For a young child, it is the most important of all experiences because it allows the child's mind and sense of self to grow. In the midst of the perennial concerns parents bring to Dr. Claudia Gold, she shows the magical effect of seeing a problem from their child's point of view. Most parenting books teach parents what to do to solve behavior problems, but Dr. Gold shows parents how to be with a child. Crises are defused when children feel truly heard and validated; this is how they learn to understand, and, eventually, control themselves. Dr. Gold's insightful guide uses new research in developmental psychology and vivid stories from her practice to show parents how to keep a child in mind and deepen this central relationship in their lives.

    We call this imprisonment schooling, yet wonder why kids become bored and misbehave. Even outside of school children today seldom play and explore without adult supervision, and are afforded few opportunities to control their own lives. The result: anxious, unfocused children who see schooling—and life—as a series of hoops to struggle through.In Free to Learn, developmental psychologist Peter Gray argues that our children, if free to pursue their own interests through play, will not only learn all they need to know, but will do so with energy and passion. Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth.To foster children who will thrive in today’s constantly changing world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray demonstrates that free play is the primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient. This capacity to learn through play evolved long ago, in hunter-gatherer bands where children acquired the skills of the culture through their own initiatives. And these instincts still operate remarkably well today, as studies at alternative, democratically administered schools show. When children are in charge of their own education, they learn better—and at lower cost than the traditional model of coercive schooling.A brave, counterintuitive proposal for freeing our children from the shackles of the curiosity-killing institution we call school, Free to Learn suggests that it’s time to stop asking what’s wrong with our children, and start asking what’s wrong with the system. It shows how we can act—both as parents and as members of society—to improve children’s lives and promote their happiness and learning.

    

    We are in an age of abundance, overspending, mass consumerism, Dollar Tree hauls, and poor food choices. We have storage units for all our "stuff" and we are over our heads in debt and soaking in stress. This book is short but filled with inspiration and tips to overhaul the families lifestyle to one of simple, humble living, and sustainability. This is the way we live debt free and under one very small paycheck for a family of four. We live like middle class although by the government charts we are just above the poverty line. Ha! How silly. We eat organics, drink good coffee and dress well, living in a charming cottage and drive fairly attractive cars. We are happy, healthy and thriving. How do we live well on so little? I stay home to tend to the family, cook almost everything from scratch, and my front and back yards are now kitchen gardens. Brew up some coffee and come join me to see just how this lady does it.

    town, an adolescent girl is unwittingly handed a one-way ticket by her mother to allegedly "visit" her estranged father in Florida. Young and vulnerable, Lockey Maisonnueve has no idea she is being abandoned and sent to live with a vile and dangerous pedophile who would spend the next several years violently raping, abusing and mercilessly selling his daughter's body into childhood prostitution to other adult men. After being rescued by her naive, but well-intentioned, grandparents, her troubled life is further devastated by cancer and ravaged by the subsequent brutal murder of her mother, in which Lockey is briefly considered a suspect. "A Girl Raised by Wolves' is the inspirational memoir of a survivor of the darkest circumstances one can endure in a single lifetime and still emerge with a sense of humor and to defiantly proclaim "they didn't break me!"

    Everyone would like education to be a joyous adventure and celebration of life, as well as a solid preparation for living. Sadly, most education today falls far short of this goal.But as Susan Schaeffer Macaulay shows it doesn't have to be this way. Education can be a wonderful, life-enriching, joyous experience.For the Children's Sake is a book about what education can be--for your child, in your home, and in your school. It is based first on a Christian understanding of what it means to be human--to be a child, a parent, a teacher--and on the Christian meaning of life. At the same time it is deeply practical. Many of the central ideas have been tried and proven true over a century in almost every kind of educational situation. The ideas are in fact so true that they can be applied equally at home, in different schools, in Africa, in the inner city, and in your own community. But they are also ideas which Susan and her husband Ranald Macaulay have tried and proven in their own family and school experience.For the Children's Sake is a book which can help every parent and teacher awaken the young minds of their children and give them a new richness, stability, and joy for living.

