Unschooling Lifestyle

Freebie digital scrapbooking valentines cards

2012-02-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Tutorial: Check out this video tutorial to see what MyMemories can do and how to use freebies like this in your digital scrapbooking software.

Special discount: Get $10 off the MyMemories Suite digital scrapbooking software plus a $10 coupon to use in the My Memories store (a $20 value!). Simply use code STMMMS8223.

For a limited time this Valentines Card digital scrapbooking page pack is free! It will work in any software that supports .png and .jpg files. Go here for more freebies.

I use digital scrapbooking for holiday cards (check out my valentines), flyers, ebooks, and posters, too.

Print with Snapfish.
(I printed 200 glossy photo-quality Valentines for less than $4.) Thru February, you can get 50 Free Prints - Join Snapfish Today!! Code: 50FREE - Exp: 2/19/12.

Using educational resources wisely

2012-02-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

When I hear words like education, teaching, and curricula, part of me wants to shun the terms based on the limited definitions I learned growing up in a school culture. Even my children who have never gone to school have expressed the idea that education is a specific activity rather than John Dewey's education is life itself.

Sometimes I feel disheartened when even my "life learners" judge their own activities based on school culture ideas (i.e., standard subjects, competition, rank, level). On the other hand, I hear more and more people of various ages and backgrounds beginning to open up to the idea of a more open approach to making one's way in the world.

Why? Perhaps because solid unmovable institutions like school can't respond to changing needs. Walls must eventually fall. Fortunately, our society is making it possible for kids to choose different paths.

My children have a freedom every day that most kids still do not have, but this is changing. Like most kids today, I spent my childhood days in a school building doing as I was told for the better part of my waking hours. I could have only dreamed of doing my schoolwork at home, let alone choosing what I wanted to learn.

School culture tells us that we need teachers for teaching math, for example, but my children have proven that "teachers" come in many forms: curricula, siblings, parents, neighbors, tutors. I went to my grandmother for help understanding math. She worked as an electrical engineer and knew her way around numbers.
More than that, she knew me better than my school teachers did, so she was better able to help me understand.

As an unschooling parent, I might shun limited definitions of teaching and curricula, but I don't shun resources. I'm happy that our society is providing websites, apps, software, curricula, tutors, free college courses, and whatever else we can come up with to help our children learn what they want to learn.

I don't take issue with the presence of schools, charters, and homeschool outreach programs. I do take issue with punitive grading systems and laws and standards policies that attempt to control what children do, what they learn, and what opportunities will or won't be open to them based on grading and tracking.

The point I'm getting around to is one my daughters learned in Girl Scouts: Use resources wisely. For my kids, this means turning educational resources over to them to use in ways that make sense to them and meet their needs. I may shun policies of control and competition, but I don't shun the world of resources that may enrich my children's lives.

Unschooling Happiness Project giveaway winner

2012-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

Paperback

The winner of The Unschooling Happiness Project ebook giveaway contest is

Kelly!

Congrats.

Anatomy coloring book for wiggly learners

2012-02-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

My 6yo daughter has several passions, including arthropods, geology, dance, gymnastics, and anatomy. I love seeing the connections between her interests, such as gymnastics and anatomy, geology and severe weather.

Yesterday, we happened upon this big thick anatomy coloring book. She couldn't put it down, so we bought it. She's been coloring for the better part of two days, absolutely fascinated by drawings of neurons, different views of the brain, blood vessels.

The book description cites use of the kinesthetic learning method, aka learning by doing. This works well for people who doodle, fidget, take lots of notes or otherwise move around to aid their learning energy. My daughter perches on her chair like a bird, hops around, and hums a lot while she does sit-down type activities.

While coloring my daughter references her See Inside Your Body book for color ideas, as well as her Smart Lab squishy body model. She got the body model as a gift for her 5th birthday. I thought she'd like it, but was surprised by how excited and pleased.

Related topics:

20% Off February Book Sale & Giveaway

2012-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

20% off your entire book order in February. Ends 2/29. Use code: FEBBOOKS12

Giveaway Contest: The Unschooling Happiness Project

20% Off Sale:

Free:

Types of Homeschool: An overview of styles and approaches to home ed.
January Homeschooling. Monthly-themed ideas and learning resources.

Most popular topics this week, groundhog, valentines, webcam games

2012-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

My top 10 most popular article topics this week:
(P.S. I continually update these, so if you've seen them before, you may find something new.)

Groundhog Day Printables and Activities for Kids. Includes links to watch Punxatawney Phil make his prediction and proclamation.
Valentines Day Printable Coloring Pages and Card Crafts. Heart mandala, valentines and envelopes, crafts.
Martin Luther King Jr Day Coloring Pages and Online... Learn about the Civil Rights Movement.
Small-Hand Simplified Guitar Chords for Children. Print out simple chords for kids.
The New USDA MyPlate Printables and Activities for Kids. Basic nutritional ideas.
Cuisenaire Rod Printable Activities and Worksheets. Fun math manipulatives, printable books and sheets.
Tiny Teacup Pigs. Tininess is in the eye of the beholder -- 100-pound lap pigs.
Homeschool Curriculum Standards Print Checklists. Printable one-sheet checklist summaries.
Home Care for Seborrheic Dermatitis. Simple remedies to address cause and treatment.
Webcam Games for Kids. Webcam games capture movement or use child's face.

Related: Valentines, Groundhog, Unschooling Math

Save 15% off Wood Pattern Blocks 250 pieces. Ends 2/6. Use code: ADDNSAVE

Unschooling ebook giveaway

2012-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Paperback

As a followup to my big thank you!, I'm giving away 5 copies of The Unschooling Happiness Project ebook.

To enter: Leave your email address in the comments section. I'll draw 5 recipients next Friday, February 9, 2012.

A history of LEGO

2012-02-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

Muhammad Saleem sent me this informative LEGO timeline image "The Learning Power of LEGO." Click for a bigger image.

OnlineCollege.org

Click here for more free LEGO resources.

Thank you, readers! and some freebie ebooklets

2012-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

I tally up my book sales at the end of each month, so today was the day. I got a nice mention the other day on Facebook for The Unschooling Happiness Project. Honestly, it's my favorite of my unschooling books, but it hasn't sold as well as the others. That's why I spruced up the description the other day. Immediately sales went up. I guess I should have paid more attention to it.

Read the first 20 pages »

Anyway, thank you to everyone who reads my books. It means so much--really!--when someone mentions one, posts a review, or sends me a comment. (If you've enjoyed my books, please post reviews. It helps.)

Freebies:
Because it's nice to just get something for free, I added a free stuff section to my recent Unschooling Newsletter, including these 2 ebooklets.

Types of Homeschool: An overview of styles and approaches to home ed.
January Homeschooling. Monthly-themed ideas and learning resources.

You can also find some freebies at Homeschool Buyers Co-op.

Winter weather predictors: Groundhog and Wooly Bear

2012-01-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

I just put together a last-minute, but sizable list of Groundhog Day printables, activities, and info. As you know, whether or not the groundhog (aka woodchuck, marmot) sees his shadow has some bearing on the length of winter. Did you know that wooly bear caterpillars also provide ways of predicting winter weather?

My girls are hosting two hibernating woolies (one banded, one yellow) on our back patio. We're looking forward to seeing if they made it thru winter. The banded wooly's markings suggested a mild winter, which it was for the most part.

Valentine special digital scrapbooking freebies

2012-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a tutorial for using this card.

Here are 3 digital scrapbooking freebies (available for 14 days) that will work in any software that supports .png and .jpg files. Each freebie includes 2 digital papers, 3 page elements, and 2 quick pages.

I use digital scrapbooking for holiday cards, flyers, ebooks, and posters, too.

Special discount: Get $10 off the MyMemories Suite digital scrapbooking software plus a $10 coupon to use in the My Memories store (a $20 value!). Simply use code STMMMS8223.

Tutorial: Check out this video tutorial to see what MyMemories can do and how to use freebies like these in your digital scrapbooking software.

Print with Snapfish. (I printed 200 glossy photo-quality Valentines for only $4.)

Experience over stuff

2012-01-30T16:22:00.001-08:00

After chucking tons of large expensive toys into large boxes for donation for the hundredth time (or thereabouts), I'm really wanting to shift focus (again) away from spending money on stuff to spending money on experiences. This is aside from my focus on not spending money.

I've been addicted to satisfying my children's every want (i.e., American Girl dolls). This probably stems from growing up monetarily poorer than I am now. But I spend more than I want to on stuff, my house is small, and clutter messes with my head.

I'm going to go back to rearranging all my stuff so it feels different. Some of it may even leave the house.

LEGO - free resources

2012-01-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

I just discovered a few free LEGO learning activity resources. My kids love LEGOs. Who doesn't? Eldest daughter has spent the past couple of days furiously building the Harry Potter Diagon Alley. Before that it was figuring out how to program the motion sensor on her LEGO crocodile robot and building the art-a-maton Crazy Action Contraptions with the neighbor girl.

My family's unschooling curriculum

2012-01-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

That sounds weird coming from an unschooler, right? However, since I write about homeschooling in general and my family participates in activities with a diverse group of homeschoolers (classical, unschoolers, eclectic, religious, pagan...), I've decided not to shy away from words like "curriculum" and "lessons," etc. Instead I use them in ways that make sense for my family.

For example, here are my daughters' current "curricula":

Breakfast BrainPOP - We watch BrainPOP videos in the kitchen on my Android tablet while we wait for breakfast to cook. Yesterday it was arthropods. Today it was probability and statistics.
Lobby iPod - Youngest daughter plays preschool apps, watches videos, and browses photo encyclopedias on the iPod while we wait in the lobby of her sisters' dance classes. (See Smartphone apps for kids, Best physics apps, Top fun educational apps.
Bug Club etc. - We do every insect/arthropod-related activity that comes our way: International Bug Club at the zoo; 4-H entomology curriculum; insect events at the natural history museum; Magic School Bus books and DVDs; collect deceased specimens; host and observe live bugs...
LEGO Club - We meet monthly with other LEGO enthusiasts to build things; Harry Potter LEGO constructions and video games; LEGO robotics and simple machines.
Dance/performance/gymnastics/taekwondo - Hip hop classes; recital preparation; fashion show audition; gymnastics; taekwondo.
Zometool - architecture, art, chemistry...
Worm farm, compost, and other bottle biology experiments.
Netflix - We're watching MonsterQuest, Meerkat Manor, Mythbusters...
Girl Scouts - Both older daughters are in troops. Eldest daughter is working on Maia's Sidewalk Project, a community service project, talking to city officials, raising awareness and funds. Both daughters are selling cookies and working on various leadership, conservation, and skills projects.
Fashion - Eldest daughter is auditioning for a fashion show. Middle daughter and I are attending the tea. All my girls play fashion design games. Older daughters sew clothing for themselves and their dolls.
Ancient Egypt - We're reading the Theodosia series set in Edwardian England. We've got tickets to the upcoming King Tut exhibit. Daughters browse our numerous books on ancient Egypt. Eldest reads about rulers in her Civipedia. Actually, she's fascinated with rulers in general.
Crypto and mythology - Eldest daughter reads every info card in her Weird 'n' Wild Creatures subscription to real, strange, dangerous, and mythic creatures; she reads Monsterpedia; and anything mythology or cryptozoology related; MonsterQuest; Infested; dangerous creatures, etc.

I could keep going, but I'm tired. I think my kids' lives are very full and fulfilling.

Valentines discounts

2012-01-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

Some Valentines themed discounts from some of my favorite partners:

Also save on LEGO.

My kids and I used MyMemories digital scrapbooking to make our valentines this year. Otherwise, I may have gone for these.

Super cute dino valentines

Beautiful butterfly valentines

Color-your-own valentines

Valentine card making kit

My faithful canine companion, insects, and other pets

2012-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Pet Vet Complete Collection

Animals have played a significant part in mine and my children's lives, from our pets at home to the zoo, 4-H activities, wilderness learning, and bug club. For me it started with dogs. For my girls, it was insects.

