When was the last time someone asked you: “How do you want to feel”?

Dear Ones,TDM-LicenseeBadge-Vertical

I stumbled upon Danielle LaPorte a few years ago quite by accident but instantly I KNEW this woman would somehow have a HUGE impact on my life and my work.

Danielle’s work has helped me become more MYSELF, giving me courage to acknowledge my Life’s Purpose and claim my place as a teacher and “lightworker.”  Her work has helped me to clarify my goals and figure out my own unique way to achieve them.

So when I saw that Danielle had created a workshop based on her book, The Desire Map, I immediately said YES!
And I am super excited to share this wonderful tool with you.

The Desire Map is not just a book. It’s the flame that sparked a revolution of feeling good and living free.

Are you ready for soul liberation?

How about some Goals with Soul?

We go through our lives dreaming dreams, making plans and setting goals hoping that once we accomplish them we will finally feel the way we want to feel: Joy, Freedom, Peace, [Insert Your Favorite Positive Emotion Here].

The trouble is that we’re going about it backwards.

When we first get clear on how we want to feel (our “core desired feelings”) then THAT will inform our plans, our to-do lists, even what our dreams look like.  When we let our core desired feelings guide the way, we are able to stay on course – and find the RIGHT course to begin with!

Read more about The Desire Map on DanielleLaporte.com

Our first Radiant Living with The Desire Map Workshop in the Dallas area is in the works for May 16 & 17, 2015.  Registration is open until May 10th.

Shortly after the live workshop we will hold a virtual workshop for those of you that are far away.  

To find out when workshop details are announced, you can either join the Radiant Living with The Desire Map group on Facebook OR send me an email here.  I will make sure you get all the deets as soon as they’re settled! (edit: Here are the deets!)

If you’d like to check out The Desire Map book in the meantime, click here:
The Desire Map book.

NOTE:
Plan for aha’s and alleluias. After clarifying and declaring their core desired feelings, people have been known to make changes.

You may quit stuff, launch something, stand up, shine brighter, ask for more.

Looking forward to mapping with y’all!

Heaps of Love,
Christina

Young Adult Unschoolers Q&A, Mini-Fig Swap, Bikes, Swords & Mp3’s

sq logoRADIANTKIDSWe’re so excited to announce the Young Adult Unschoolers’ Panel.  We have 5 unique individuals who will answer your questions and share their experience growing up Unschooled!  (Well 4 were Unschooled and one was a “very relaxed Homeschooler using many Unschooling principles”)

Click here to read their Bios and see what other contributions they will be making at the Retreat!

We also want to make sure all the kids know about some things they might want to bring to the Retreat:

  • Lego Mini-Figs – we’re having a SWAP!   Bring your tired, old Mini-Figs and take home some fresh, new ones!
  • Bikes – It’s a great way to get around camp, plus it’s just super fun to ride with friends – on the roads or on the camp’s bike trails.  We will also have an organized Bike Race around the Cedar Grove Camping Loop!
  • Nerf Swords or Duct Tape Swords“Hunger Games” is a favorite camping activity among our Home Ed community and we will be organizing a couple of rounds Thursday & Friday.  After that it’s up to the kids to “round up” a game.  Click here for the rules.  There will also be an opportunity to make your own foam sword at the Arts & Crafts Table on Thursday and Friday.
  • Mp3’s for Dancing – Bring your favorites to play at the Halloween Dance Party.  The DJ with start things off, but requests will be difficult since we don’t have internet access.  We’ll be happy to play songs from your device though!  Our sound system can connect with most bluetooth devices as well as Apple and Android products.
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Adultism and Equal Rights! . . . for Children?

sq logo evolutionIt was at my first Unschooling conference that I began to examine and question the discrepancies in the socially acceptable ways we treat children versus the ways we treat adults.  After all, kids are not as “socially valuable” as adults right?  They lack experience and wisdom.  They can’t delay gratification or keep up with “important responsibilities” like bills and jobs.  They require supervision and cajoling or coercion or downright force to “do the right thing.”

I grew up being treated with a certain lack of respect and condescension that I just accepted as normal from NEARLY EVERY ADULT I encountered.  As I grew older I began to use the same tone, same attitude and show the same lack of respect for children that I encountered.  It was ingrained in me.  It was the norm to treat children this way (or worse).  And despite my bent for social activism and all of the philosophizing I had done around equal rights for women or different races, ethnicities or sexual orientations, I had never stopped to think that the largest group of people that are routinely discriminated against, subjugated and marginalized is children!

