Unschooling NYC

It was a glorious, glorious day in Central Park today.  Take a look:

The Great Hill, looking west

68 degrees and not  a cloud in the sky (this must be November’s way of apologizing for the incredibly rude behavior of late October), which was a very good thing, ’cause rain, wind, snow or shine, today was the last day of Ben’s Wayfinder class, and the Adventure Game takes place no matter what.

That second picture above not only captures some of our delayed Fall color, but also Ben’s team in mid-battle with one of the other medieval clans who clashed … Read more

Greetings fellow travelers!

We send you warm regards and hope that your travels are proving as fruitful as ours.   We have news to relate of our latest destination which we think you will find both fascinating and disturbing.   The alien planet called ‘Earth’ on which we now find ourselves is home to many contradictions & conundrums.   Over the past few days three of them have taken precedence with repeated appearances on various blogs, social media and even in magazines.   Here they are in no particular order:

1)  Members of religions professing to be about love and acceptance repeatedly attack non-members, … Read more

I was going to write about the NYC Marathon today because it is one of the most inspiring things to witness first hand.   I spent about 30 minutes there this afternoon, cheering the runners on (including Heather Armstrong of Dooce who blew by right in front of us at around 2:40pm).   Someone said,  and it’s true,  that if you are losing faith in humanity, go watch a marathon.

But a marathon, wonderful as it is, can’t solve all our problems (wouldn’t it be great if it could?).    Which is why the marathon isn’t the main subject of this post, and … Read more

When I started writing this blog a little over a year ago, it was with the intent of organizing my thoughts around our approach to learning and to give myself a daily writing outlet and writing practice.   (The number one advice for authors to anyone wishing to be a writer?   Write. Every day.)

Now that intent has developed into something broader –  prompting me to join the BlogHer network and to start building a following on Twitter – which is to promote unschooling in places where people might not know about it;  to stop preaching to the choir and instead … Read more

Because we are in the middle of a massive chocolate chip cookie ‘bake-fest’ in order to make money (well, the kids will be making the money) tomorrow through selling said cookies at our store, I hereby present a sort of condensed, cliff notes version of my thoughts from today:

1)  You can now WALK IN to my walk in closet!   How much junk was there?   Ten 30-gallon trash bags, one old piece of furniture and several plastic storage containers worth – that’s how much.   Maya was my paid assistant, and she was invaluable.    Ben officiated from the safety of the … Read more

You know that TLC show called “Clean Sweep”?   I used to love that show.   I watched it mostly the Fall and Winter that I was pregnant with Ben and we were living in Pennsylvania.    That show kept me almost sane for the 6 months we spent there.

In case you’ve never seen it (and if you haven’t, you MUST;  It is sooo much fun), what happens is that the team gets sent to someone’s house;  a house where the stuff has gotten out of hand (not hoarders – that’s something different) and over the course of 2 or 3 days … Read more

I’ve talked before about the fact that when I tell people we homeschool, they often respond by saying, “Oh my gosh.  You must be so patient.  I could never spend that much time with my kids!”   (I was recently telling someone about this, and when Maya heard it she said, “Wow, that’s kind of insulting to the kids.”)    But I know what the parent who says that means.   It has become the norm for parents, when they are with their children, to feel the need to spend every second of that time – no matter how much or how little … Read more

“Dear homeschooling families,

I am looking for some age appropriate books for my child, who is 14.  Do you have any recommendations?

Signed,

Curious Parent”

—

“Dear Curious Parent!

My twelve year old spent last year devouring the following books, and perhaps your 14 year old will do the same!    Wuthering Heights,  For Whom the Bell Tolls, Catcher in the Rye, A Tale of Two Cities,  Crime and Punishment, A Clockwork Orange and of course the complete works of Shakespeare.

Regards,

Parent of a Prodigy”

—

“Dear Curious Parent,

Well, I don’t know where your … Read more

The photos speak for themselves.   Although I will say, I love my blue wig and matching eyelashes – wish I had the courage to wear them on a regular day!

Pre trick or treating – Maya and Ben with our beloved Andrea

Our Halloween tableau in the hallway

Guests arrive. That's Brett on the left…Halloween or lifestyle choice? (And Kristin in the hardhat)

Maya Spo the robot and Maya, the nerdy vampire!

Jonah the clown and Dementor Ben (and that's Simon on the left – SuperBunny!)

Lindsay, Ben, Jonah, Maya, Lexi, Maya and Simon (in front)

Kristin (now in the

… Read more

Got your attention with that one, didn’t I?    Let me explain.

We live in a capitalist country where the people who are most successful at capitalism are often perceived as corrupt and greedy (and sometimes that’s because they ARE corrupt and greedy) and therefore it is popular to view capitalism itself as something that breeds greed and corruption.   The Occupy Wall Street protests are in part about this perception.   My good friend Jeff Rutzky has been spending time down at the protests with his friend and artist De La Vega,  and his most popular poster in that setting is the … Read more