Dogs
I vividly remember my first dog, a yellow lab named Sunny. He ate my umbilical cord stub. I've pretty much always had a dog, so living with dogs and having dog friends is part of my personality and identity. The few short periods when I've lived without a dog have been times of tumult and change like after my first divorce and moving 300 miles from home.

I lived a few years before I got settled and found a new dog friend. Mostly I've had big dogs like labs, malamute, akita, rottweiler, boxer. Those are my favorites. I wasn't sure I'd like a little dog, but my pomeranian has illustrated the truth of dog DNA -- dogs are dogs. My pom eats vomit and chases cats just like my malamute did and I adore him even though he barks and poop sticks to his fur.

Here are some articles I've written about dogs:

Pigs & Farm Animals
Interestingly, some of my most popular articles of all time are about mini pigs. Growing up, my family had chickens and turkeys. My aunt down the road had horses. I've known a couple of miniature pot bellies and always thought I'd have one if I had the space.

Insects
Besides dogs and cats, my kids have had a spider, caterpillars, worms, ants, shrimp and pill bugs (both crustaceans): See having so much fun with insects to learn more about our bug adventures. My middle daughter is a serious amateur entomologist.

Free art drawing software download

2012-01-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

Check out this free drawing software for kids. I downloaded it for my art-loving 6-year-old a while back, but she has just started using it. It's cool! If you want to see some of my daughter's other fun art (and insect) resources, you can visit her website. See the side menus for fun art websites, i.e., Shidonni and the Kids Art Zone.

See also:

Attempts to lower mandatory school age

2012-01-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore advocated the later-is-better approach to formal learning with summarized research supporting postponement til 8 or 10.

Some folks in my state (Wash.) are attempting (again) to lower the mandatory school age from 8 to 6. Perhaps they think it's an obviously good thing to make first grade mandatory for 6-year-olds, or perhaps they just want to maximize funding options.

I'm opposed to lowering school age for several reasons. Firstly, I'm opposed to mandatory schooling for any reason. Besides the freedom of choice issue, however, there are good reasons to postpone the mandatory school age til at least age 8.

Children between ages 6 and 8 vary widely in their developmentally appropriate academic abilities. Boys, for example, often need the grace period between 6 and 8 to match up developmentally with girls in language and reading skills, the presumed foundational skills that make or break school children, setting them upon their courses to failure or college.

My neighbor took advantage of the current age requirements and waited a year to send her son to first grade. This was significantly to his benefit. He would not have been ready to "pass" at age 6. One of my daughters also would not have been ready to read and grind worksheets at age 6.

When it comes to reading and "the basics," it's not just boy and girl differences. Peter Gray explores individual differences in learning to read at length.

As a homeschooling parent, I don't want to see my 6 and 7-year-olds required to test annually as are the 8-and-up homeschoolers. Early evaluation isn't fair to the school kids or the homeschool kids.

Related:

Free educational saving program

2012-01-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

I just heard about this free educational savings program for parents, relatives, and students. I'm looking it over now.

Membership is free.
The savings account is free.
You can withdraw funds at any time.

Savings come from online and in-store purchases. Retailers offer daily, weekly, and monthly discounts plus rebates for shopping online. You can save up to 50%. You can print coupons for groceries, leading brands, and restaurants.

Visit missiontuition.com to learn more about how it works, check for your favorite participating merchants, and discover the current cash-back deals: Right now for example, 6% cash back from PETCO, 2% Disney Store, 5% Sketchers, 19% 123Inkjets, 4% Barns & Noble, up to 40% off fitness equipment, and many, many more deals and rebates...

Homeschool discount on fun learning website

2012-01-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

My kids and I have thoroughly tested this fun website and highly recommend it. I just ordered our 2nd year subscription. Have a look at the demo. It's more fun than the description makes it sound.

KidzClix.net - Save 55% + GET 300 SMARTPOINTS*

KidzClix.net is the online creation of the "Center for Gifted", an affiliate of National-Louis University located in Chicago, Illinois. The KidzClix mission is to provide elementary through middle-school aged children with activities that strive to inspire critical and creative thinking, foster originality, and develop imaginations.

KidzClix.net provides new activities EACH MONTH to engage young minds and make learning an adventure. This translates into hours of fun for your homeschool classroom! Watch your children's enthusiasm grow for Science, Math, Art, Cooking, Chess, and more as they engage in exciting projects, experiments, games and puzzles.

A full year's subscription is only $26.95 so take a look to see if this would be a good addition to your homeschool curriculum.

(Plus, members of Homeschool Buyers Co-op can use their Smartpoints. I did.)

Free kids can be so amusing

2012-01-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

I ran across this photo of my eldest daughter. It wasn't Halloween.

Gearing up for Valentine's Day

2012-01-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

You might have guessed that I used MyMemories digital scrapbooking to create our Valentines this year. I set them up as 4 cards per "6x4"image and print 50 sheets for less than $5 with Snapfish.

Valentine's Day may be my kids next favorite holiday after Halloween (candy, perhaps?). The Valentine's Day party is the one we most try to make it to of all our homeschool group's holiday get-togethers.

Here's the Valentine's Day Printable Coloring Pages and Card Crafts that I update and post each year.

You might also be interested in famous historical events in February.

Click here for more Valentines discounts from some of my favorite partners.

We make cards in advance for the 100 kids who attend the party and make a gluten-free treat to contribute to the goodie spread (and to assure there will be a treat we can eat.)

Our cards this year aren't typical Valentines fair, but I could have chosen something much more heart-y.

Gearing up for MLK Jr Day

2012-01-09T00:48:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King Jr. never expected to be a leader. All he wanted was for black people like him to be treated fairly in America.
Peek inside this book.

I was just going over my January holidays list. Friday the 13th is coming. I'll have to look into that one.

After Fri 13, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be on the 16th this year. The Seattle Times has an MLK Civil Rights special interest page which I've linked to and summarized, along with a few other resources.

As usual, I've also compiled a list of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Printable Coloring Pages and Activity Sheets, and other resources.

Black History Month, Civil Rights Movement... I remember being moved by the "I Have A Dream" speech when I first heard it as a child.

Free Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Book

2012-01-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

It's almost Girl Scout cookie time (not that us gluten-free -- Sign the petition! -- folks can have them yet), but both my daughters are selling this year. If you're local to the Seattle area, watch for us! Local folks can also email me pre-orders between Jan 13 and 29.

As part of our marketing efforts, my girls and I put together a free Girl Scout Cookie Recipes book (that's recipes that use Girl Scout cookies). If you're looking for gluten-free taste-alike recipes, I suggest gluten free betsy.

(We used MyMemories digital scrapbooking to make the recipe book, of course. Want $10 off scrapbooking software?

Use code-- STMMMS8223 --for a $10 discount off the purchase of MyMemories Suite and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories store - a $20 value! Plus, check out my scrapbooking freebies.)

Talking about elections

2012-01-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

My kids have always been part of the conversation around voting and elections. They've been especially interested in presidential elections. As a contribution to "Try It Tuesday" at Quick Start Homeschool, I'm putting together a little list/description of what my family has done regarding elections, government, voting, democracy, etc.

What would you do if the President of the United States visited your town?

Besides exploring the kids' books and websites on government, my kids watch campaign videos, participate in discussions with their dad and me, and hang around during our voting.

I put together a list of children's websites about the election process, voting, and democracy.

I've also covered some related activity ideas and online resources in my Bill of Rights civic education and Constitution Day articles that list several good websites where kids can learn more about U.S. government.

25% off thru Jan 6

2012-01-02T16:09:00.001-08:00

Money learning

2011-12-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

I just discovered a new "financial literacy" money game -- Moneyville. I posted it directly to my daughters' website. Moneyville initially reminds me of Planet Orange, but I'm not sure how similar they actually are. I'll ask my daughters after they've given Moneyville a go.

Here's my math-money learning collection to-date:

Math

(I love Zometool. We got it for Christmas.)

Post holiday sadness

2011-12-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hi all (it's not quite 'Dear Diary' when I know there's an audience). Remember when blogs were just online diaries? I've been blogging that long and that's how it started for me. I was a new mom and had a lot on my mind. Now I can't imagine a life without kids and all the fun busy unschooliness we've got going on.

I'm just back from a last minute whirlwind trip home for the holidays. We were going to stay home, but saw the opportunity for a couple days with family and we hit the road. Now I've been back a few days and am in the midst of my usual post-trip disorientation and sadness. I miss home.

I miss the snakes, the shack/trailers, the broken down cars parked in yards, and the overweight neighbor guys riding too-small bicycles to the convenience store for breakfast twinkies and soda pop.

For my kids, this is home. Our comfortable little house in a small walkable town with close-by classes and friends. They can't remember living closer to the family I lived with for most of my years. Since moving 6-hours north several years back, I've never felt so isolated and incomplete, even though I love this town.

I've heard that holidays are difficult for a lot of people. Family troubles perhaps? For me, Midwinter/Christmas is a reminder of how far away I've moved. I'm out of touch while my siblings are all getting together regularly camping, fishing, hunting, talking about guns. Their kids are growing up more every day and my elders are growing older.

I'm so sad, but I know I'll get comfortably back into my habits and routines within a few days, until the next family get-together.

I feel bad for you because...

2011-12-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

The other day, one of my daughter's neighbor friends said to her: "I feel bad for you because you're cooped up at home all day."

It bothered my daughter enough for her to mention it to me, but she wasn't quite sure why it bothered her.

My first reactions were "Where'd she get that idea?" followed by "She's cooped up at school all day!"

In reality, my daughter is pretty engaged in the community. We're out and about most days. The whole town recognizes us because we're seen walking all over the place. We frequently have cocoas and chais at the coffee shop. We check the p.o. box every day and grocery shop every couple of days.

My daughter takes dance classes once a week and taekwondo four times a week. Plus, there are park play dates, girl scout events, and homeschool field trips and clubs.This morning my daughter was interviewed by the local paper for her community service project, mysidewalkproject.com.

Even if we didn't gallivant all over town, I'd rather be home all day than at school. My daughter agreed that that would be her preference, too, which is what really matters. We talked about the emotional undercurrents of starting a conversation with "I feel bad for you..." and I think we got to the heart of why the comment bothered her so much.

Unschooling statement of purpose

2011-12-11T12:36:00.001-08:00

Blossom & Isis

Because I write about learning activities so much, every so often I feel like I should make some kind of statement of purpose.

There are so many fabulous blogs full of philosophical musings on the "radical" unschooling life (I just read the Zombie Princess's recent "Unschooling my cat." It was so sweet and I could totally relate.) I used to write more along the philosophical lines myself, but since my family has so comfortably settled into daily life, those musings are less commonly in my thoughts.

My articles tend to come from whatever topic my kids are presently interested in or what I suspect they might appreciate because it's timely. I've heard unschoolers downplay learning activities, perhaps to demonstrate that the activity (academic subject) is not the focus of unschooling.

So I sometimes worry that my writing is giving the impression that I'm focused on an academic agenda rather than my child, her process and experience of daily activities. I'm glad my kids do well on their annual homeschool tests, but I seriously couldn't care less.

One of my daughters is a slightly "late" reader, and that's her business. She's coming along in the skill. I don't see any problems. She's not frustrated. I want my daughters to love their lives, to learn and grow because it feels good.

I don't even care if we're called unschoolers, because that is beside the point. Unschooling is just a convenient way of saying I care about, respect, and truly acknowledge that my child is her own person (as are our dog, cats, and various transient pets).

I write about "educational" topics because that's where my mind goes nowadays and because I felt that many people were looking for practical how's as well as why's. Perhaps I was tired of explaining why's, and certainly many other writers are doing a great job of that. The unschooling philosophy, instinct, intuition, and family relationships have gone subconscious for me.

Giant strollers, grumpy christmas

2011-12-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

photo by Ed Yourdon.

