We don't have a bedtime at our house. For us, bedtime is literally just the time someone goes to bed. There is no arbitrary time for us. We've encouraged our children to listen to their bodies and point out cues that we notice in order to help them recognize those signs that their bodies are... Continue Reading →
not-back-to-school luau…
I was in charge of planning the Not-Back-to-School Luau for a local homeschool group. We kept it pretty low key. We rented out the lodge at a local nature center - nature activities conveniently provided. Everyone brought a dish to share and one of the fathers was in charge of grilling hot dogs. We had... Continue Reading →
school supplies…
School supply sales are going on at stores across the country. As unschoolers, we aren't required to purchase a minimum 4 boxes of facial tissue, 20 #2 yellow pencils,10 colored folders, and so on. However, being the frugal (my husband is coughing and saying tight wad as he reads this) mom that I am, I'm not... Continue Reading →
summer reading programs…
Our family is no stranger to our local library. The librarians know us all by name. We are there quite frequently, checking out books, hanging out, or running in for a quick pick up of books on hold; a quick trip to the library for us is about 20 minutes. So, it seems to surprise... Continue Reading →
be your child’s friend…
My in-laws were visiting us one time, long before we had children. We had gone out to eat and as we sat there in the restaurant, they began to lecture. "You can't be your child's friend. You have to be the parent. Parents will always be parents." The irony of what they said as they... Continue Reading →
five-headed dragon…
Mythology is a popular topic at our house. Here is my 7 1/2 year old's rendition of a five-headed dragon: Notice the orange things in the ground. Those are worms for the dragon to eat. Apparently the dragon likes to roast them with his firey breath and eat them with barbecue sauce. There was an impromptu poem... Continue Reading →
butterflies…
In April, we hung butterfly salt dough ornaments. They seemed like a fitting representation of Spring, especially considering that we sent away for Painted Lady caterpillars. We had a butterfly pavilion that was given to us as a gift, and the caterpillars were ordered from Insect Lore. They come in a cup with everything they... Continue Reading →
bloom’s taxonomy…
According to Bloom's Taxonomy, the most basic level of cognition is knowledge. At this level, a person can define, duplicate, label, list, and memorize a concept. At the comprehension level, a person can use that memorized information in order to explain it to another person. Concepts can be illustrated at the application level. Individuals can... Continue Reading →
free range kids…
In April 2008, Lenore Skenazy wrote an article for The New York Sun entitled Why I Let My 9-Year Old Ride the Subway Alone. There was a lot of feedback from this article. Parents were outraged that she allowed her child alone on a subway. Parents were thrilled to see another parent allowing her child freedom. She... Continue Reading →
art and craft supplies…
My children, just as many other children, love to create. Our house has plenty of artwork made by my precious little ones. Also, like many families, there is always the question of how to organize said art supplies. When our oldest child was still a toddler, it wasn't any problem for me to have the... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 