How do children set goals for themselves?

“Children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.” ~ Alfie Kohn Even though adults may not notice it, children set goals for themselves all day long. When they are young, the goals are usually small: they may want to make a birthday card for a friend, they may want […]

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How do children learn if no one tells them what to do or learn?

“Children are born passionately eager to make as much sense as they can of things around them. If we attempt to control, manipulate, or divert this process…the independent scientist in the child disappears.” ~ John Holt We believe that all children are born with a strong desire to learn what they need in order to […]

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How do children learn the basics (reading, writing, and math)?

When a child is ready and willing, the basics like reading, writing, and math are quite easily learned. Traditional schooling forces children to learn these at the same age and at the same rate, often before a child is ready or interested. Thus, the process seems to be difficult and time-consuming. The fact is that […]

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What if my child doesn’t want to do anything all day?

“If you force kids to study things that they are not interested in, they may come to appear to be lazy.” ~ Jerry Mintz, founder of Alternative Education Resource Organization Depending on how many years your child has been in a traditional school setting, they may go through a period of de-schooling when they first […]

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What if my child spends all day on the computer?

It is quite possible that your child will spend all day on the computer. With all of the negative media attention surrounding screen time, it is not surprising that many parents are concerned about this. Some parents see the computer, including video games, as a mind-numbing activity that “rots your brain”. At Sunset Sudbury, we […]

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What if my child just plays all day long?

“Play is the highest form of research.” ~ Albert Einstein Play is exactly what your child should be doing! There is a reason that nature has endowed children with an intense need to play in their earliest years of development, at a time when they are learning the most and the fastest than at any […]

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