Strollers bother me. I'm sure there have been times when I could have used one for a sleepy child, but front-and-center at the aquarium's diving Santa show wouldn't have been one of those times.

My kids and I were sitting on the floor as requested for those of us in front, but we could barely see around the grocery-cart-sized stroller parked between us and the show. To make the situation worse, the stroller was piled high with stuff and the little person belted inside was struggling to get out.

I have three young kids. I'm a dedicated pedestrian/bicyclist/bus rider. I've never needed a stroller. I can't imagine it being more convenient. Ever since they could walk, my kids have been walking and carrying backpacks with their own snacks and extra clothes or whatever. People have wowed at the distances, but it doesn't seem strange to me. I guess it's because my mom didn't drive and I walked/biked along with her.

Weekly digital scrapbooking freebies

2011-12-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can make your own holiday cards or printed bound photo books with MyMemories? I'm sending this freebie out a little early, because I want to show off the holiday card I made (and printed 50 at Snapfish for $4.50). I'm sending it out to our unschooling group solstice card exchange.

Freebies & Discounts

Freebie: This week's digital scrapbooking freebie will work in any software that supports .png and .jpg files.

Use this code: STMMMS8223
for a $10 discount off the purchase of digital scrapbooking software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.

Special discount: Get $10 off the MyMemories Suite digital scrapbooking software plus a $10 coupon to use in the My Memories store (a $20 value!). Simply use the code to the right.

Tutorial: Check out this video tutorial to see what MyMemories can do and how to use freebies like the one above in your digital scrapbooking software.

Maia's Sidewalk Project Update

2011-12-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

(P.S. We made the flyer and free pedestrian safety ebook using MyMemories digital scrapbooking software - Save $10 with coupon: STMMMS8223.)

Maia and I spend yesterday putting together a new website for her Girl Scouts community service project: Maia's Sidewalk Project. We met with the Public Works Director to learn more about sidewalk building, costs, etc. I've been exchanging emails like crazy just trying to figure out how this fundraising thing works.

My eldest daughter was a shock to my quiet husband and I, but we're adapting. Maia wants to make the world a better place and I'm going to help her in any way I can.

To that end, she's the front person and I'm backing her up with my web skills. If you visit her website, you can download the free ebook and print pedestrian safety coloring pages.

Amazingly we've already collected over $500 just from asking for donations. We're aiming for $4 million. There may be grant-matching opportunities. We're looking into that. The city is totally behind us, which is really cool.

We're also talking with Maia's dance teacher about putting together a benefit performance.

Our newest fundraising endeavor, just posted today, is Safety Tube kits. These are neat little emergency kits you can put in your child's backpack or in your car's glove compartment.

You can help by donating, ordering safety tubes, shopping our safety gear store, and spreading the word. We've got website buttons.

Lower prices on unschooling ebooks

2011-12-04T20:15:00.001-08:00

I've reduced prices on all my ebooks to $2.99 or less, Kindle, Nook, ePub (iBookstore).

Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning
The Unschooling Happiness Project
Recordkeeping for Unschoolers
A Seriously Silly Activity Book

You can read more about the books at my bookstore.

Advent - Counting down to Christmas

2011-12-03T11:10:00.001-08:00

Usborne: If you don't want to make one...

I made an advent calendar of sorts for this month. It's my first time making one, but already I see that my children will enjoy this tradition. Our advent calendar is like a card file with festive gift wrap envelopes marked with the number of days remaining until Christmas. Each envelope is filled with a few little things like a candy cane, a sticker, a tattoo, a coupon (hot cocoa, etc.), or a craft or activity idea.

Yesterday, I put together an article on making your own advent calendar, with some additional ideas and info on what advent mean and how it can work for any tradition.

Chinaberry Vintage Advent Calendar

Today, I made an article on BBC science and nature games. In doing that, I saw that CBeebies has a virtual advent calendar on the front page. I love BBC kids' websites.

I also recently added a timely article on famous historical events in December (Rosa Parks, Ebonics...) and January ("the door" to the new year...).

More Christmas Topics | Christmas Coloring

My favorite Usborne books for Christmas

2011-11-29T23:54:00.001-08:00

There's still time to visit my Usborne children's book eShow, happening thru Dec 15, just in time for Christmas. Here are just a few of my family's favorites.

The My Body Science Set, including Everyone Poops, The Gas We Pass, All About Scabs, and The Holes in Your Nose. Also, My Body Science: Breasts (big topic at my house).

Write Your Own Storybook guides a child through inspiration, prompts, creation.

Illustrated Dictionary of Math with over 300 useful illustrations and diagrams, over 100 worked examples, over 500 definitions of terms and concepts. Also, the Illustrated Elementary Math Dictionary.

Big Book of Big Dinosaurs with foldout pages and a simple timeline.

20 Pop-up Christmas Cards to Color and 20 Christmas Cards to Color.

Did you know you can get Christmas Card Sets from Usborne?

Also, 50 Christmas Things to Make and Do (I love the Make and Do books!) and Christmas Drawing, Doodling, & Coloring.

Christmas Already

2011-11-28T17:07:00.001-08:00

We don't have our tree up yet. We're not that fast. Although, we probably will put it up in the next day or two. I am, however, already gearing up with the holiday articles and online resources.

ColoringPages24.com, one of my family's favorite coloring page sites, is publishing a new holiday coloring page every day from November 21 thru Christmas.

If you like coloring pages, I've listed several more resources on Christmas Coloring Pages & Printable Activities.

You might also enjoy some of my other Getting Ready for Christmas links (i.e., nature study, Father Christmas mythology, Is Santa Claus real?)

And, How to Make 3D Gift Wrap Snowflakes.

Free pedestrian safety ebook

2011-11-23T13:07:00.001-08:00

Four nights a week, my daughters and I walk down the side of the highway to get to Taekwondo classes. Along the way, we pass other pedestrians and bicyclists trying to make it safely down this short, but dangerous stretch of road without a sidewalk.

As a Girl Scout Junior, Maia is urging the community to chip in and help raise funds to build this sidewalk to benefit pedestrians and businesses, providing safety, exercise, and convenience. Maia has started the campaign by donating her piggy bank.

Using MyMemories digital scrapbooking, my daughters and I put together this Free Pedestrian Safety eBook.

I'm supporting this project not only because I desperately want the sidewalk, too, but also because I feel it's important to support caring kids like Maia who see a problem that should be fixed, and who take action to make their communities a better place.

Confident kids

2011-11-16T16:55:00.001-08:00

A mom on an unschooling group mentioned that her daughter stands out for her self-confidence and cheerfulness. I thought of my eldest daughter who exudes joy and confidence everywhere she goes.

Today, for a Girl Scouts assignment, she drew a self-portrait. She was very proud of it. It amused her dad and me for the humongous teethy smile. That's how she sees herself.

When asked to name something she likes about herself, she said, "Everything!" Then she followed up with the behavior-reactions she wants to work on, but those things don't detract from her overall positive self-image.

Her optimism amazes me. She believes in her power to make the world a better place.

Young kid exclusion

2011-11-14T20:40:00.001-08:00

I was flipping through the Girl Scout event guide looking for fun opportunities for my 6 and 9-yr-old girls to do over the course of the coming year. I found scores of exciting-looking events for the 7-and-up crowd, but significantly fewer for the 5 and 6-yr-old Daisy Scouts.

My 6-yr-old seriously loves rocks and gems, for example, but Daisies aren't invited to the rock and gem events (or the slime science, paleoecology, astronomy, rocketry...). I could sign her older sister up for these fun science exploration events, but my 6-year-old would feel terribly left out.

Why aren't these fun tactile exploration events targeted to 5 and 6-yr-olds, too? I'm so frustrated. I can look elsewhere, of course, but I'm still disappointed that the Daisy event list takes up less than half a page whereas all the older-kid levels span multiple pages.

I know I'm taking this personally on behalf of my daughter who can do so much more than what this event guide suggests for young kids. Ah, well. I guess we're on our own.

NaNoBloPoMo Quitter

2011-11-13T10:16:00.001-08:00

I've given up on doing the daily NaBloPoMo blog post. It's not that I don't have the discipline. I write a ton every day. It's that the prompts aren't doing much for me. I've never been much inspired by assignments. Besides boring myself, I didn't figure these little snippets of my experience were all that relevant to this blog. I can't stand clutter, even as I stand here nearly buried alive in the clutter of my office.

I learned the words "neat freak" from my mother. She used them to describe herself, and I'm certain I inherited the preference, by nature or nurture or both.

Digital scrapbooking winner!

2011-11-11T08:30:00.001-08:00

Congrats Deborah! I'll be sending you the code for free MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking software.

Additional Freebie: For those of you who didn't win this one, I've got a freebie that will work in any software, including MyMemories, which supports .png and .jpg files.

(Plus, I've got a few more freebies and anoether software giveaway up my sleeve that I'll post soon.)

Use this code: STMMMS8223
for a $10 discount off the purchase of digital scrapbooking software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.

Other people's houses, NaBloPoMo Day 9

2011-11-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

Day 9: When was the first time I realized that my home is not like other people's homes?

If we're referring to my childhood home, the one I remember most clearly was the one I lived in just before being removed from my mother's custody. It was full of drug addicts, so it was like a scary permanent adult slumber party with hairy, greasy men and really skinny, gaunt women in sleeping bags scattered throughout the house.

My sister and I would sneak around sprinkling fireplace ash in their hair. It was great fun.

My closest friends' all had two parents, but their parents were also drug addicts and/or violent alcoholics, so other than having fewer occupants in their homes, they were similar to mine. My house was neat, because my mother cleaned constantly in her methamphetamine-induced mania. My friends houses were neat and tidy, presumably because they each had only one child who was often at my house.

My sister and I considered ourselves lucky to have only a mom from whom to ask permission when we wanted to do something. The other girls in the neighborhood had to ask both parents, who would then fight over whether or not to allow the sleepover or whatever it was.

I was seven-turning-eight that year.

BlogHer: Other people's houses

A traumatic event, NaBloPoMo Day 8

2011-11-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Day 8: Has anything traumatic ever happened to me?

Hmm, so many to choose from... I could write about the obvious child abuse, contemplation of suicide, near-death experiences, divorce, death of father.

So, yes, I guess that answers the question. But, who hasn't experienced a traumatic event? My first childbirth felt pretty traumatic at the time, but that was mostly owing to the hospital staff reminding me of the helplessness I felt as an abused child.

I died once. That was a shocker. My father died. My childhood innocence died. I don't really like to use the word innocence, but I haven't decided on a better word.

Interesting that I interpret each traumatic event as a death of sorts. But I've never seen death as a terrible thing. It's also rebirth. In my case, too, all those deaths made me the person I am today, and I'm glad.

P.S. All those events are in my memoirs of a strange little girl.

BlogHer: A traumatic event

Discount Microscopes for homeschoolers

2011-11-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

This month only homeschoolers can save up to 28% on Bolden Microscopes and 40% on slide sets.

The offer expires 12-01-2011 at 11:59 pm Pacific.

Home Work Balance, NaBloPoMo Day 7

2011-11-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

Day 7: How do I balance my children, relationship, and work life?

I do everything at the same time, more or less. I'm always available to my kids. I work from home. They know they can interrupt me, but also that it should be important if I'm in the middle of a work project.

The kids and I share an office. We're often all in here together. Now, for instance, one of my daughters is using her computer to read about manatees and walruses, one is playing Scribblenauts on the iPod, and one is watching Dora. I, obviously, am using my computer to make my daily NaBloPoMo post.

I take frequent breaks to make meals or load the dishwasher, but I didn't always work in increments this way. Before having kids, I was a dive in for hours kind of worker. I was very productive, in an unhealthy way. I would go without eating or resting when I needed to.

I get frustrated at times, but overall this style of work works better for me and my family. Gotta go. Daughter is asking me to help her find something about the manatee and I need to transfer laundry.

