that we had fewer rules than many families — made me think long and hard about the ones I did set. 

don’t worry if you’re not an expert educator.  Your big job is to bring your children an awareness of the possibilities around them. 

They don’t impose, but are available as needed. Their role is to aid learning.

Even if all the as-yet analyzed and identified macro- and micronutrients found in apples could be isolated and produced in capsule or...

thoughts on motivating unschoolers...

Did my kids get summers "off?"

Rather than risk being laughed at or judged — either by their peers or an adult — saying nothing at all is a safe strategy for kids.  

Because my kids were allowed to become curious to the point of yearning for more information, they required no pulling, gold stars or reward

Choosing is both a privilege and a burden, because it brings freedom and also responsibility.

I thank my lucky stars that I was born to parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who valued learning.

How to "teach" without a curriculum?

Babies do it, children do it and adults do it.  If babies didn’t learn naturally, we wouldn’t be here as a species.

Some of the non-standard choices I made as a parent resulted in successful outcomes. (Although how do you measure success, because it’s...