    Torin Finser--who is now Director of Waldorf Teacher Training at Antioch New England Graduate School--wrote this book especially for parents, prospective parents, and educators who are new to Waldorf education.Filled with pedagogical gems, tips, and resources, School as a Journey will also prove an invaluable resource for those who are currently Waldorf class teachers. For those who wish to delve more deeply into this revolutionary form of education, the author has also included extensive documentation, with references to the works of Rudolf Steiner and of others experienced in Waldorf education.Highly recommended for anyone interested in this revolutionary form of education.C O N T E N T SPreface1. Once upon a Time2. The High Road and the Low Road3. Toward Community4. Trials by Fire5. In Balance6. With Both Feet Firmly Planted on the Ground7. Outer and Inner Explorations8. Rounding the CornersAppendix: Educating for Creative Thinking: The Waldorf Approach by Joan AlmonNotes

    society—the National Center for Education Statistics recently reported that in the last decade it grew at twelve times the rate of public school enrollments. Yet information about this population is terribly incomplete. In this groundbreaking book, Robert Kunzman uses his unprecedented access to six conservative Christian homeschooling families to explore the subset of this elusive world that most influences public perception and rhetoric about the homeschooling movement, from its day-to-day life to its broader aspirations to transform American culture and politics.From the Trade Paperback edition.

    This manual, inspired by that research, provides a wealth of practical information for parents, professionals, and others concerned with helping such children. Authors include parents whose children have been the beneficiaries of a science-based approach to autism treatment, as well as many noted researchers and experienced clinicians. The manual gives the reader concrete information on how to evaluate treatment options and differentiate scientifically validated interventions from fads and “miracle cures”; assess children’s skills, needs, and progress objectively and systematically; teach children a wide variety of important skills, ranging from basics such as listening and looking, to complex language and social skills; and determine who is competent to deliver and supervise behavioral intervention.

    The Tao of Teaching is written in the same style as the Tao Te Ching, and gives examples from the classrooms of three present-day teachers whom the author feels embody Taoist wisdom and "student-centered" educational methods. The Tao of Teaching is a labor of love, containing many important insights by a talented and respected professional whose emphasis is on the students' contribution in a learning environment, whatever the context.

    Scientists now know that the human brain is undergoing a constant and dramatic transformation in the first years of life. During this peak time of development, every activity and experience leaves an indelible mark on your baby’s brain, for better or worse. The right kind of stimulation and nutrition will create connections in the brain that promote intelligence and raise IQ. The wrong kinds of activities and foods can stifle intellectual development, destroy brain cells, and leave your child more vulnerable to learning or behavior problems down the road. So, what can you do during the first five years to ensure that your child is primed to excel?The good news is that raising a smarter child is easier than you think. It doesn’t require making an investment in expensive equipment or high priced tutors. It’s as simple as playing the right games, serving the right foods, and maintaining a brain-enhancing environment in your home by eliminating common household toxins. In Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten by Dr. David Perlmutter, you’ll learn easy and highly effective strategies that can vastly improve your child’s brain power and reduce his or her chances of developing ADD and ADHD. For example, you can:• Stimulate Memory: Changing a component on the over-the-crib mobile every week makes the baby compare what was there before to what’s there now, reinforcing memory pathways in the brain that are critical for learning.• Spread out those shots: Schedule more frequent trips to the pediatrician for vaccinations, so that fewer shots are administered at once. Flooding the immune system with a cocktail of different vaccines can damage the nervous system. • Get rid of toxins: Protecting a child from neurotoxins found in foods, toys and even baby bottles can help preserve precious IQ points. Dr. Perlmutter provides a scientifically backed food and supplement plan for children and nursing mothers and details the many brain-building activities that you can do with your child. In addition, he reveals the numerous toys and household products that contain harmful, brain-damaging toxins and shows how to identify and combat common childhood problems like ADD and food allergies that may affect your child’s development. Your job over the first five years is to help your child build the best brain possible. With Dr. Perlmutter’s help, you can mine the countless opportunities you have each day to make your child smarter, happier and better prepared to excel.