BlogHer: Home Work Balance

Veterans Day, Daylight Savings Time

2011-11-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the end of DST in the U.S. If you've ever wondered why we do this, why not all states participate, and and why most participant countries already set back their clocks, check out my article: Daylight Savings 2011: Fall Back Science

As I wrote in the article, the science of DST is not so much about the diurnal cycles of day and night, as it is about energy and money savings. Plus, some researchers suggest that it's harmful to our health. Heart attack rates go up, for example.

Veterans Day

Our veteran, my children's paternal grandfather, Ronald Frank Boeing, died when my husband was two years old. My husband was a lovechild, so his father's family never accepted him, save one great-aunt who wasn't so beholden to religious ideals that she turned away from the obvious descendants.

I've put together a list of online resources and printables for Veterans Day. My Memorial Day list works well, too. It has printable Buddy Poppies, which the kids enjoy (See the ones on our fridge in the picture).

A couple more fun & timely topics:

Ronald Frank Boeing
Killed in Action, 1972

Ilana watching the grief of visitors

Maia finding RFB on the Wall

Dreamscape tour, NoBloPoMo Day 6

2011-11-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Weekend freewriting.

I was digging through the fridge of one of many houses I grew up in, the one we lived in when my siblings and I were removed from our mother's custody. In the dream, it wasn't her house. It was someone's, like a relative or friend, perhaps Brian from high school, because he was there sucking on my fingers, which bothered my husband.

I kept going back to the fridge to look for pizza, but the box was empty.

Both my present little dog, Pomeranian, and my past little dog, Dachshund, were there. I was keeping a close eye on them, so I could let them outside often enough to prevent pottying in the house. It was snowy and dark outside and I forgot them outside for a while, but they were fine.

We were all getting ready to go to a Nirvana concert, but I couldn't find my ID card. Plus, I was trying to arrange for my sister or one of my friends to watch my sleeping baby in the van.

I ended up walking the long ways home. Along the way I found a discarded plastic dragon toy, which I picked up for my youngest daughter.

BlogHer: Dreamscape tour

Puppies vs. Babies!

2011-11-05T15:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Puppies vs. Babies: Who's cuter? This is a serious contest, but my first thought was "Seriously, is there any competition?" All babies are cute. Don't get me wrong. But, won't human judges choose human babies?

Puppies are cute. I have a cute puppy. Baby hedgehogs are cute, too. Have you seen those little things?

But then, I suppose there are those strange folks who say they don't like children. And perhaps we humans are more likely, or able, to judge the relative cuteness of our own babies. Maybe all puppies look cute, whereas we might be more discerning with human babies.

I may be biased. I did give birth to three amazingly beautiful babies. But I think I'm going to go with babies over puppies.

What do you think? Would you vote for a puppy over a baby in the Puppies vs. Babies online contest?

Weigh in between now and November 23 to help the winning puppy or baby get $5,000.

(I didn't enter. I didn't think it would be fair to the other hopefuls. Plus, I wouldn't want to pit my near-equally cute Kalea and Mountain Boss against each other.)

Let me know who you're voting for.

Dora, diabetes, free writing, NaBloPoMo Day 5

2011-11-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Day 5: Prompt?Oh, I see. Weekends are for free writing.

Let's see. Not for the first time, I mused that cartoon character Dora's name translates in English to -er. Exploradora in Spanish. Explorer in English. If that makes sense.

I'm distracted this morning because it's the weekend. Even though, theoretically, weekends would be like any other day for an unschooling family, it isn't. It's like a weekend day. My husband is home. We've got errands and day-adventures to go have.

Our tasks this weekend include going to visit the donkey at a local park and restocking our supply syringes and fish oil. My husband uses the syringes to inject insulin to stay alive.

Two of my girls are preparing to contribute a couple teaspoons of their blood to research scientists who are trying to better understand the development of type 1 diabetes. We're really hoping the girls don't have much to offer, that is, no antibodies to pancreatic beta cells in their blood.

We could have volunteered for the study years ago, as urged, but we waited until the girls could make the choice for themselves with full knowledge of what they were signing up for.

BlogHer: Dora, diabetes, day 5

Giveaway: Free digital scrapbooking software

2011-11-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

I have one free copy of the MyMemories Suite digital scrapbooking software to give away. To enter:

Visit MyMemories.com.
Comment on this post to let me know which digital scrapbooking kit, paper pack, or layout you liked best.

I like the free Flower Frames and Spring Time Flowers kits to use in Daisy Girl Scout projects for my daughter. Note: You can add narration, music, and videos to these projects. The Pink Toque put together a video tutorial. You can export to jpg, photo album, DVD... I'm eager to see what I can create. I'm still learning, so this is nothing fancy, but I easily put together these Daisy Flower Petals posters for my daughter.

I'll pick a random winner next Friday, November 11, 2011.

Use this code: STMMMS8223
for a $10 discount off the purchase of digital scrapbooking software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.

Special discount: For those of you who don't win this one, you still get $10 off the MyMemories Suite digital scrapbooking software plus a $10 coupon to use in the My Memories store (a $20 value!). Simply use the code to the right.

You can follow MyMemories on Facebook and Twitter.

Unschooling science

2011-11-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

TV Microsope

I just discovered a really cool interactive science simulation website. I wrote about it here, Online Science Games and Interactive Simulations. You'll also find several of my other favorite online science resources and smartphone apps listed in the article.

Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of my daughters' website, Dragon's Fire, you'll find their sizeable list of favorite kids' websites, including the World of Science section. It's bigger than their fashion list, which is saying something.

As my daughter Maia said in her video about unschooling, "Science is everything."

I know I'm link crazy. Being able to link everything together is like poetry, thickly layered. I just like being able to say so much in a small space.

We have a time-lapse
camera, too.

I suppose I should put together an article about how my kids learn science, as I did with Unschooling Math. They've got microscopes and magnifying glasses and containers and chemistry kits. Our new favorite tool is a microscope that hooks up to the TV. We feel very high tech using equipment that resembles the stuff we see in MonsterQuest.

Pen vs. computer, NaNoBloPoMo Day 4

2011-11-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Day 4: When you are writing, do you prefer to use a pen or a computer?

I started typing in first grade, and while I'm not the fastest typist, I can much more quickly translate my thoughts by computer than by hand.

I have always favored pen to pencil. Even as a kid, as I alluded to in the post on why I write, pencil is too light and impermanent for my perfectionistic tendencies. I needed my writing to stand perfect. If I messed up, erasing or crossing out was insufficient. I would crumple the entire page and begin meticulously writing it all out again.

Even though I got to type one day a week at school, I didn't get a computer at home until I was 14. From that point on, the computer's ease of backspace and perfect lettering freed me from my neurotic handwriting practices.

I had neat handwriting. People would comment on how tidy it was, but it wasn't beautiful like that on the letters my great grandma received from her sisters. If I had such beautiful writing, I might want to use it. But then, can people still read cursive?

BlogHer: Pen vs. computer

It's a wonderful life, unschooling

2011-11-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

My baby, she's 3 now

I got out of bed to document this train of thought. It's morning, not the middle of the night or anything, but it is early for me. The cat was meowing and the baby was stirring, but I could have nursed the baby back to sleep and stayed in bed. Instead, she and I (and Nokomis, the cat) are the only ones up. The baby, my one-year-old daughter, is humming a nursing song, "Mmm-mmm, Hmm-hmmm. . .," punctuated with sweet smiles.

I'm trying to get back on track with this wonderful life idea. It started with the thought that unschooling is a joyful life. I said that in my introductory post. Then my mind jumped to the Christmas movie title, It's a Wonderful Life. Unschooling fully allows us to exercise this brain hyperlinking of one idea to another.

An unschooling lifestyle is a life full of wonder (see how I worked in my website title). Children, otherwise known as us when we're young, lead lives full of wonder. They approach life with wonder. Reportedly, a few years on the educational assembly line squashes the wonder of the unschooled, pre-school, years. Nowadays, even preschool is school.

Last year, I participated in a debate about whether or not universal preschool would improve academic achievement in the long term. Having chosen unschooling, obviously, I wouldn't vote in favor of mandatory preschool to go with all those other mandatory years of schooling. Unschoolers, and other homeschoolers, are outlaws, you see, but most of us continue jumping through those legal hoops (learning requirements, testing, and other regulations), as if our children are on loan to us from the government.

I don't even pretend to own my kids. They definitely own themselves. They know it, too. (My middle daughter, 4 years old, has joined us and has made a little bed for herself on my office floor.)

Back to mandatory preschool for 3 and 4-year-olds: I started my argument with the following.

"There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don't start school until age 7."

This is how a recent article described early education in Finland where students are considered the "smartest in the world." Officials from over fifty countries have visited Finland to learn their secrets. What they found: "A relaxed, back-to-basics approach," a "no-frills," low-tech curriculum, and, of course, no preschool (San Diego Union-Tribune, March 1, 2008).

I also referenced a great article, Much Too Early!, by David Elkind, who points out the differences between memorizing those 123s and ABCs early and actual comprehension and understanding of the concepts, which comes with later brain development.

Along the same lines, I wrote an article titled, Putting Pressure on Preschoolers, about how education gets in the way of learning, well-intentioned though it may be.

I did not set off to argue preschool, but here I am. I suppose it came to this, because preschool is the beginning of the end of wonder.

(This post is part of the Carnival of Unschooled Life - December Edition.)

My baby now

Cross post: Unschooling, It's a wonderful life.

Disdain for happy people?

2011-11-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Maia

Do you ever get the feeling that someone dislikes you because you're happy? I've been getting that feeling from someone in particular who isn't a friend so much as a neighbor who we see and talk to often.

When she comes to talk, it's more often than not to lodge a complaint about mine or someone else's child or occasionally an adult neighbor, but usually the kids.

I've known chronically unhappy people before, but I've never understood the condition. I, myself, came from horrid beginnings, and it's left its mark, but I'm not dragging it along with me, and I was always a hopeful, optimistic, dreamy kid, even as I dismissed suicide as a choice.

Anyway, I'm not sure where I'm going with this, which is maybe why I started writing about it. I had a visit from said unhappy person today. It was with multiple complaints about my cheerful and friendly daughter. I suspect that she's always gotten on this woman's nerves.

Sometimes it's knocking on the door too loudly to ask if the boy can play. Sometimes it's walking on the grass. Sometimes it's being too vocal about the fun she's having outside. Sigh. We say nothing when this woman's dog poops in our yard everyday. To me, it's not worth the bad feelings.

It's not just my daughter, but my daughter gets a lot of the unpleasant attention, I think, because she doesn't slink around and keep a low profile as the other neighbor kids have learned to do. Years of complaints have not got my daughter down, though. She continues to make polite apologies, not for her behavior, but for the woman's upset. My daughter is so optimistic about people.

Can I listen to music and write? NaNoBloPoMo Day 3

2011-11-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Day 3: Can I listen to music and write? What song did I hear today?

Totally. I usually listen to music while I write. I also have a standing desk, so dancing isn't out of the question either.

Somewhere along the line, I received the admonishment not to listen to music with lyrics while writing or studying, because it would ruin my concentration. I always have though. I'm a big fan of Pandora.com.

I'm not shy about going against authoritarian advice. I feel more energized and fluid when listening to music. I get so focused on what I'm writing, the lyrics don't distract me. When they do catch my attention, it's usually because I need a break from my writing, so it's still a good thing.

I turn the radio on first thing in the morning while I make breakfast and the day's snack tray and load the dishwasher. Then my kids may have a dance party in the kitchen or they may sit down to one of the many projects they leave on the table.

What song did I hear today? The last one was coming out of my three-year-old's dance class this morning. I've heard it many times, but can't say what it's called. Something snappy and 80s-ish from one of those modern fairy tale movies.

BlogHer - Can I listen to music while writing?

What would be my last meal? NaBloPoMo Day 2

2011-11-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

Day 2: If I knew that whatever I ate next would be my last meal, what would I want it to be?

My husband and I have long joked that our last meal will be cheesecake. That's because it would probably kill us. We're both significantly sensitive to dairy, as well as the gluten in the pie crust.