I sat in the introduction to Unschooling workshop at that first conference and heard examples of ways that we speak to and treat children that would be considered rude, disrespectful or even verbal assault if we spoke to adults that way.  A lightbulb went off and it has been an ever unfolding process of discovery, self examination and deprogramming to change my ways little by little to treat children AUTOMATICALLY with the same respect and consideration that I would give an adult.

It’s not always easy and sometimes I fall back into the old patterns of demanding, coercing and expecting developmentally inappropriate things from children . . . and then treating them disrespectfully when they don’t perform to my satisfaction.

Despite the fact that children have far less experience, self-control and ability to cope with the world, we expect them to have the same amounts of patience, impulse control and initiative as adults.  BUT we are not willing to give them the same respect and consideration that we would give other adults. We speak to them as if they’re stupid and belittle them. We order them around and expect immediate compliance.  We make plans without their input.  We make decisions about their lives and how they will spend their time without considering their needs, desires or opinions.

It’s inconvenient for adults to stop and ask a child about their preferences or how they might choose to do things in a certain situation. We think we know better because we are older.

And this doesn’t even BEGIN to touch the issue that it is perfectly LEGAL to hit, strike or smack one’s own child when the same behavior toward an adult would be considered assault and would justify charges being filed.

This is a problem that has deep roots and even wider repercussions.


This Fall a group of pioneering Unschoolers in Dallas have come together to create a Home Education Co-op that has confirmed my suspicions that we give kids WAY TOO LITTLE respect, consideration and trust.  The initiative, creativity, team work and problem-solving skills the kids in our group have displayed in creating and self-designing their activities and classes has been humbling, inspiring and surprising.  (Even for a dyed-in-the-wool Unschooler!)

Within my own family, I have seen positive results when we take the time to sit down and share our individual goals, find common goals and develop a plan (with input from EVERYONE) to accomplish them.  When we allow all members of our family OR our Unschooling Community Co-op (regardless of age) to contribute, share ideas and formulate a plan of action, the momentum is unstoppable, the engagement of the members is joyous and the level of satisfaction is monumental!

  • Are you ready to examine some long held, collective beliefs about the automatic and socially acceptable degradation of our youngest humans known as ADULTISM?
  • Would you like some tools for releasing these habits and beliefs in your interactions with children?

We have two Retreat Workshops that should prove informative, provocative and challenge you to make some changes or AT LEAST begin to recognize the most socially acceptable form of inequality that exists in all of our lives!

When we begin to become more aware of the ways that we buy into Adultism and begin to change our interactions with the children in our lives, we expereince more peace and harmony within our families and larger communities.  This is truly a beginning step to creating a more peaceful world!


Join us Oct 23-27 in Cleburne, TX for these two workshops and many more at the Radiant Living and Learning Retreat!


“Because I Said So!” just ain’t gonna cut it anymore! ~ Lets talk about Adultism
NinaJones
with Nina Jones

As parents we all hope to form good relationships with our children. Along the way, many of us fall back into certain behaviors and ideas that we were raised with:  that adults should make ALL the decisions for a younger person without much input from the child.

The concept of “because I said so” is one of the ideas that we need to let go of if we are committed to forming truly respectful relationships with our children.
Adultism is defined as: behaviors and attitudes that are based on the assumptions that adults are superior to young people and are entitled to act upon young people without agreement.  This idea is reinforced throughout most modern societies and is a form of discrimination, prejudice, subjugation and marginalization that is experienced by ALL children.
Adultism impacts the development of our youth, in particular, their self-esteem and self-worth.  It trains them from day-one to accept the authority of another merely because of age.  In fact some say it grooms us to more readily accept other forms of discrimination and subjugation as adults.
 
Is Adultism an acceptable and sometimes necessary construct of society?  What would life look like if we pushed past the norm of Adultism to TRULY respectful and egalitarian relationships with our children?  How might children be empowered throughout their lives if they were treated like FULL human beings from the beginning?  

Lets talk about it!


Creating Peace and Harmony through the Family Meeting
DoreenFisher2
with Doreen Fisher
In an effort to find more harmony, reduce stress, and accomplish more of her family’s individual and collective goals, Doreen Fisher decided to implement a Family Meeting to create a little bit of structure in her family’s highly creative, free and unstructured lifestyle.

The result?  They became more grounded as individuals and as a family, found more peace in their home, and began to show up for each other in a way that resulted in measurable movement toward their individual and collective goals.

Join Unschoolers Doreen and Mila Fisher as they share their process for the Family Meeting and discuss the benefits of allowing all family members – of ALL ages – to participate in running family matters and discover their own interests and accountability in the process.

