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If you have more Radiant Retreat photos to share, email them to christinawester @ mac . com (without the spaces) or post them to the Radiant Living & Learning Facebook Group. Click on a photo to page through a slide … Continue reading
Photo Gallery Under Construction – send your photos from the Retreat to christina wester @ mac.com (without spaces) or post them to the Radiant Living & Learning Facebook Group – Thanks!
Dear Radiant Friends,
It didn’t really register for me exactly HOW soon Thanksgiving was going to be after the Retreat was over! I barely recovered before the holiday whirlwind began . . . so now here I am FINALLY posting a long overdue THANK YOU to all of you who attended and helped make the first Radiant Living & Learning Retreat a success!
The good news is that we raised $3,201 toward the $13,500 we need for Tristan’s Service Dog and the better news is that many of you are so gung-ho about doing this again that we’ve already started planning the next one!
We’d be here all day if I tried to thank every single person here who gave of their time and energy to make the Retreat happen. You each hold a special place in my heart and I will be forever greatful for all of the love and support you showed our family and our Unschooling community by helping to make the Retreat possible.
I knew that doing this fundraiser would stretch me and my comfort zone regarding “asking for help” and “receiving,” but I had NO idea just how deeply I would be touched by the generosity and kindness of each and every person who attended, donated, and worked hard to help me create this amazing event. My heart is filled with Love every time I think about this amazing community.
I do want to mention a few special people that made such huge contributions, I just have to share:
Lisa Ruiz worked her a$$ off planning, cooking and feeding us at the Retreat. She gave so generously of her time and resources for this event, it could never have happened without her!
Jen and Derek Palmeri facilitated a donation through Derek’s employer, Fresh Point Produce, of almost all of the produce we served at the meals and at the Smoothie Bar.
Scott Gaylon of K Bar K Ranch donated the chicken and deeply discounted the burgers we served. He raises the cleanest meat I have found locally and sells at various DFW area farmer’s markets as well as making deliveries to the Plano and McKinney areas. Find Scott on facebook here or at http://www.kbark.com/.
The work and donations from these folks accounts for OVER HALF of the total funds we were able to raise!
I’ve already heard from some of you on your experience with the Retreat but would love to hear any feedback (including “constructive criticism” 🙂 ) that you’d still like to share. I’m gathering testamonials and also in the process of planning future Radiant events so your feedback is valuable! Here’s a link to email me.
Speaking of future events – we don’t have exact dates yet, but want you to know we’re planning another RL&L Retreat around Halloween of 2014
and a RL&L Unschooling Conference in early 2015.
Hope you can join us – stay tuned for updates!
Heaps of Love,
Christina, Peter, Houston, Juliana and Tristan
I have two homeschooling friends who recently shared their personal packing lists with our co-op groups. Both lists are the result of years of camping experience (and forgetting items at home!) So I wanted to share them with you in case you were feeling nervous about forgetting important items as you pack this week! If you are not sure about camping click here to see other sleeping arrangements for non-campers.
This first one was created by Doreen Fisher, our PlayLand “Director” and Workshop
Presenter on Creating Peace through Family Meetings. She made a beautiful spreadsheet that you can customize and then print out to check off items as you pack.
Click here for Doreen’s Spreadsheet
Jennifer Jones’ list below is a little less elaborate, but a good list nonetheless with a few different items from Doreen’s list.
I do have a couple of things to add two these two lists (that are totally optional, but you might want to include too.) One that was super fun AND functional at our last camping trip was Christmas Lights!
Not only are these festive, but they provide nice ambient light around your campsite that’s not too bright after your eyes have adjusted to the dark. Bring an extension cord and maybe a power strip if you have several other things to plug in at your site. (I’m bringing my electric skillet to make breakfast prep quick and easy). You can bring a hammer and some nails to hang the lights on the trees around your site in case there aren’t enough low hanging branches. Also there are tall poles with hooks at each campsite (for hanging food up out of reach of wildlife) that you could wrap lights around. You can put them on the o
utside of your tent, your canopy or
they can be used on the inside of the tent (never unattended though!) If you want to get fancy, you can purchase lights that run on batteries.
One other fun list is this article on Camping “Hacks” that was floating around Facebook a while back. Some of them are just silly, but many seem useful. I will be using #1 on the list this trip!
Jones Family Camping Gear List
Two Coolers (one for frequent open, one for seldom open)
Ice
4 Camp Chairs
Tent & Tent Stakes
Mallet
Tent Pad (we use a large shipping blanket)
Air Mattress(es)
Air Pump
Lantern/Lantern Fuel or Batteries
Head Lamps/Flash Lights
4 Pillows
2 large blankets
1 fitted sheet
Sleeping Bags
Doormat
Extension Cord
Kettle
Camp Stove
Camp Stove Fuel
Pot with lid
Pan with lid
Hot pad/trivot
Plates, bowls, silverware for 4
Cups, mugs for 4
Serving spoon & Spatula
Large Bowl for serving
Large plate for serving
Paper towels
Foil
Zip-Lock bags
Dish Soap
Sponge/Scrubber
Dish Pan/Drainer
Tie Downs
Bikes
Bike Pump (& patch kit)
First Aid kit
Fire Wood
Marshmallow/Hot Dog pokers
Grill Spatula
Lighter/Matches
Firewood
Bottled Water
Trash Bags
*If Dog –
Leash
Food
Food & Water bowls
Clothing-
4 full outfits per person
2 extra pairs of socks per person
4 towels
4 jackets
4 hats
4 gloves (if cold)
Rain Gear
4 Bathroom Kits
-toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap/facewash, 2 face rags, travel size shampoo & conditioner, zip-lock bags, pain reliever, deoderant and any other personal items or medications
Books to read
Ukulele
*some people bring tent heaters & fans, we have never used them so they are not on our list.
We are pleased to announce that Mike South, co-founder of the Clearview Sudbury School in Austin will be presenting at the retreat!
He will discuss the history and evolution of the Sudbury Model, based on the Sudbury Valley School (est. 1968 in Massachusetts).
From the Sudbury Valley Website:
Sudbury Valley School . . . has been a place where children can enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as they grow up in the newly emerging world. From the beginning of their enrollment, no matter what their age, students are given the freedom to use their time as they wish, and the responsibility for designing their path to adulthood.
In our environment,students are able to develop traits that are key to achieving success: They are comfortable learning new things; confident enough to rely on their own judgment; and capable of pursuing their passions to a high level of competence. Children at Sudbury Valley are adaptable to rapid change, open to innovation and creative in solving new problems. Beyond that, they grow to be trustworthy and responsible individuals, and function as contributing members of a free society.
At Sudbury Valley, students from pre-school through high school age explore the world freely at their own pace and in their own unique ways. They develop the ability to direct their own lives, be accountable for their actions, set priorities, allocate resources, deal with complex ethical issues, and work with others in a vibrant community.
There are currently 35 “Sudbury Schools” in operation in the US and around the world. Mike will describe the set up at a few of these schools and the challenges they faced in getting Clearview going.
Can we put the Sudbury Model to work in the Dallas area?
We will discuss this possibility and creative ways that we might create a co-op or other “group Unschooling environment” for our kids using principles from Sudbury Valley.
Click Workshop Topics to see more descriptions of the various sessions we are planning for you at the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat!
If you haven’t registered – do it soon! Discounts and available campsites won’t last forever!