at:
http://www.unschooling.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Nature Helps
Looking for plants or animals native to your area? Find wildflowers, birds,
reptiles, and more at www.enature.com -- home of online field guides you can
search by zip code. We found this site useful to identify the spider that
recently set up housekeeping in our window well.
Find plans to make your own flower press at:
Pressing Flowers
http://www.vandycks.com/kids/projects/flowerpressing/default.htm
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Forms of Curiosity
Children are tremendously curious about a wide variety of subjects. If you
took
a class of twenty-five first-graders and researched what really turned them
on, you'd find that each boy and girl has a burning desire to learn more
about
something. One child may be curious about birds, another might have all sorts
of questions about the planets, and a third might be fascinated by cars. On a
more general level, we know the areas that children are eager to explore and
learn about: why people treat them the way they do, their own bodies, sports,
how to make things, drawing, music, and so on. Very few children, however,
are naturally curious about the subjects school forces them to learn. Most
kids don't have an intense curiosity about Dickens, state capitals, or
algorithms.
...This is the problem with school and curiosity. Most kids only ask
questions
about the subjects they're being taught out of a sense of "duty" or because
they're worried they'll be criticized or downgraded, not because they're
really
curious about the answers. In fact, school tends to answer questions kids
don't have rather than the ones they want answered. When you don't have
questions about a subject, you don't learn. You simply memorize, take the
test, and forget.
Heartfelt questions, then, are a manifestation of inquisitiveness. When your
child starts asking you a million question about a specific topic, this
identifies
a real area of interest. The fact that he's curious about something weird or
trivial -- why cats land on their feet when dropped off the balcony, or the
smell, texture, and taste of coffee beans -- is neither here nor there. No
matter where curiosity originates, it's a valid starting point, which as
we'll see
can lead to other, more "useful" areas of inquiry.
Questions, however, aren't the only form curiosity takes. People express
their
curiosity through different behaviors. A teenager, for instance, might drive
fast because he's curious about how fast his car can go. A younger kid is
curious about what will happen if he invites the new student to his house for
lunch. A chemist is curious about what might happen if he mixes the liquids
in
test tubes X and Y. A kid is curious about what might happen if he fixes his
best friend up with the girl who sits next to him in math class. Picasso was
one
of the most curious of modern artists, constantly experimenting with his
painting techniques. In a very real sense, inquisitiveness involves
experimentation. Like scientists, curious people are fascinated to see "what
would happen if..." An avant-garde musician experiments with different
tonalities and instruments in the same way a small child experiments with
different types of balls to see how they bounce.
Curiosity is a curious thing, especially when we probe beneath the surface of
our questions and behaviors and see how it helps us learn.
Roger Schank - from Coloring Outside the Lines - Raising a Smarter Kid By
Breaking All the Rules (Harper Collins 2000)
Mr. Schank considers school mostly inescapable, thus the book is a treatise
on
how to minimize the damage school does to a child's intelligence. Unschoolers
will still find it a fascinating look at how learning happens, and full of
cautionary tales -- what not to do to your children in the name of
"education".
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
Photographic Collections
I think one of the best uses of the internet is as limitless exhibition space
-
the infinite museum. Here are some of my favorite browsing spots for
photographic collections.
Transcontinental Railroad Exhibits
http://CPRR.org/Museum/Exhibits.html
Photos, stereographs, engravings, postcards, maps about the Central Pacific
Railroad, includes a section of 1868 and 1997 photo comparatives
Home Page: American Memory from the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html
American Memory: Historical collections for the National Digital Library
American Museum of Photography
http://www.photographymuseum.com/
The History Place
http://www.historyplace.com/
Photo galleries include the work of Dorothea Lange, who photographed migrant
farm families and Lewis Hine, whose photos of child laborers 1908 - 1912
helped fuel the child protection movement
Exploratorium: Ten Cool Sites: Photography
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cool/photography.html
From San Francisco's Exploratorium - a collection of ten great photography
web site links. Warning - not for when you've only got a few minutes to
spare.
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T.C. Confesses
One group that fascinated me was the unschoolers. It is nearly impossible to
accurately define unschooling, but foundationally it rests upon the idea that
if
you provide a rich learning environment and plenty of opportunity, a child
will
learn what he needs to know when he needs to know it. Intellectually, my head
was nodding over this one; I knew it worked for me, personally, and could see
where it would work for children too, especially considering the progress
Thomas had made during a year of NO SCHOOL. Not, mind you, that I would dare
try unschooling my own sons especially since I was surrounded by people
(mostly relatives) who questioned the legitimacy of our homeschooling anyway.
I only saw it as being a really good thing for those who possessed the
whatever it took to actually do it.
Tammy Cardwell - Eclectic Homeschool Online columnist
Confession Time
http://eho.org/features/confession_time.htm
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Homeschoolers Helping Homeschoolers
by Pam Sorooshian and Sue Patterson, NHEN
This year, record numbers of families are choosing home education. They are
often confused, scared and apprehensive. Support from experienced
homeschoolers can sometimes provide just what they need to help them gain
confidence in themselves. Homeschooling moms are happy to help all the new
families choosing home education. Read what they have to say -- it may be
*just* what you needed to hear today!
Read the entire article at: http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=408
Look at the special webpages for New Homeschoolers:
http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=227
Subscribe to the N-H-E-N (New Homeschoolers' Encouragement Newsletter)
http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=402
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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, including many regular posters at the unschooling.com
website and email discussion list.
Texas Family Learning Conference
Keynote Speakers - David Albert, Sandra Dodd
October 4 & 5, 2002
Sheraton Brookhollow in Houston, Texas
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
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
The September/October issue of Home Education Magazine includes an interview
with Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation; articles on unschooling and
deschooling; and a wonderful piece by the founder of the apricotpie.com web
site for young homeschooled writers! Check out the HEM web site for a free
sample issue and the best subscription deals: http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are regularly $32.00 for oneyear/6
issues; single issue $6.50. Take advantage of our "Don't Send Your Kids to
School!" offer, a one year subscription for only $20.00:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ORD/_nottoschool.html
Or write 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
"Children will happily dig and fill holes all through the gardens of their
minds. It
is only through repeatedly hammering our particular posts into those holes
that we set up fences around their learning."
Sue Truscott - "Are There Holes in Their Education"
Life Learning Magazine July/August 2002
http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/
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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!
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See you in October!
Deborah A Cunefare, Newsletter Editor
newsletter@...
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