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More Kids’ Activites!

We are pleased to announce that 2 members of our Radiant Tribe have offered to share their expertise for some fun classes for the kids – or ANYONE interested in a workshop that’s a little more “active!”

Heidi Wunder and Nathaniel Holman are both grown Unschoolers who have much experience in the great outdoors.  Click here to read their full bios.


slackline101

Slackline 101!
with Heidi

Slacklining is the act of balancing and walking on  a long piece of webbing that is suspended between two solid points. In our workshop, we will learn what a Slackline is, how to identify the different parts of the line, and technique for getting on the line, and technique for beginning to walk.  There will be three slacklines available to practice on!

HeidiWunderLeave No Trace Principles
with Heidi

This workshop will be centered around the seven Leave no trace (LNT) principles, and we will focus on how to utilize these principles for families. There will be a short presentation, discussion, then we will further our knowledge with several fun, hands on activities.  Workshop will take place in a Family campsite. Bring a seat!

 


NathanielCloseUp

Campfire Building and Safety
with Nathaniel

This was our most popular workshop last year!  Nathaniel will cover fire safety and first aid, different kinds of wood, ways to prepare the wood, good fire tenders, how to arrange the wood and several ways to start a fire when you don’t have matches.  Once you learn to build a fire, we will have a fire building competition!

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Digging Deeper into Unschooling with Sue Patterson

sq logo WORKSHOPIf you have begun living a life of freedom in learning, but are having a hard time balancing the “Self-Directed” aspects of Unschooling with your parental instinct to offer guidance to your children, this session might be for you:

Balancing Parental Guidance and Self-Directed Learning

Unschoolers let their children choose when, how and what they learn, what role does parental guidance play? Sometimes parents feel that offering ideas and suggestions will prevent their child from unfolding naturally. It all depends on all the intentions, emotions, and stories wrapped up in those ideas and suggestions. Children need their parents’ experience and knowledge to grow and thrive – how we share it makes all the difference! Sue will share her experience in this area and help parents explore the boundaries of guidance vs. self-directed learning.

For those of you that are finding it hard to let go of curriculum or “schooly” materials for learning, you might like:

Curriculum as a Crutch

Buy this, and your kids will be smarter! Use this, you’ll be more organized! Get this series and you will unleash their inner genius!

Or something like that. Ahh… the lure of curriculum.

Marketing has targeted our community for some time now. Advertisers realize that while we are an independent lot, we still harbor a lot of fears. And isn’t that how marketing works best? Identify the fear or the lack, and then convince people that they need the product to fill their void. It’s as if they’re handing us crutches and telling us to lean on them – when in fact, we have no weakness, no lack of opportunity. The whole world awaits our children and these crutches they offer will simply hold them back.

Pre-planned materials often inhibit learning, keeping the child from all the benefits of discovery and exploration. It keeps parents from continuing to engage and facilitate new interesting opportunities out in the world. Don’t look wistfully at those crutches – embrace freedom!

Come talk with Sue and we can discuss awesome ways kids can learn from whatever interests them!

And for all the questions you don’t get answered during the Retreat, Sue and other parents of grown Unschoolers will make up the panel for:

Veteran Unschoolers’ Q & A

Bring your questions, concerns, fears and doubts to these parents who have the benefit of time and perspective.  Come hear about their journeys as they Unschooled their children who have now left the Unschooling Nest!

Sue has so many great topics prepared for this year’s Radiant Living & Learning Retreat!  Click here and here to read more about who she is and what she has in store for us!

 

Follow these links to learn more about the Retreat and to Register.

 

LOVE YOUR RADIANT LIFE!

Curious about Self-Directed Learning? Sue Patterson can help!

Sue is a veteran Home Educator with 3 grown kids.  All of her children were Unschooled, and Sue is a wealth of information on many aspects of alternative education.

From transitioning away from the curriculum mindset and into a learning partnership with your kids, to Unschooling through the teen years and supporting young adults as they transition into college or work, Sue’s perspective is invaluable.

If you are struggling with an aspect of Home Eduction or Partnership Parenting, Sue’s wisdom and experience can help reassure and guide you through the moments of doubt.

If you are simply curious about what Unschooling family life is like, she can share a comprehensive look based on her own experience and what she’s learned from her extensive network of Home Ed families.

Here are some of the sessions Sue will be leading at the Retreat.  We will hit the ground running on Friday morning with workshop sessions and circle discussions, so getting there Thursday to set up your bunks, tents and campers will ensure you don’t miss any of the action!

