"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will think more and better, if less showily. Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of, before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experience." -- Anne Sullivan

Monday, December 10, 2007

Bens new toy...











Ben found a piece of wicker from a laundry basket that had broken off and declared it was his bow. So I tied some embroidery floss to it, and viola! Bow!! A tinker toy and a plastic knife served as the arrow. Ben proceeded to hunt most of the evening. I hope he gets something good for dinner;~)

Reading Material

  • Parenting A Free Child: An Unschooled Life by Rue Kream
  • The Tao of Pooh
  • Herbal Remedies for Children's Health by Rosemary Gladstar
  • The Well Adjusted Child by Rachel Gathercole
  • Living Simply With Children by Marie Sherlock