Welcome Chris and Carlie!

I added Chris and Carlie as authors to the blog so they can add their brilliant ideas to the mix.


PS And they're getting married in less than a month; hooray!

Traditional Neighborhood Developments

There are a lot of good ideas we can take from the TND movement. I added a link on the sidebar to a list of Traditional Neighborhood Developments. I especially like the idea of walkability and having a network of trails throughout the community. I envision a circle of homes with driveways on the back of the houses so they all face center with just a walking path around the inside. So much prettier and friendlier. And with that arrangement people's property would be wedge shaped with plenty of room for pastures, gardens, orchards etc. at the back of the house, but with the houses still close enough to benefit from good old fashioned watching out for each other and each other's kids.

Book Club?

There are so many exciting books about unschooling, homesteading, intentional communities etc. While we're in this period before we actually embark on our adventure, it would be great if we could fill our minds with as much good info and exciting ideas as possible before we actually set out to create a community and unschool our kids. What do you guys think about picking a book a month that we can all check out of our local library, peruse and then swap feedback about?

Home/co-op/un-school CHARTER School

I had the idea the other day that if we called our loosely organized group of homeschooling parents a "Charter School" that we could get funding for the school. And I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the rules about what makes something a school are pretty loose. And I think Obama is making it even easier for charter schools to be formed. So, just something to keep in the back of our minds and do a little research on when the time comes...
It'd be pretty rad to have actual funding; think of all the amazing field trips we could take!
A few links:
US Charter Schools
How to Start a Charter School
Another How To
Financial Advice for Starting a CS
FAQ About Charter Schools
More FAQ
States Ranked by CS Friendliness