I grew up eating dairy and never made the connection between feeling yucky and tired and eating the cheese and ice cream I loved. My favorite foods were "Mexican" and "Italian," meaning anything with cheese.

I didn't give up cheese to improve my health. I stopped eating dairy on a temporary basis when I got pregnant with a baby whose father was severely allergic to dairy. Nowadays dairy is linked to development of type 1 diabetes, which my husband has.

Anyway, I never did go back to dairy, at least not on a permanent basis. When I did try eating after a long absence, I felt so awful it was in-my-face obvious that dairy and I were not meant to be.

That's how I discovered my love for dark chocolate. I'd never much cared for chocolate before. Now it took on new significance in my life, mostly that it was a rare goodie I could have. Nowadays I really appreciate the complex flavors and health benefits.

If dark chocolate turns out to be my last meal, I'll go happy, and it won't have killed me, so we can remain friends forever.

BlogHer - my last meal

Sister wives, village

2011-11-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've watched a few episodes of the Sister Wives reality tv show. My first thought was that I love those big multi-family homes. I turned to my husband and said, "I want some wives."

I don't want only a quarter of a husband, though. That's the part I don't understand. I'm completely on board with multiple moms and kids living together as one big family, helping each other. They all seem so happy, except for the husband sharing. Why only one guy when there's room enough for everyone to have one? Wouldn't it make more sense?

My knowledge of Mormon culture is limited to the couple of conversations I've had with door-to-door Mormons and my perusal of the Book of Mormon in my small bible collection. It's interesting reading. Plus, as I gather from Sister Wives, polygamy hasn't been officially endorsed in over a hundred years.

November and Thanksgiving prayers

2011-11-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

My kids love to recognize the holidays, so we've been brainstorming ways to observe Thanksgiving. We've got mini scarecrows left over from Halloween in the window. That's the extent of our decorating so far. I always want to do something in honor of the kindness and generosity of the Wampanoag who helped early colonists.

November Topics

Thanksgiving Prayers

Thanksgiving Address

I'm a big fan of thanksgiving prayers. My family's Native ancestry is Western (Nez Perce, Blackfeet), but I've learned more about east coast traditions. These are some of my family's favorite prayers.

Earth who gives to us this food
Sun who makes it ripe and good
Dear Earth, Dear Sun
By you we live
Our loving thanks
To you we give

We return thanks to our mother, the earth, who sustain us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams, who supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs, who furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars, who have given to us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to the sun, who has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of her children.

Why do I write? NaBloPoMo Day 1

2011-11-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

I've done NaNoWriMo several times, but never NaBloPoMo. This year, however, since I'm forgoing the 30 day novel, I've got plenty of time for daily blog posts.

Day 1: What's my favorite part about writing?

Writing relieves my urge to write. I've always felt compelled to express myself thru writing. Perhaps it's because I'm a quiet person. My grandma always said she was worried about me, because I hardly spoke.

That wasn't because I didn't have a lot to say. It's just my style, I guess, to mill around my thoughts and carefully assemble my sentences. I don't just blurt out the first word that does the job. I think about each one to make sure it's the most accurate one. Writing is slow enough to allow me to be sure I'm saying what I meant to say.

So maybe it's tendency toward caution or a manifestation of my perfectionism. For years as a young child I would crumple the whole page and start again if I messed up my careful lettering of each word.

I loved pens and paper. My mom always said if I wandered off in the store, she knew where to find me -- the stationery aisle.

I like standing at my computer, too. My fingers like typing. I learned clarinet first. That's what the motion reminds me of. Not to mention, typing is faster than writing by hand and it's easy to backspace. I no longer have to toss whole pages.

I suppose that enough wandering thru my thoughts. I've clarified a few things along the way. The exploration -- that's definitely one of my favorite things about writing.

BlogHer - Why do I write?

What have you done to protect your online info?

2011-11-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, most of us wait until "identity theft" happens before we do anything to safeguard the financial information we use frequently to make online purchases and other transactions.

If you've ever had your "identity" stolen, i.e., when someone gets a hold of and uses your credit card number to make purchases or withdrawals, that's when you take the risk seriously and wish you'd done something before the unexpected happened. Identity fraud affects your whole family.

How safe is the financial and identifying information you regularly enter during online transactions? How can you be sure your information is secure?

That's where IdentityHawk comes in. They provide identity theft protection services, so you can avoid finding yourself in the position of wishing you had done something to protect your online financial information.

IdentityHawk will give you a free 30-day trial, so you can see for yourself how the service helps you analyze risk and defend your information. Plus, the service includes credit scores and monitoring from the three credit bureaus.

More about IdentityHawk: IdentityHawk was created to help consumers safeguard their assets, their properties, and their good names. Through our suite of protective benefits, IdentityHawk members can view the health of their identity protection, identify areas where they're most at risk, and take proactive steps to reduce those risks.

Maia's Girl Scout Speak Out! Video

2011-10-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Maia has created this video as part of a Girl Scout project. Feel free to vote for her.

Girls Speak Out: View & Vote Story: It's Your Story: When you care, you're halfway there.

All Hallow's Eve, salmon, Girl Scouts, unschooling

2011-10-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween Mandala Coloring

When I started blogging years ago, I journaled my experiences in a more free-flowing way than the focused utilitarian way I tend to do these days. I miss the old way, so I'm giving it a go.

I've been living this unschooling lifestyle for so many years now that "unschooling" activities don't immediately occur to me as anything other than living my life with my children. When people ask me or my kids what we've been learning, we all tend to draw a blank even though our days are so full. Likewise, I often draw a blank when wondering what I might blog about.

I sometimes worry that my focus on promoting my educational-sounding article topics will give the impression that my family is an "academic" or part-time unschooling family. Anyone who really knows us or spends any time in one-on-one conversation with me probably knows that's definitely not the case. Not that I worry too much what others think. I've developed adequate armor over the years as an unconventional parent.

I often write to search engines terms and topics homeschoolers in general ask for, although I never sacrifice my own integrity as far as unschooling values. My kids' interests, illustrated by all these links, also contribute significantly to what I write articles about. What people might do with the resources I gather and the ideas I share are up to their own prerogative, of course.

Anyway, what my family has been up to, sans external-educational agenda, includes the 4-H entomology curriculum, Girl Scouts leadership journeys with some side trips for badge skills activities and the Forever Green Challenge. My oldest daughter interviewed one of her muses -- her long-time dance teacher. And she made this video about caring for favorite places.

We sewed Stockings for Homeless Children and made stuffies and some other sewing crafts. We've been talking about stereotypes and self-esteem, and that transparent-headed fish recently captured on film for the first time. We've got decomposition column and fruit fly trap bottle biology projects going in the kitchen.

The kids have gotten into webcam games and iPod apps, and of course, they've been getting ready for Halloween. They went to a costume party last night and are eager for tomorrow's trick-or-treating.

Today we watched sockeye salmon building nests and chasing one another around. This river visit was the culmination of a month spent learning about watersheds and the annual salmon migration and life cycle.

My 6-year-old is moping right now because her 3-year-old sister nabbed the iPod. So, I'm going to wrap this up for now and do something, in the spirit of All Hallow's Eve, to cheer her up. Divination, perhaps. I'll just go down and fire up that skull lantern.

You're not an unschooler

2011-10-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

You could say that schooled kids unschool on the weekends and at night while they're sleeping. By which, I don't mean to be rude. It's just that you either trust your kids and respect their capability to make choices, or you don't. Can you trust part-time or respect part-time?

"You're not an unschooler. You're not good enough."

On the other hand, I don't feel that it's my place or right to decide what you call yourself. Perhaps for a part-timer, whole unschooling is in the works. Does any adult in this culture automatically feel full trust and acceptance of their relations?

I'm generally a forgiving person. You'll have to really push me before I'll cast you out of my life. And I'm not so arrogant that I'll judge whether or not you're good enough to have something in common with me.

I'm so glad I can homeschool

2011-10-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Homeschool humor, satire, criticisms, and comebacks

Most popular topics this week, small guitar, tiny pigs, mandala

2011-10-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Every morning I check the Google Trends and write to them when I can. It's not often, because apparently I live in my own world where celebrities and sports figures don't matter much. Nonetheless, each week I check the stats of my articles. Here are this week's most popular topics.

Use for craft projects, cards, and decorations.

The timely:

Specific kids' activities:

A felt set for kids.

Renewed interest:

The New USDA MyPlate Printables and Activities for Kids

The ever-popular:

I celebrate death, because I love my life, my family

2011-10-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

I celebrate death every day, because sometimes that's what it takes to remind me of what's really important in life.

I have a few experiences from my own life, which I'll share, and a few borrowed from others that inspire me to deeply value every moment with my loved ones.

A story about a mom who held her baby for 42 minutes has stayed with me since the first time I read it just after giving birth to my second baby. "In 42 minutes everything about life and death can change..." I read the story again every so often and just cry and feel grateful.

My relationship with death began when I died just after my nineteenth birthday. I was revived, obviously since this isn't a channeled message from beyond, but it was a good time to die. I was living a reckless life, in a reckless marriage, no kids yet, so I peacefully, painfully took my leave and resurrected myself.

I'd been saying I was marking time for the whole of my young adulthood, but I realized that I wasn't. My life was passing while I waited for it to begin.

I'd been wanting to start a family since I was 7 years old, so I was eager to get started when I met my second husband who obviously had the makings of a great father. Thus followed a couple years and several miscarriages before we gratefully got pregnant with our first daughter who had a birth defect of her kidney.

In "Notes from a Dragon Mom," Emily Rapp made the point that "Parenting advice is, by its nature, future-directed..." but how do you parent a child for whom there is no future? This is worth really thinking about. "Traditional parenting naturally presumes a future where the child outlives the parent..." This presumption that the future is what matters could be your worst mistake.

My father died unexpectedly when he was 50. I'd moved 300 miles away from home. My two babies and I hadn't seen him in months. His death, the death of my childhood, prompted further rearranging of my priorities. I wrote my memoirs then. Plus, I realized that it's true--those we love never really leave us.

This is magnified every time my youngest daughter smiles his familiar smile. She was born after he died, but she reminds me of him in so many ways.

Nowadays, I cherish every moment my husband and children are alive. We're on familiar terms with the local emergency responders, because my husband nearly dies regularly. He's an aging Type 1 diabetic and we've always known that his life is maintained by alchemy, so his presence in our lives has always been magical.

When I cry over life losses, I do so with gratitude in my tears. The future is no place for love. This moment always matters most.

Spice Up Your Homeschooling, new eBooklet

2011-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

A collection of practical ideas and philosophical suggestions to renovate your homeschooling days. Topics include learning nooks, wall schooling, homeschooling multiple ages, circle time and other rhythms, natural learning behaviors, and action styles.

Order: Available eBooklet, Kindle, and Nook.

Back to the Bookstore »

Hallween season

2011-10-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

My kids and dog are going to be black cats this year. Our two black cats are already set.

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. The other day, some fellow homeschoolers asked my daughters if we celebrate. My girls were surprised to hear that their friends don't, because they don't want to celebrate death. They make donuts instead.

We celebrate by dressing up, trick-or-treating, decorating the house with harvest and spooky stuff (I love the scarecrows, skeletons, and papel picado), telling stories by our skull candle lamp (currently Theodosia), reading Tarot, setting up an altar to ancestors... So I suppose we celebrate death and life.

Articles for the Halloween season:

Free pumpkin carving patterns
Halloween mandala coloring pages
Roasted pumpkin seeds, recipes, math, crafts, and games
Halloween costumes & October timeline of events
Halloween and Dia de los Muertos activities and printables. In my family, we like to mix Halloween and Day of the Dead together. Both celebrations have folksy cultural and mythological roots–Halloween in Celtic traditions and El Día de los Muertos in Aztec traditions. So my Halloween decor includes...
How to cast a spell to become a vampire. Because I know so many people are wanting this information. Actually, my 9-year-old daughter transformed last year for Halloween. She had us test her with garlic to make sure it worked. She was repelled.
How to read Tarot cards. Divination is a timely Halloween practice.
How to develop your psychic abilities.