     Let me test my presumption with a preview of four these ‘old’ stories. If I told you there was once a west coast sex cult with dozens of young girls, single ladies, and married women, who all fornicated with one well-endowed “prophet,” and he occasionally found it necessary to carry-out bondage S&M sessions here and there, you may not be surprised at all. But what if that sex cult began in 1903 and ended in 1906 with a couple of murders and suicides, does that sound like anything you have read about before? Or, how about a cheater who murders his inconvenient wife, disassembles her over a fifteen hour period, then puts her bones in the same stove he cooks breakfast for his sons before sending them off to school? If that doesn’t surprise you, perhaps the ending will–but you’ll have to find out for yourself. In ‘The Dandy and the Squire,’ a smooth-talking peacock from Kentucky visits his northern ‘cousins,’ and charms three of the women into his bed. He’s a big time operator who talks fancy, dresses fancy, and tells great stories of his days as an adventurer, riverboat gambler, and sharp-minded deal maker. He’s so smooth, he’s able to murder the patriarch’s son, make him look like the bad guy, and marry the boy’s tender-hearted sister before the Yankees get wise to his lies. Good thing, too, because he had also talked the father into giving him the family farm. Chapter Five is the stranger-than-fiction story of ‘Shoebox Annie.’ During the early 20th Century, this trollish-looking woman introduced her freakish-looking son to a life of crime. Their decade’s long spree of lyin’, cheatin’, and stealin’ led them to become America’s first mother and son team of serial killers. They were so good at disposing of bodies, none of their four victims have ever been found. If ‘old’ stories sound boring to readers of contemporary true crime, I hope this book will change minds, and fully reveal just how wicked and decadent our ancestors were. And deadly. Volume II in the Vintage True Crime Stories series is a wrecking ball that smashes to pieces that phrase, “The Good Old Days.” Maybe you will believe me when you get to the last page.

    The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook not only covers basic academic subjects--the three R's--but also addresses interests that are off the beaten path of public school curricula, such as paleontology and meteorology. Thorough and up-to-date, this invaluable resource reviews all possible learning tools: Arranged by subject, including " Philosophy, " " Life Skills, " and " Electronic Media, " the sourcebook's organization and succinct and insightful entries make it a breeze to use. Icons next to the entries denote the format and intended age group of each resource. Whether readers are looking for the best way to explain relativity or Egyptian mummification, The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook opens the door to a whole new universe for teaching and learning. BooksVideosMagazinesCatalogsTimelinesKitsHands-on activities Board gamesCD-ROMsEducational Web sites

    The Sleep Sense Program -- Proven Strategies For Teaching Your Child To Sleep Through The Night, has helped over 10,000 families quickly and easily solve their children's sleep problems.

    Author Armin Brott devotes a chapter to every three months of the second and third years. In each chapter, Brott charts the physical, intellectual, verbal, and emotional changes the child is going through and examines the emotional and psychological developments the father may be experiencing. He discusses issues that may develop between fathers and their partners as well as matters that involve the whole family. In addition, each chapter contains a section called “You and Your Child,” in which activities and issues appropriate to the given age are discussed.New topics in this revised and expanded edition cover the latest research on child development, including brain growth. There is more advice for dads who are older, single, or in the military; fathers of preemies and multiples; stepfathers; and stay-at-home dads. This new edition adds information on a wide range of subjects, from helping a child grieve over the loss of a relative or a pet to health and safety issues to care of special-needs children.Incorporating the author’s and other fathers’ personal experiences, as well as the advice of top researchers in the field, and illustrated throughout with delightful New Yorker-style cartoons underscoring the universality of the joys and woes of parenting, Fathering Your Toddler is an essential sourcebook for every dad. It’s certain to give every mom helpful insights as well."