Learning All the Time: Unschooling 101
Friday Morning (Oct. 24)

Life Learning, Whole Life Learning, Self-Directed Learning, Organic Learning, Natural Learning, Interest-Led Learning.  There are so many different names for this type of alternative education and almost as many definitions.

Come discover the core principles behind this method of education.
Gain clarity on what Unschooling IS and is NOT.
Is there a “right” or “wrong” way to Unschool?  Is it still Unschooling if we require a few math or phonics worksheets here and there?    What is “Strewing?”  What is “Deschooling?”  What is “Radical Unschooling?” What are the benefits and drawbacks to Unschooling?  How can we be sure our kids will turn out OK educationally and otherwise?  What if I give my children freedom and all they do is play video games all day?  What if my child HAS to or WANTS to return to school in the future?  How do I comply with Homeschooling laws as an Unschooler? Can I do it as a single parent, or when both parents must be earners?
We’ll tackle these questions and help newbies, spouses, grandparents and in-laws understand this complex and rich form of education and help you discover tools to move forward with Unschooling in confidence.
To read more from Sue on this topic click here.

When Your Unschooler Chooses School

After being radically unschooled her whole life, Sue’s youngest daughter decided she wanted to go to the local public high school. While Sue supported her daughter’s choice, they “did high school” on their own terms. After a year and half, Sue’s daughter had enough and returned to the freedom of unschooling.

We will explore the ways that Unschoolers use mainstream schools, alternative schools and “schooly” classes and lessons to achieve their goals.  Can this still be considered “Unschooling?”  How can we support our children when they choose methods of education and institutions that we as parents are ideologically opposed to – or just feel are not the best “place” for our kids?  How can we allow our children to be exposed to the negative aspects of school that we have tried to shield them from all their lives?  Can a school truly be a place of Unschooling freedom?

Unschooling Teens

Are you worried about unschooling your teen? Are you afraid that your choices may close doors instead of opening them? Sue’s three grown unschoolers took completely different paths through the teenage years. Come hear how they navigated these years and rest assured that it does NOT have to be as scary as society makes it sound! Sue also wrote a book, Homeschooled Teens that will be available in October. She interviewed 75 teens and young adults who homeschooled/unschooled as teenagers. She will share their responses to her questions about what life was like for them: finding friends, learning opportunities, hobbies, sports, work, travel, advantages they feel they have now, advice for worried parents, and more!!

Uncover your Highest Values and Life Purpose with Donna Vail

DonnaVailWelcome Donna Vail to our Radiant Tribe!

Donna is the mother of six and has been educating her children at home for almost 20 years.  She empowers families to find and follow their Life Purpose through her writing, speaking, workshops and private coaching.  Donna helps families who are moving from school to home education, as well as those who are moving from a school-at-home approach to one that is led by the Highest Values and Life Purpose of each family member.  Join Donna at the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat for her 2 part workshop:

Unveiling Life Purpose for You and Your Children

Unschooling is an experience to be shared as a family, but it can be greatly enhanced when parents have the vision to facilitate children to their individual greatness.  One of the most stressful areas in unschooling is the inability to understand how your child is communicating their life purpose so you can accurately provide for their needs and not distract them from their purposeful path.  Many parents struggle with knowing their own life purpose and how to manage it productively.  This can make it impossible to facilitate the life purposes of the rest of the family.

The key ingredient is knowing how to identify your highest values and priorities, and those of your children.  Once you know these highest values, you can begin applying them directly to your everyday life.  Raising your children, providing an inspiring learning environment, doing your own work to provide for the family and relate to others is enriched when you identify with your highest values. This process can make the difference between living a meaningful life or one of quiet desperation. Let’s face it, freedom is never free. It comes with great responsibility and if we’re not tuned in or we’re unsure, we become enslaved by our indecisiveness.

In this workshop Donna will take you through the process of determining your highest values, discovering the key to family dynamics and how your perceptions shape your life.  We will also learn how to determine your children’s highest values and how to customize their learning experience into every day purposeful living and learning.

You will walk away from this workshop not only listening better, but also going through the process to have a clearer breakdown of what’s most important in your and your children’s lives.

  • Discover why you do what you do
  • Let go of pushing
  • Hear what your children are really telling you

You will be empowered with new self-understanding and inspiration to love more, live more and learn more.

This workshop is designed for parents but Part One is also appropriate for teens that are interested in using Donna’s process to discover their Highest Values and Priorities.