Review of upcoming film, Snowmen (PG)

2011-10-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

Snowmen (PG) will open in theaters on October 21. In our capacity as Homeschool.com Product Testers, my kids and I watched an early screening.

Snowmen will be promoted as "The Family Movie Event of the Year." It has been described this way:

"Snowmen is a humorous and heartfelt coming-of-age story about three unlikely heroes and the winter that changed their lives forever. What will be your legacy? What will you build that lasts? Snowmen prompts audiences of all ages to ask these life-defining questions, while affirming that it's not what you do that matters so much as how you do it."

You can watch a trailer on the official website, or check it out here.

It was a family movie with appeal for probably the 9-and-up crowd. My 9-year-old daughter Maia enjoyed the humor and drama of the movie, whereas her younger sisters paid fleeting attention. I suspect that Maia was drawn in by the fact that the boys were trying to do something important with their lives and making those efforts on their own.

Maia said to "Tell 'em it's awesome!"

Our Unschooling Classrooms: September

2011-10-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

I love this idea that I just discovered at Unschooling Sarahs. Who doesn't like to show off pics of their kids loving life : ) So, here are my children's classrooms just this past month.

In summary, my kids and I spent time

at home,
in the yard,
at the neighborhood playground
a local park for bike rides,
swimming, and
an outdoor concert
the fair,
the zoo, and
the natural history museum.

Join the fun. Share your classrooms this month.

How do you observe Columbus Day?

2011-10-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Fascinating new archaeological data and DNA research suggest that Europeans may have discovered the Americas 17,000 years prior to the birth of Columbus.

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. It was a courageous thing to do, but someone was already here...

Which Columbus Day story did you grow up with? I didn't encounter anything less-than-flattering about Cristóbal Colón until I discovered A People's History during early adulthood. Now my kids have A Young People's History by Howard Zinn.

I've written a couple of articles about sharing The Truth About Columbus and America and Ways to Observe Columbus Day.

My family also observes Leif Ericson Day and Indigenous People's Day. Our family ancestry is very mixed with Viking, Blackfeet, and Nez Perce, amongst other distinctive peoples.

Should homeschoolers vote to support schools?

2011-09-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

I'm in a Facebook group that is presently discussing the virtues, or not, of supporting local public schooling via tax increases and levies. The argument is basically that voting against funding for schools could be a disservice to the children who rely on them for food and safety and the questionable education dolled out there.

(I've made some comments on that list, but I'm bringing the subject here to casually rant at length. I considered writing an official article about it, but I've got the flu and I'm too tired to be formal.)

Firstly, the school levies almost always pass regardless of those few of us who don't want our money tossed at a system that won't be improved by more money. So, I almost never vote to support the public education system, whereas I almost always vote for other community services such as public library, fire and police department, etc.

I'm not against schools for those who want them or cannot figure out an alternative. I do want to help schools improve their services to children. If I thought a bigger budget would help the children, I would reconsider. (Nonetheless, I contribute financially by paying my taxes despite not using schools.)

What I do instead is focus on supporting community resources for children, such as the public library, museums, cultural projects, and historical societies, etc. Or cool projects like Zero Tuition College. In addition, I encourage local schools to check out The Independent Project, which has made a big difference in the lives of participating students.

Food for thought:

The U.S. spends more on public education than better-achieving countries
The majority of government employees work in the public education system - more than double the total employees in the federal government, including the military and postal service. What are we paying these people to do? They're not all teaching. Student-to-teacher ratios are high.
We taxpayers continue to pay the salaries of tenured teachers who are awaiting trial for crimes including child abuse.

Another argument was that schools provide a safe haven for many children. In my experience, this was not true. I disagree that schools with trained "mandatory reporters" of child abuse are necessarily safer places for children.

I was an abused child who was harmed by elementary school officials. I went to a high school with guards that treated the students like prison inmates. A junior high boy in my local school district threatened to shoot up students and teachers for not protecting him from bullies. My community failed that boy.

I've been a mandatory reporter, as a child care provider, whose reports were of no benefit to the child involved. My high school band teacher was found to be a child molester after teaching for 30+ years. School teachers, Boy Scout leaders, coaches, priests -- Have you heard of any of these child molesters?

And the food in schools is junk. I grew up on the free lunch and breakfast programs. The homeless mission and soup kitchens served better. I'm speaking from experience.

Have you heard about the Natural Math! Moebius Noodles Campaign?

2011-09-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've got a pile of Möbius strips on my desk. My 9yo helped me make them.

My kids and I have gotten crazy with the Möbius strip activities since we heard about this free Moebius Noodles book and community campaign that's happening. I gave $5 to the crowd-funding campaign because it sounds like such a great project.

In my article about Möbius strips and Moebius Noodles linked above, you'll find

instructions for making a paper Mobius strip,
links to Mobius strip activities and info, and
how to participate in the Moebius Noodles campaign.

Enjoy.

I just heard about this Mobius Story (YouTube). How cool! My kids and I are definitely going to make some Mobius stories. I've also got it on my list to check out the video maker's blog.

Constitution Day required in schools

2011-09-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

On the way to the grocery store for Hexbug "food" (batteries), I announced to my 6yo daughter that tomorrow is Constitution Day. I'd just discovered the fact on Google this morning. My kids love all commemorative days.

From a quick scan of the news, I gathered that public schools are now required to engage children in commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the historic document. Of course, I put together a Constitution Day article with activity suggestions and resources where you'll find

a printable Constitution
a link to the Web game: Who wants to marry a founding father?
free Constitution iPhone App
and some other info and links.

I also put together a list of Constitution Day events in Seattle for those of you who are local.

My 6yo asked the obvious question: What is the Constitution? After my research and resource gathering this morning, I was ready for questions. We discussed them while playing with our Hexbug city.

I had a copy of the U.S. constitution when I was a child. I treasured it because I knew it was important and composed of fancy cursive handwriting on elegant parchment paper.

Apparently, schoolteachers are complaining about the Constitution Day requirements. Were they seriously not going to mention the subject to their students, or is a matter of rebelling because they're being told by an authority what to teach?

Video Games, needs, fears, and unschooling

2011-09-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Action-packed adventures, perilous puzzle quests, you'll need courage, cunning, eagle eyes...

If video games are your kids' thing right now, then why not play video games?

“When parents think a child's interests are ‘stupid’ or worthless, the parent thinks less of the child. When a child finds something stimulating and fascinating and the parent declares it worthless, the child thinks less of the parent.” -- Sandra Dodd

I'm not a gamer
Personally, I've never really felt drawn to video games, although I did try playing video games for a while with my eldest daughter. She loves video games and will, on some days, play all day. But, she's got nothing on her dad. I've seen him go nine hours at a stretch without food or breaks. The majority of worries expressed over time spent playing video games is typically focused on males, right?

My husband loved video games as a boy. He still loves them and spends some time every day playing. And he supports our family of 5 as a video game programmer. So, for anyone hoping their child's love of playing video games will wane, it might not. Maybe your child wants to take homeschool programming classes?)

Despite not gaming (and the contradiction of not liking video games), I totally support my family's gaming.

Video games and learning
I think games can be a fun and effective way to learn: console video games, interactive websites, or any other activity that is fun. Seriously, my eldest daughter's intense efforts to read at 5yo came directly from her desire to read websites and video games, and her knack with numbers developed while following her dad's scores. Here are some of my articles on video games.

If I was worried, I would not force limits
If I was worried about the time my children (or husband) spend playing video games, it would not be simply because they are sitting for hours. It would be because my loved one seems anxious, irritable, trying to escape stress, using video games to cope, or otherwise feels discontent. (Naomi Aldort talks about pseudo-needs like candy.)

In response, I would not limit video game time. I would share my observation, my worry. I might offer suggestions. I would remain aware, available, and in connection with my loved one, but I would not judge his or her way of trying to meet their own needs. Or so would be my intention.

If I took away the game, she would not feel all better. She might bite her nails or lash out at siblings. Added to her initial reason for trying to escape into games, she would feel disrespected and controlled. She might interpret my disapproval of her video game playing as disapproval of her, because she likes to play them.

Let me interject here with Smashing Brother and his mother's video game issue. He'll tell you how he felt when faced with his mother's disapproval.

I don't pretend to have a solution or to understand the feelings in a family that perceives a problem with video games. But I know my kids and myself. I know I wouldn't respond well if someone suggested that I stop reading or staying up late in a quiet house when that's what I want to do, whatever my reason.

Thoughts on patriotism and 9/11 Patriot Day

2011-09-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Before YouTube, television, and cameras, how did people know what the president looked like?

"Patriotism" has always kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I love America, the land and my people, but I don't like the feel of monster trucks with U.S. flag decals and rude bumper stickers about killing Muslims.

I saw a bumper sticker with three icons reading: Pro Life, Pro God, Pro Gun. What is that supposed to be, a life cycle?

Anyway, I realized the other day as I was passing a flyer for a local Patriot Day celebration, that the September 11 tragedy occurred before my kids were born. You know: ancient history.

This is the first year I'd thought about starting a discussion, so I searched for a way to begin the discussion, as well as make a resource article out of it as I typically do: September 11 Patriot Day 9/11 Printables and Activities for Kids.

We started with a free BrainPOP UK video, which was actually very helpful. It presented the basic facts and emphasized the loss of lives and the heroes. We talked about the half staff flag tradition and printed out heart-shaped flags.

I'm going to take my kids to the Patriot Day celebration, a park concert with The Voetberg Family, a very talented family band.

National Geographic, nature field guides, and survival skills

2011-09-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've always loved national geographic type magazines and books. I vividly remember when my grandma delivered a box full of of old NGs. I paged through each magazine at first and later made them into some interesting collages.

I remember a story in Coyote Mentoring, or maybe in the Kamana books, in which John Young's grandmother kept a drawer full of irresistible pocket-sized Golden Guide field guides. And now he's John Young.

Some of my 3yo daughter's favorite books are Golden Guides (pond life, insects, reptiles). My kids have a Ranger Rick subscription, which I would have really loved as a child. They also have a box of National Geographic magazines that we picked up for free from our local used bookstore.

My kids regularly visit our "survival library." I've seen them huddled up on the couch together studying page after page of scat photos. We've got books on permaculture, homesteading, shelters, fire, food preservation, field guides of every variety, and most recently a tiny house building guide.

My husband and I have an apocalyptic bent. I can soups and veggies every autumn, often cook over the fire out back, sometimes sleep outside. I slept in a tipi under a bear fur when my mom was married to a primitive skills enthusiast. Mom took me camping when I was 3 days old.

My kids aren't outside as often as I was as a child. It bothers me sometimes. Perhaps that's why I have the extensive field guide library.

Not Back to School Day

2011-09-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Simple step-by-step activities combine hands-on fun and scientific investigation.

When I went downstairs, the last to get out of bed as usual, I found my 9yo daughter at the kitchen table doing workbook pages. Her two closest friends went back to school today.

My kids and I have never made it a Not-Back-to-School picnic, so the first day of school usually passes without us realizing it. This year, we noticed.

All summer our house was full of lively and noisy kids from several neighboring houses all playing busy imaginative games. Our house has been a lot quieter today.

They kids have already made plans to meet after school at one of the girl's houses to do homework together. One of the girls will be joining my 9yo daughter at jazz dance class tomorrow evening, so they'll still see one another.

My 9yo has been watching the clock. She has her "homework" packed. She just reminded me how excited she is to do homework with her friends. To pass the time this afternoon, we did abacus math until our brains hurt. Then she studied some sample biology cards that came in the mail. I thumbed through the second-hand copy of Bottle Biology, which I'd been looking for and finally found.

