The Live and Learn Unschooling Conference was started when I was at the beach talking with a friend about all the voices I was meeting online. I didn't believe all these people could be REAL. They couldn't be living these wonderful unschooling lives...not REALLY! I figured I could fly out to meet each one...OR throw a big party and invite them as well as the rest of little old South Carolina. I expected to get a few people from North Carolina and Georgia and maybe a few from as far away as Florida or Virginia. Boy, was I surprised when folks flew or drove in from as far away as California, Utah, Illinois, New York, Arizona and Canada!

It was only going to be a one-time gig, but our Keynote Speaker, Sandra Dodd, fell and broke her leg on the way to her first speech Friday afternoon. Vendors, other speakers and attendees pitched in and made it a success! But, I felt compelled to have one more conference so that Sandra could speak.

In 2003, the conference was again held in South Carolina—and even more unschoolers showed up. We figured we were on to something! But, I was tired and was needing to spend more time with my own family, so Kathryn Baptista took over to throw her own successful conference party in Peabody, MA in 2004. I had a great time as an attendee, but I missed my "baby." I took the reins back in 2005, and we moved this travelling show to St Louis, MO. We're in Albuquerque in 2006 and somewhere on the west coast in 2007. We're hoping to give all parts of the country a chance to not travel so far to attend.

The Live and Learn Unschooling Conference is not about big name speakers or high profile educators or anyone's trying to sell you something. This is a grassroots project: presenters share their lives because it means something to them—because unschooling has changed their lives in profound ways. They want to share their struggles and their highlights with others in the hope that others' lives can be more joyful. Conference speakers do not get paid for their time (just expenses): they give of themselves because they know unschooling can make a difference in your life and in your children's lives. We know that unschooling has made us better parents, better spouses, better PEOPLE. It can do the same for YOU!

The Live and Learn Unschooling Conference attendees are intelligent, inquisitive and creative. They come from all walks of life and from all over the country (and Canada and the Virgin Islands). We only had 135 attendees that first year, but the conference has since grown to over 700! It's spawned other mini-conferences in North Carolina, Massachusetts and Toronto, Canada as well as numerous local unschooling e-groups. We've found friends and made life-long friendships in all parts of the United States and the world. It's brought the unschooling community together in ways none of us expected. Socialization? Schmocialization!

We are a tribe!

2006 Live and Learn Unschooling Conference

At the 2006 Live and Learn Unschooling Conference, you won't hear questions about curricula or socialization or grades, but you might hear, "Do you want Red or Green with that?" Of course, they'll be asking about chiles!

The amazing travelling unschooling show will be landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico this year—September 6-9, 2006. Our loose theme this year is "Being Real." We will venture into what makes us real, what real feels like and looks like, what kind of learning is real, how to find our real, authentic selves and other "real" questions.

We've added an extra day so that we can all spend more time with our unschooling tribe. We'll be starting late Wednesday afternoon with an Ice Cream Social Getting-to-Know-You. This will be a great opportunity to hug old friends from previous years, to meet virtual friends in real life and to greet new unschoolers and their families.

On Thursday, we will start early with Speaker's presentations and Funshops. Our speakers this year include Ren Allen, Kathryn Baptista, Danielle Conger, Sandra Dodd, Mary (Zenmomma) Gold, Ben Lovejoy and Dan Vilter. These inspirational speakers will challenge you to think and question and wonder.

The Live and Learn Funshops again promise to be, well...FUN! They're workshops without the work! Funshops are two hour presentations that are as varied as drumming, origami, gaming, belly dancing and the ever-popular Yu-Go-Oh!

Thursday and Friday nights, we will have the Talent Shows. We now must set aside two nights because the unschooling talent runs so deep! Some of my personal highlights of previous conference talent shows are: Will Tucker and Kevin Dunn's "The Scary Pants," Marji Zintz' beautiful voice, Mindy Hayworth's belly-dancing, Bob Willkinson's SpongeBob Squarepants, Rowan Kream's juggling, the never-ending Harry Potter skit, Ken Briggs and his daughters singing the blues, Hayden and Hannah Jenner's song, Karen Tucker's redition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on her ukelele and Pam Sorooshian's sweet Goodnight. The talent is always so varied and inspirational!

Saturday night we'll be adding a new activity: The Southwestern Banquet, Dinner Show and Dance. The hotel's chef will prepare a wonderful Southwestern Banquet that will suit all family members! Dinner entertainment will be a local storyteller and some skits by fellow unschoolers. After dinner, you can twist and twirl as you dance to your favorite tunes spun by our very own DJ!

Sunday afternoon, we will scoot across the street to a park where everyone can run off some pent-up hotel energy! Bring a picnic lunch as we say good-bye to our new and old friends!

The Live and Learn Unschooling Conference weekend is fun, hectic, peaceful, strange, exciting, different, loud...and joyful! I hope we will see you there!

You want Red or Green with that?

Visit the official Live and Learn Unschooling Conference website to learn more!