Before reading, you must check out the disclaimer. And promise no pouncing or guilt. Ultimate guides are well-loved around here. Currently Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide has been found sprawled in various settings around the house, attesting to its popularity–with T, anyway. An ultimate guide is simply a rather cockily titled information [...]

I’m planning to start a new occasional series here on the wonderfarm, but like any modern endeavor, this one must be prefaced by a disclaimer. See, I’m hoping to share ideas for writing with kids. But I don’t always like ideas for writing with kids. Phrases start swirling in my mind, phrases like lesson plans, curriculum, [...]

A couple of links have come my way this week that got that old question bubbling in my brain. The first was a link to a trailer for the upcoming documentary Class Dismissed: Education and the Rise of Homeschooling in America. Watching it, I realized that much of it had been filmed at the summer [...]

I came upon this quote the other day from Jeffrey Wilhelm, a professor of English Education who has written several books on kids and writing: “Students now need more time to immerse themselves in curricular topics, more time to read, write, and reflect; they need more informal writing, they need more exploration, and they need [...]

It’s a new year, and just the right time for new projects. Trouble is, the project I’m working on right now has me arguing with myself. What’s happened is that the time spent last month ranting on my soapbox about 5-paragraph essays got me all lathered up. I tried to keep pressing away at the [...]

A photo from last New Year’s Day. A quote recently discovered. The quote’s attribution is disputed, but I love it so much that I’ll take it anyway. It’s a lovely analogy for the way I hope to parent, and what this wonderfarm is all about. A thought to carry into the new year. Happy 2011, [...]