My 6yo, junior entomologist, set free the latest of her transformed caterpillar "cauliflower moths." When we picked up our farm box last week, my daughter carefully collected the tiny green caterpillars from the cauliflower and put them in one of her CSI Forensic Entomology containers.

Even my 3yo daughter is talking about school. She'll be starting "dance school" this week, too. This "school year" should be interesting.

Unschooling math in a lot of fun ways

2011-09-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

EXACTLY 86 flaps conceal interesting facts and fun visual explanations that make abstract concepts meaningful.

I sat down to my computer, checked Google Trends, and found "math games" and "typing games" among the top 20. Usually the trends are centered around sports figures and celebrities (I assume, because I only vaguely recognize the names if at all), but I do get excited when I find something I can actually write about.

My eldest daughter loves playing with numbers, so I've collected a few resources along the way. (At her first ever required homeschool test last year, she ranked two grade levels ahead in math skills.) Anyway, here are some fun math learning resources

I've never thought math was frightening or difficult as so many people seem to think. Nor do I think we all need "advanced math." My husband needs it to program software. I don't. Any math I need, I either already know or I figure out.

That's mostly how my daughter learns. She'll ask a question, seemingly out of the blue, and I'll either know how to explain or I figure it out or ask my husband. She also likes to challenge herself with math puzzles and online games just for fun and the excitement of understanding a new concept and expanding possibilities for new uses.

I talked more about my daughter's very self-motivated math and other learning in the eBook: Unschooling Wins the Race.

Having so much fun with bugs, insects, spiders, & entomology!

2011-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

From huge spiders to spindly stick insects, there are around 100 bugs hiding on every double-page of this book. Ages 8+

My curly-haired quiet 6.5-year-old daughter has discovered entomology as a career prospect. She's been fascinated with insects forever, but her interest has skyrocketed lately.

We've got a forest spider ("Wolfie") in a terrarium on the kitchen counter, some pill bugs in her forensic entomology kit, and two woolly bear caterpillars (one banded "Caramel", one yellow "Vanilla") in a terrarium on the picnic table out back.We're going to house them overwinter and watch them cocoon and transform into tiger moths.

We've also been making regular visits to an enormous bee/hornet? nest in a tree along our bike path, as well as to the field next door to catch crickets. We're having so much fun.

Here are some resources I've collected in our entomology endeavors

Did you know? Pill bugs are not insects. They're the only crustacean that lives their whole life on land, which is why we could not find pill bugs in any of our insect field guides. I found this cool Pill Bug science experiment guide that's helping us design an experiment. Who knows, maybe we'll even do the science fair this year.

Stay tuned for an "Ilana's Show" on insects and entomology.

Attachment and lack thereof between this generation and the next

2011-08-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

By some mysterious means, before or while my children were still babies, I discovered The Continuum Concept, Magical Child, John Holt, Alfie Kohn and related people and ideas that gave me support to follow my instincts in parenting. I'm so glad, really.

My mother loves the way I parent. She spanked and yelled at me and my siblings, but says she wished she hadn't. She didn't know what else to do. As it was, most people thought she was too permissive.

I've been reading about the way young brains develop differently based on prolonged stress and attachment to mothers. I had a scary, stressful childhood, but I was initially breastfed and slept next to my mother until I was 4. She was a drug addict and sometimes forgot to take proper care of me, yet I still adored her and felt safe as long as she was around. She didn't work, so I was usually with her.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I guess it came up in response to the teenagers who trash the woods behind my house every night. I don't get the inclination to litter and poop out in the open and spray paint nasty words in a shared space. I was never that angry teenager.

I live in an upper-class area. Presumably these kids come from the big houses around us. So maybe both their parents work. Maybe they've been in daycare/school all their lives. Maybe public places like the woods represent the adult world and they want to disrespect it back.

My mother was kind and it pleased her when I was kind. I knew how it felt when someone I relied on was kind to me.

The local homeschool group did some habitat restoration work along the creek in the woods and placed a crafted wooden sign at the entrance to the woods. The beer-drinking teenagers tore the sign off its post and painted "Fuck" on it.

My nine-year-old daughter nearly cried when she saw it. I nearly cried. It fills me with despair to imagine not just this small group of angry disturbed teenagers wrecking the place, but so many more young people.

A local junior high boy is in jail for planning to shoot twenty some teachers and classmates because they did nothing to stop the bullying. While everyone around railed at the parents for not disciplining him, I cried for that boy, for my community's failure to protect him.

Sometimes I wonder how much my propensity for big despair reactions stems from a highly drugged birth, prolonged separation from mom at the hospital, very early weaning, and inconsistent safety. I'm no longer in the habit of identifying strongly with such ideas, however, so I guess it's best to put my efforts toward affecting my present happiness.

Time in vs. Time Out | Anxiety Lowers Intelligence

A ten-year-old girl got a popsicle without asking

2011-07-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

I've been on the computer all morning, but I haven't gotten much "work" done. Instead I'm drifting, sort of, caught by this or that piece of shared news. But I realize that I could string together my Facebook posts into a story of how I'm feeling today. It all matters.

On a 103-degree day in Arizona, a 10-year-old girl got a popsicle without asking. As punishment, her family locked her in a footlocker. She died, of course.

At first, I wanted to turn away from the pain of that story. But then I remember all the people who didn't want to know about the abuses I was suffering as a child; the image of a grandmother covering her ears. The knowledge that a child in my extended family is living with a pedophile. There's a lot of evil and closed eyes in this world.

Children are whole human beings.

"The premise behind unschooling is that children are whole human beings who have the capacity to create their own meaning..." a gift from Pastebin.

Breast ironing for girls whose breasts are maturing too rapidly. Sure, blame the girl for a cultural practice forced on a girl who doesn't want it. Mother knows best.

"...This idea [children are whole human beings] is diametrically opposed to the traditional model, which suggests that children do not know what is best for their present and future.."

The Pope blames atheists for global warming, even though his religion has historically used the biblical "God gave man dominion over the earth" as justification for all manner of planetary abuse. And child abuse. Spare the rod, spoil the child.

Formula-fed baby Jesus, not.

Breastfeeding Baby Jesus: "Images of Mary breastfeeding Jesus were once ubiquitous in churches around the world. But eventually in North America, as the artificial feeding of babies became more popular, and the plastic bottle replaced the breast, our nipplephobia got the best of us and these sacred images all but disappeared from churches and art galleries in North America."

Do children need to suffer to succeed in a difficult world? I've heard it said that raising our children is the hardest job on earth. But I wonder, what makes it seem so difficult to so many people? Perhaps because many people in the dominant culture perceive the world... Unschooling Examiner »

Academics are extracurricular to unschooling life

2011-07-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

My girls both love this book.

My mind was on overdrive last night. While I was trying to fall asleep, instead I was thinking that in an unschooling life, academics are extracurricular and beside the point.

My kids don't learn math, for example, to do math problems (or pass tests or get good grades). They learn math to bake muffins, build playhouses, and program computers. They don't learn to read to pass vocabulary tests or write book reports. They learn to read to be able to read. They learn scientific methods to understand their world. Everything they learn makes sense.

Schooling misses the point. It makes life extracurricular.

Just think of all the activities that are extracurricular in school: driving, shop classes, home economics, student government, journalism...

I love Usborne books

2011-07-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can sign up as a Usborne consultant and be your one-and-only customer? That's what I've done. I buy these great books for my family at wholesale. A fellow homeschooling mom got me started. There are no quotas, sales, or inventory requirements.

Get started: Now thru July 29, when you sign up as a consultant, you get a starter kit (valued at $375) for only $69. You'll get a big box full of books in the mail and you can just keep them, or sell them. It's up to you. There are some pretty nice sales incentives though if you want to go that route. Your starter kit also includes book party invitations, order forms, a guidebook, and that sort of thing. You also get a consultant website.

Buy Usborne Books Wholesale

I highly recommend this for homeschoolers.

Book eShow: If you're just interested in buying some books, check out my eShow thru Aug 4.

These are some of the book your family gets for joining.

Mandy Moore spotted in leopard-print jeans

2011-07-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: Jack Reid

Have you heard? Many Moore was spotted (*laugh*) in leopard-print jeans. It's big news. Made the Google top 20 today. Apparently, I'm writing about the wrong stuff if I want my writing to pay off.

I wrote an OS blog a while back when I was feeling sorry for myself about not fitting into this culture -- "How can I live in this culture and not recognize the names which dominate the Google top 20 search lists? Quite simply, I don't spend my time watching TV, which apparently constitutes the supreme transfer medium of culture. I'm shockingly, culturally blind...." Read more.

Nowadays, however, I'm getting more exposure. My almost 9yo reads the tabloids at the grocery check out. Right now she and the girl next door are in the other room doing SingStar Britney Spears and some other performers I've vaguely heard of. My daughter is wearing pink spandex with sequins and saying she might want to be a rockstar.

Unschooling is the Opposite of Child Abuse

2011-07-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

I've redesigned my author website to more prominently feature my unschooling books. I had used the site primarily for my memoirs. I've created this new blog about the connection between the two.

CSA Survivor Says 'Unschooling is the Opposite of Child Abuse'

To all of you who've enjoyed my books...

2011-07-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for supporting my writing <3

If you feel inspired, please add a short review or words of support at Amazon, Lulu, Barnes & Noble, the Apple iBookstore, and anywhere else you may have seen them listed. This would be a great help.

eBook Deals
I've lowered all eBook prices.
Find out how to get my eBooks for half price.
Free eBooklet on Homeschooling Types.

Does anyone else let their kids free range?

2011-07-01T00:44:00.000-07:00

My girls are out of the house a lot, especially in summer. They don't go much farther than the neighbors' houses and the field next to us, but it often drives me crazy with worry. I was wandering much more at their ages and it didn't seem to bother my mom. She just said, "Be home by dark."

I prefer when the neighbor kids are all at my house, even though they're crazy loud and messy and actually stampede through the house and eat up all my food and dig holes in my yard for some reason. Sometimes I get them all sewing or doing crafts. They use cuss words, because they know I don't have a problem with it. And we have every game console ever created.

Anyway, I don't have a purpose with this little post other than to lament that my kids are getting older and wanting more autonomy and part of me wants to make them stay where I can see them at all times.

Get ready for summer road trips with printable travel games »

Did you know I've reduced prices on ebooks?

2011-07-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

I've significantly lowered the prices on all my eBooks thru Kindle, Lulu & iBookstore, and this website via the order menu in the sidebar. Check 'em out. Only $4.99 for the bigger books. As low as $.99 with the eBooklet special offer.

Get ready for 4th of July with printables & activities »

Free Homeschooling eBooks!

2011-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Order the free Types of Homeschool

Types of Homeschooling
An Overview of Styles and Philosophies of Home Education

More and more families, for a wide variety of reasons, are opting out of enrolling their children in the public school system. These families approach alternative education, homeschooling, or home education, in a wide variety of ways from casual to formal, relaxed to structured, child-directed, to school-at-home lessons.

You may have heard terms such as “unschooling,” “classical education,” or “Charlotte Mason.” I’ve put together this eBooklet to share an overview of these many different approaches to taking responsibility for your children’s educations.

Order the free January Homeschooling

January Homeschooling
Monthly-themed fun and interesting ideas and resources

Followers of my homeschooling articles and this blog will already know that my children and I love doing activities that correlate to seasons and holidays.

That’s why I’ve created these monthly-themed homeschooling ebooks. I’ll be sharing with you many of the fun and interesting resources my kids and I have found to keep us engaged and entertained in our world, so each day is an adventure.

Back to the Bookstore »

Unschooling books on iPod, new unschooling puzzle book Unschooling books now available for iPod, iPhone, mobile ePub format supported by free Adobe Digital Editions PC software. Downloads available at unschoolinglifestyle.com.Unschooling Books for Mobile, iPod, iPhone Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning A practical handbook on learning without... Unschooling Examiner »

Back from vacation, feeling down

2011-06-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

I'm back from vacation to see my family in the sticks of Oregon. As usual, I feel a little down upon returning home. I always want to move back home (where I was born), but my husband and I can't make much money in Oregon. So frustrating.

