Here is a good article on Holt and the origins of unschooling https://www.johnholtgws.com/the-foundations-of-unschooling#:~:text=Many of you are at,resemble school learning and teaching. Radical unschooling was a later development promoted by Sandra Dodd. Here's a blog post that explains the difference in a nutshell https://redheadmom8.wordpress.com/2016/10/18/whats-the-difference-between-unschooling-and-radical-unschooling/ Susan in TX

The term originally just meant homeschooling but that was ages ago when homeschooling was in its infancy and the term "homeschooling" had not been invented. Susan in TX

Yes. But I'm not an unschooler and it isn't my definition http://yes-i-can-write.blogspot.com/2010/12/unschooling-is-not-relaxed.html Susan in TX

Well, I don't think the definition of unschooling has changed. Requiring or assigning schoolwork, no matter how relaxed or child led, is not unschooling. Susan in TX

Hospitals are being overwhelmed https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/16/pandemic-states-virus-rebound-429753 Areas like New York that had issues earlier this year are doing better. I think anecdotally that shows that what they have done worked. But was it the lockdowns or mask wearing or contact tracing or the combination of everything? Or was it just the virus burning out in that population and they will have another surge no matter what they do? Susan in TX

LOL. I will blame this on post migraine brain fog. Thanks for correcting that. Susan in TX

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Lifeproof vinyl plank flooring is what we have. Home Depot sells it. It is very durable and waterproof. There are no gaps between the planks. We have a slab foundation and it is not cold like the tiles we had before. It is really easy to clean. And I love the way it looks. Susan in TX

I have gone through seasons of homeschool burnout and we did try unschooling from time to time. What I found is that totally unschooling was too chaotic and it just increased my worries about whether or not the kids were learning. To really unschool successfully you need to let go of expectations that your child will learn what you want them to learn. It doesn't work to unschool thinking that the children will magically teach themselves everything they would be expected to learn in school. That doesn't mean they won't learn if you unschool, it is just that they won't necessarily learn academic things, and if they do learn those things it won't look anything like school learning. So when I tried unschooling it just increased my frustration because the kids didn't just naturally pull out their math books and teach themselves...well one of them did...but they weren't spending a bunch of time doing educational things. They just played. And I couldn't see any progress so it just made me worry that they weren't learning. So that led me to relaxed homeschooling. Like unschoolers we don't really do "school" and recognise that children learn naturally and are learning all the time, but unlike unschoolers we require some work on academics. For my 9yo that means math, phonics, and penmanship. For my 12yo it is math, English grammar, spelling, and reading books I assign as well as books she chooses. For my high schooler it means not following the traditional high school curriculum and learning at her own pace. Susan in TX

Dallas County published Covid health guidelines. I think if we all followed these we would be well on our way to getting it under control. https://www.dallascounty.org/Assets/uploads/docs/covid-19/community/Dallas-CovidGeneralGuidelines-100120-2.pdf Susan in TX

In my county (Dallas TX) 33% of deaths have been in the 41-64 age group. The highest number of hospitalizations (44%) is also those 41-64. Seventy percent of those hospitalized have been under 65. If we let covid rip through the population there will be more deaths in younger people because our hospitals will not be able to provide the level of care needed for those with serious cases to survive. Susan in TX

Our co-op started back in September. Some classes are online only. There is a reduced number of classes being offered in person. The schedule was adjusted to only have classes in the morning so there is no eating lunch at co-op. Masks are required and social distancing is enforced. Parents are not allowed in the building. We are only doing online this year so we have not been to co-op in person. Susan in TX

Check out Developmental Mathematics. This is what I have used for most of my kids. The scope and sequence is different from most math curricula. It is very easy to use and is designed to be self teaching. Susan in TX

First you show a bit of grace and give a warning. If it continues then there needs to be logical consequences. That might be having to give up a part time job or having to quit dance. Or no hanging out with friends on school days...whatever it is that is keeping them from getting the work done. Susan in TX

Also, just because she does 8th grade work this year doesn't mean that she can't graduate on time. Unless you are in a state with strict requirements for homeschoolers or you are trying to get accepted to a 4 year university with specific requirements, you have a lot of freedom to plan her course of study. She doesn't have to cover everything in the same way that it is done in public school. Susan in TX

The way you describe his behavior sounds to me like he is just spoiled. I was a picky eater as a child so I tend to be sympathetic to a child's tastes and I don't make them eat things they really don't like, but there comes a point where you just need to say, "I'm sorry but this is the food that you can have right now and if you don't want it then I guess you aren't that hungry." I would stop allowing any junk food. It does seem like he might benefit from less sugar/carbs and more protein and fat. I wouldn't worry about finding snacks that he will eat since eating between meals isn't necessary. One of my kids does not do well at all if I allow junk food. The more sugar and artificial ingredients he gets, the worse his behavior gets. Susan in TX

In my experience, college students do not "party" when they are not at college, because college is where all their friends are and they "party" with their friends. Susan in TX

I have a 9 year old son who is very resistant to doing any schoolwork. I have figured out that his resistance is driven by anxiety. If he gets it into his head that something is too hard he will shut down. It doesn't matter if it really isn't too hard. So I keep his work easy. He is still learning, but at a slower pace which is ok with me. Making progress slowly is better that making no progress, which is what would happen if I pushed him to do more. Also, 7 is young. I don't even begin formal academics until age 7. I don't do "language arts" with 2nd graders. We do phonics, math, penmanship, and reading practice. We start spelling when they are done with phonics. If you want easy to implement curriculum that can be done mostly independently I would use Developmental Math, Explode the Code, and Pentime. If you are ready for spelling Soaring with Spelling is good. Susan in TX

After teaching my 4th child to read, I just waited until they were seven to begin teaching them to read. Then it only took two years. With my youngest, I should have just waited until he was nine. Susan in TX

Night time prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer: "O GOD, who art the life of mortal men, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labour, and the repose of the dead; We thank thee for the timely blessings of the day, and humbly supplicate thy merciful protection all this night. Bring us, we beseech thee, in safety to the morning hours; through him who died for us and rose again, thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." Susan in TX

My daughter graduated college, got married, and now I have a new grandbaby on the way. Susan in TX

I have a laundry basket on top of the washing machine where we put all used towels/washcloths/dish rags. We do not reuse bath towels because there are too many of us, and not enough room in the bathroom to hang them, so I wash a load of towels every day. Susan in TX

My parents moved when I was 9 months old. I lived on the same street until I was 19. (We moved to another house on the same street when I was around 8 years old because the house went up for sale and it was larger.) When I got married we moved to an apartment, then we moved to Dallas and lived in another apartment. Then dh went back to school so we lived on campus for a year, then we moved to another apartment. After that we moved to our current house and we have lived here for 26 years. So I have moved seven times. Five of those moves happened within six years. Susan in TX

Our hot water heater that is over 20 years old. We just replaced the heating/air conditioner that was about the same age. Susan in TX

I'm right behind you. My first was born in 1989. (And the 80s are not "historical". If I was alive and I remember it, then it isn't "historical".) Susan in TX (A 20 year old trapped in a 52 year old body)