Welcome to the Wonder Farm—where we discuss changes in childhood and the choices we can make as parents, educators, and people who love kids.
Hello! I’m Patricia Zaballos, a writer and former elementary school teacher who, back in 1996, made the somewhat radical decision to homeschool with my three now-grown kids.
Forever obsessed with how people learn, I’ve been writing for years on child-led learning, but the pandemic opened a fissure—so many reports on the erosion of young people’s mental health! These stories continue, usually focusing on phones and social media use.
I believe phones and social media are only a small part of the problem. What we’re not considering enough: the independence kids have lost in the last three decades. In the world due to safety fears. In daily life due to the rise of intensive parenting. And—a topic that gets almost no media coverage—in learning due to shifts in the education system.
In Welcome to the Wonder Farm I explore these changes—with a mix of research and personal stories—and invite readers to join the conversation. What do we think about these shifts, and how we can do better? I hope to build a community of parents, educators, and others who care about kids, from a variety of backgrounds and levels of experience. Let’s make the comments section a lively conversation!
What you can expect in the newsletter: each month I’ll dig into a specific cultural shift that has impacted kids’ independence and creativity. Two weeks later, I’ll follow up with The Wonder-Room, a sort of wunderkammer or cabinet of curiosities full of links related to the original post—to which I hope you’ll contribute your own good stuff.
A bit more about me: for sixteen years I wrote about child-led learning on my website—maybe you’d like to get lost in the archives. My essays have appeared in Salon, Literary Mama, Life Learning Magazine, and Mothering Magazine and elsewhere. For a few fun years I wrote a column for home/school/life magazine. Also, a guide for parents, Workshops Work! A Parent’s Guide to Facilitating Writer’s Workshops for Kids, because I’m the world’s most ridiculous cheerleader for workshops as an engine to make kids want to write.
I’m currently at work on a manuscript called PLAY STRUCTURE: NOTES ON CHANGES IN CHILDHOOD AND THE CHOICES I MADE AS A MOTHER. The book is a mashup of memoir and cultural history exploring the topics of my newsletter. For years I considered myself a rebel mother, but writing and researching this book have revealed how much I also let culture shape my choices.
Back in 2008, I named my blog Wonder Farm. Here’s the story. This newsletter is an evolution of that work. Welcome to the Wonder Farm is a free publication. I hope you’ll consider joining this community and sharing this newsletter with like-minded folks.
Welcome to the Wonder Farm!
Truly,
Patricia