It just fires up our entrepreneurial drive, though. We're brainstorming for Android app ideas.

I picked clippings from my mom's huge honeysuckle bushes and was going to plant them at my house as a comfort, but I forgot them. I'm so disappointed, but I'm probably going back in August for a backyard campout.

I had sent my niece a copy of of my Seriously Silly Activity Book, and she loved it so much she wants me to make another one. I've put that on my list.

Because my family lives in the country, I didn't have much access to Internet. I've got a lot of email and whatnot to catch up on. They all have cell phones but can barely use them. It's funny. My sister's phone will ring in the house, but she has to go outside to answer it. Even then it cuts out. No Internet out there.

But the fields and forest and mountains are beautiful, even if I'm afraid a coyote or cougar (or Bigfoot) will come too close to the kids playing outside.

The Internet-free time did give me a chance to finish reading Parenting for Social Change. I'll be writing up a review (part 2) in the next day or so.

Well' I'd better get back to email before it completely buries me.

Do children need to suffer to succeed in a tough world? I've heard it said that raising our children is the hardest job on earth. But I wonder, what makes it seem so difficult to so many people? Perhaps because many people in the dominant culture perceive the world... Unschooling Examiner »

Anyone interested? Language translation of unschooling book

2011-06-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

I've recently arranged to have Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning translated into French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Afrikaans in exchange for half the profit on each version of the book.

Would anyone be interested in translating the book to languages other than those mentioned above?

I already sell globally, but I'll need to figure out the procedures for selling a non-English book from the U.S. I will take care of the publishing. Translator will get half the profits on their version of the book.

If interested, contact: msaraann(at)gmail.com

Unschooling books on iPod, new unschooling puzzle book. Unschooling books now available for iPod, iPhone, mobile ePub format supported by free Adobe Digital Editions PC software. Downloads available at unschoolinglifestyle.com.Unschooling Books for Mobile, iPod, iPhone Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning A practical handbook on learning without... Unschooling Examiner »

Unconditional approval

2011-06-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a little excerpt from Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love, which I'm presently reading.

"Very few of us were given a sense of unconditional approval, a feeling that we're precious because of what we are, not what we do. And that's not because we were raised by monsters. We were raised by people who were raised the same way we were. Sometimes, in fact, it was the people who loved us the most who felt it was their responsibility to train us to struggle.

"Why? Because the world as it is, is tough, and they wanted us to make good. We had to become as crazy as the world is, or we would never fit in here. We had to achieve, make the grade, get into Harvard. What's strange is that we didn't learn discipline from that perspective, so much as a weird displacement of our sense of power away from ourselves and onto external sources. What we lost was a sense of our own power. And what we learned was fear, fear that we weren't good enough, just the way we are."

Interestingly, my young drug-addict mother did give me the feeling of being loved unconditionally. Perhaps because she was already outcast and didn't have anything to prove, she could be herself, even if it was through the pain that she tried to transmute with drugs. It wasn't a nice life overall, but I did feel loved just because I was me no matter what I did.

I've seen people act relatively cold-hearted toward children. Just the other day, my two-year-old daughter accidentally ran her little shopping cart into a woman's shopping cart at the grocery store. The woman immediately snapped at my daughter, "Excuse me. You need to look up."

I've never understood the compulsion to constantly correct and train children, but it seems as if it's the only way some people know to interact with children.

Unschooling books for mobile devices, new unschooling puzzle book. Unschooling books now available for mobile devices, supported by free Adobe Digital Editions PC software. Downloads available at unschoolinglifestyle.com.... Unschooling articles »

The Internet community is very large

2011-06-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Phew! Only 473 Twitter followers to respond to and see if I want to follow back. I check them a few at a time. Sure, I could ignore them, but each link represents a person who chose to follow my tweets.

I've got thousands of unread messages in my email. I can't even begin to read all the Facebook posts and blogs.

Some days I don't want to go near the computer. Today isn't exactly one of those days, but I am feeling a bit frazzled.

It could be that the neighbor boy has been speaking in a sort of TV wrestler voice (shouting through gritted teeth). He and the neighbor girl aren't getting along and my daughter is attempting to mediate between her friends. And he's aiming some that rude power-man talk at my 2-yr-old. She's pretty much holding her own, but I'm sensitive to it.

I haven't run today. Running is my meditation. Sitting still isn't enough for me anymore. I used to meditate for an hour every day, but then I discovered that running for 30 minutes is a much more effective stress reliever for me. I think I'll go do that.

Weekly unschooling inspiration: Why do we unschool? Why do we unschool? Because we love the life. And not just "the life," but our lives: We love our lives too much to give them to someone else. That seems to sum up the most common big... Unschooling Examiner »

What did your unschooling week look like?

2011-06-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today my girls had a pool and sand box party with the neighbor girl. There was mermaid tail swimming involved.

My eldest read from her Weird 'n' Wild Creatures cards. It's part of her amateur biologist study. She gets a subscription to these cards that cover anything from prehistoric marine life to cryptids to mythological beasts to tiny terrors. She keeps them at her meal spot and reads them while eating.

We read about dog ancestry and behavior and made jokes about our "toy" dog and how he might appear to his wolfy ancestors.

Maia had a doctor appointment today. Her doctor is a homeschooling dad, so he always asks what the girls are doing lately.

Yesterday we watched MythBusters, did Mark Kistler3D drawing lessons, and sewed some little things (needle books and apple pincushions).

We read some Theodosia and Harry Potter.

We played with Cuisenaire rods and grid paper. The two younger girls played store and office.

I sent the girls next door with their lunch boxes to have a picnic on the neighbor's porch. Then they crawled around in the 9-foot field grass. I can see all the trails from my upstairs window.

What else? I can't remember, but our days are fun, full, and fulfilling.

Zero Tuition College for self-directed learners. Zero Tuition College, ZTC, is the free college for self-directed learners. ZTC connects self-directed learners with each other and with experienced mentors. It's a free learning community. ZTC students participate by setting up a profile, pursuing.... Unschooling Examiner »

Writing for pay instead of blogging

2011-06-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

I used to blog a lot, but I now spend most of my online time writing articles. Yet, I still want to just blog sometimes. The thing is, I've let myself become too busy. When I'm not in the midst of writing an article, oftentimes I can't think of anything to blog about, as if it's a writing job, too, and I'm just worn out.

I've been focusing on my Suite101 articles, because they pay the best. I'm trying to make the most of my writing time, so I don't spend as much of it.

Here's my top 10 Suite articles this week. Unschooling doesn't usually make it, so that's something.

1. Tiny Teacup Pigs
2. Natural Methods of Labor Induction
3. Home Care for Seborrheic Dermatitis
4. The New USDA MyPlate Printables and Activities for Kids
5. Slow Growing Hair in Children and Adults
6. Treatment for Postpartum Breast Engorgement
7. Radical Unschooling
8. Home Made Shampoo and Conditioner Recipes
9. Online Fashion Games for Kids
10. Learn to Read Websites

BreakThru Radio interview on homeschooling

2011-05-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

My interview questions contributed to this BreakThru Radio homeschooling article, "Too Cool For School: The Growing Phenomenon of Home-based Education." It's a pretty good one, pro-homeschooling, with responses from a grown homeschooler and Prof. Brian Ray, founder of NHERI.

Memorial to a simple life, doing what you love and value. My father never had much use for written literature or poetry. Honestly, he could barely read or write, so I especially cherish the few notes he wrote to me in his careful, shaky handwriting. On the other hand, he was... Unschooling Examiner »

Is unschooling carefree and leisurely?

2011-05-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

I read the recent article about an unschooling family in Toronto: "The politics of unschooling," and I sort of responded to it in my Examiner article "...endless summer?," but I have more to say.

The article began by introducing unschooling life as "carefree Saturday everyday," "leisurely," and "anything goes." That was supposed to scare readers, I think. We're supposed to recoil at the thought of an enjoyable pleasant childhood free of stress and hard work.

And we're supposed to imagine that unschooling is devoid of purposeful activity.

I'm well aware that articles like this can take what people say out of context and make them sound strange. But I'm still weirded out by Prof. Ungerleider's comments. He believes that unschooling parents are motivated by the ideals of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau who said children should be left to develop without any real direction. Not sure where he got that idea.

Then he asked: "Children should be able to reference their prior knowledge and experience and chart progress—how does one do that without grades? Aren’t you just making it harder for your son or daughter to catch up in the future?"

I don't know about you, but I don't turn to grade records or work evaluations to reference my prior knowledge and experience. I know what I know. If I was filling out a job application, I wouldn't look on my transcript to know whether or not I had a skill. I'm shaking my head, here.

The unschooling dad is a professor of education, too, though, so maybe I can't blame academia for the detached view of reality.

Overall, it was a relatively good article. I'm just nitpicking.

Is unschooling like an endless summer? I like seeing interviews with unschoolers, if for no other reason than that they present the possibility to people who may not have heard about the option. However, I typically see unschooling presented something like this:"For an unschooler... Unschooling Examiner »

Unschooling Lifestyle

Freebie digital scrapbooking valentines cards

Using educational resources wisely

Unschooling Happiness Project giveaway winner

Anatomy coloring book for wiggly learners

20% Off February Book Sale & Giveaway

Most popular topics this week, groundhog, valentines, webcam games

Unschooling ebook giveaway

A history of LEGO

Thank you, readers! and some freebie ebooklets

Winter weather predictors: Groundhog and Wooly Bear

Valentine special digital scrapbooking freebies

Experience over stuff

LEGO - free resources

My family's unschooling curriculum

Valentines discounts

Most popular topics, cuisenaire, time-in, guitar

My faithful canine companion, insects, and other pets

Free art drawing software download

Attempts to lower mandatory school age

Free educational saving program

Homeschool discount on fun learning website

Free kids can be so amusing

Gearing up for Valentine's Day

Gearing up for MLK Jr Day

Free Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Book

Talking about elections

25% off thru Jan 6

Money learning

Post holiday sadness

I feel bad for you because...

Unschooling statement of purpose

Giant strollers, grumpy christmas

Weekly digital scrapbooking freebies

Maia's Sidewalk Project Update

Lower prices on unschooling ebooks

Advent - Counting down to Christmas

My favorite Usborne books for Christmas

Christmas Already

Free pedestrian safety ebook

Confident kids

Young kid exclusion

NaNoBloPoMo Quitter

Digital scrapbooking winner!

Other people's houses, NaBloPoMo Day 9

A traumatic event, NaBloPoMo Day 8

Discount Microscopes for homeschoolers

Home Work Balance, NaBloPoMo Day 7

Veterans Day, Daylight Savings Time

Dreamscape tour, NoBloPoMo Day 6

Puppies vs. Babies!

Dora, diabetes, free writing, NaBloPoMo Day 5

Giveaway: Free digital scrapbooking software

Unschooling science

Pen vs. computer, NaNoBloPoMo Day 4

It's a wonderful life, unschooling

Disdain for happy people?

Can I listen to music and write? NaNoBloPoMo Day 3

What would be my last meal? NaBloPoMo Day 2

Sister wives, village

November and Thanksgiving prayers

Why do I write? NaBloPoMo Day 1

What have you done to protect your online info?

Maia's Girl Scout Speak Out! Video

All Hallow's Eve, salmon, Girl Scouts, unschooling

You're not an unschooler

I'm so glad I can homeschool

Most popular topics this week, small guitar, tiny pigs, mandala

I celebrate death, because I love my life, my family

Spice Up Your Homeschooling, new eBooklet

Hallween season

Review of upcoming film, Snowmen (PG)

Our Unschooling Classrooms: September

How do you observe Columbus Day?

Should homeschoolers vote to support schools?

Have you heard about the Natural Math! Moebius Noodles Campaign?

Constitution Day required in schools

Video Games, needs, fears, and unschooling

Thoughts on patriotism and 9/11 Patriot Day

National Geographic, nature field guides, and survival skills