Part One:
Values Determination Process for Parents and Teens,
Prioritizing

Lunch Break

Part Two:
Values Determination Process for Children’s Values,
Family Dynamics and Customized Learning
(Pre-req: Must have attended Session One)


To learn more about Donna and her process visit www.AnInspiredEducation.com

Connect with Donna at: www.facebook.com/DonnaVailInternational


Links for
More info on the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat
or
Registration

Early Bird discounts are available through August 15.


Welcome Sue Patterson to our Radiant Tribe!

SuePattersonWe are very excited to announce that veteran Unschooler Sue Patterson will be sharing her experience and wisdom with us at the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat!

Sue has a knack for gently helping parents who are encountering bumps along the road to Unschooling.  Her years of experience along with her compassionate nature makes her a valuable mentor for those of us working toward more JOYFUL living and learning.

The working titles for her sessions are:

  • What is Unschooling?
  • Unschooling Teens
  • Curriculum as a Crutch
  • When Your Unschooler Chooses School
  • Balancing Parental Guidance and Child-Led Learning

She will also be a panel member in the Veteran Unschoolers Q&A session.

Sue began homeschooling her children in the mid-1990′s. It wasn’t long before they shed their schoolish ways and embraced the unschooling lifestyle. The Pattersons were a military family and unschooled in Alaska, California, and Texas. Her family dove into a variety of homeschooling communities along the way, working on conferences, creating support groups, participating in local activities. Each of her 3 unschooled “kids” are grown now, 20, 23 and 25, off pursuing their own adventures.

Sue blogs at Lifelong Learning (www.suepatterson.wordpress.com) and has a new website coming! Lifelong Learning also houses all of her unschooling articles in an area called Unschooling Mom2Mom.

She is currently the editor of The Homeschooler Magazine, available quarterly in hard copy (and pdf by mid-June!) The magazine encourages parents to focus on learning, helping us look deeper at rationales for our educational choices. While it’s not an unschooling magazine, many unschoolers are writing and sharing their insights in The Homeschooler.

Sue is finishing her book, Homeschooled Teens. She surveyed 75 teens and grown homeschoolers asking them questions about their lives as homeschooled teenagers.

She is also in training with Martha Beck’s life coach program. She hopes to combine her unschooling experience with the tools she’s learning through the program to help parents out of ruts, and into joyful happier lives. She specifically works with families who need one-on-one help with moving from the school system to homeschooling, from homeschooling to unschooling as well as families experiences difficulties navigating the teen years and women/mothers who are ready for a change!

Finding the Courage to Forge Your Own Path with Dr. Adrienne Carmack

Radiant Living & Learning is pleased to welcome Adrienne Carmack, MD as a workshop facilitator at the Retreat!

AdrienneCarmack
Mother of three unschooled children, Adrienne began her adulthood on a very traditional path to the American dream. Once she got there, she realized the inherent flaws of the dream and began to tune in to her own intuition. She became a mother, reworked her medical practice to create an entirely new practice model to fit her life, and has published a book blasting the medical profession for its absurdities:
Reclaiming My Birth Rights.
Read more at: AdrienneCarmack.com

 

Join Adrienne for her session at the Retreat:
Finding the Courage to Forge Your Own Path
 where she will share how trusting her intuition has helped her move from Medical Doctor to Birthing Rights Advocate and what she envisions creating for her future.  Adrienne invites attendees to share how they have (or are hoping to) untangle themselves from society’s webs in order to live a life they love. “Let’s learn from each other as we all move closer towards that which feels true.  Let’s share what has worked or what is holding us back so we can visualize what’s possible together!”

Retreat Workshop: Unschooling Freedom and Mutual Respect

with Krystal Trammell

One of the things that many people seem to worry about, when they first come to unschooling (or even if they’ve been working toward a freedom-based lifestyle for some time), is the fear that they’re turning the tables – relinquishing control to the kids.

Parents trying to give their kids freedom and autonomy can sometimes feel disrespected and marginalized, frustrated or worse:  martyred to their children in an unschooling lifestyle.  “It’s just part of being a parent,” they’ll say…  Or, “We don’t want to take away his freedom,” they’ll say.

However, in my 11+ years of living and learning about the unschooling life, I’ve come to believe that there are natural limits to freedom and autonomy, and that these need to be acknowledged and respected in order for everyone in the family to benefit from unschooling, not just the children.

A functional + fulfilling unschooling life is ideally going to enrich and validate the needs and desires of EVERYONE in the family – not just the children.  Let’s come together and chat about the natural limits of freedom, and how every member of the family can enjoy mutual respect and cooperation together.

Click here for the Speaker’s page to read Krystal’s Bio.

Click here to see other Workshop Topics.

Click here to REGISTER for the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat

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