We’re pleased to welcome Laura Sanders, MA, LPCA, as a guest contributor to the blog with two pieces this week aimed at helping parents and educators better understand and support highly sensitive children. Laura is a licensed counselor, EMDR trauma therapist, author, and mindfulness teacher specializing in working with highly sensitive children and adults at Cosmic Heart Counseling in South Austin and online. Photo by Arwan Sutanto on Unsplash When a child becomes overwhelmed, their nervous system is in overload. To prevent a meltdown or diffuse one that has already started, you have to wor ..read more

Laura Sanders, MA, LPCA, is a licensed counselor, EMDR trauma therapist, author, and mindfulness teacher specializing in working with highly sensitive children and adults at her private practice, Cosmic Heart Counseling, in South Austin and online. We’re happy to welcome her as a guest contributor to the blog with two companion pieces this week to help parents and educators better understand and support highly sensitive children. Photo by Ksenia Makogon on Unsplash High sensitivity is a form of neurodivergence that is gaining in recognition and popularity. An highly sensitive person (HSP) is ..read more

After taking a few years off from organizing community education events, I couldn’t be prouder to let you know that the Festival of Learning is back—bigger and better than ever! On Saturday, February 24, more than 30 innovative schools and educational programs are taking over the beautiful space of the Branch Park Pavilion at Mueller. This means that, rain or shine, families will be able to visit with educators and students, play games, try new arts and crafts, and learn more about the growing alternative education community in Austin. It all happens from 10am to 1pm, and you can find the det ..read more

Shawna Pitts is a parent and current staff member at Clearview Sudbury School here in Austin, Texas. She joins us on the blog to share her thoughts on unschooling, Sudbury education, and a great podcast episode that discusses both of these and more. The podcast was produced by the Alpine Valley School in Denver, Colorado, where a group of Clearview students and staff recently spent a week. The more I learn, the more I understand learning as a journey rather than a destination. It is wonderful to live and learn in a time and place where there are so many options for education, and so much re ..read more

Marie Catrett, a frequent guest contributor here, has been looking back over ten years of documentation from her work with young children, compiling these stories into a book. She generously turned some of that material into this special photo essay about supporting young children in processing their feelings and questions about Halloween (and “dressing up” in general). Marie is the founder and lead educator at Tigerlily Preschool. You can meet her at this Saturday’s 2nd Annual Small Schools of South Austin Tour.   March 8, 2012 Willa: Is it a ghost or is it just Emerson? Nayeli: No, it ..read more

Alt Ed Austin welcomes Laura Delgado to the blog today to share with our readers some of her wisdom about choosing schools, preschools, and early childhood programs—and to invite you all to the 2nd Annual Small Schools of South Austin Tour! Laura is a certified Montessori guide with more than 20 years of experience working with children and families. She owns The Montessori Tree, which provides support and education for both parents and children, guided by the Montessori philosophy of respect. She also runs a beautiful home-based, largely outdoor toddler program called The Nest. Nine years a ..read more

Guest contributor Ken Hawthorn is back with a great art + geometry activity you can try with your family. Ken is the founder of Austin School for the Driven, a unique environment of experiential learning, the hacker mindset, and outdoor education, all curated by community. He is the author of Super Arduino and consults with both Austin Community College and the University of Texas at Austin on makerspace education and design. Paper is a structural material that forms the basis for so many wonderful math, science, and art projects at school and at home. From slide rules to “sharks with frickin ..read more

I don’t know about you, but once we got beyond Barbenheimer, late summer felt a little lacking in large- or small-screen excitement. But for family viewing, some good news is on the way this fall, with a lot of acclaimed Tween and YA books making their way onto screens of all sizes. Here’s a roundup of a few of the best that have just arrived or will be arriving before the December holidays. We’ve linked to reviews of the books since reviews of the on-screen versions are not yet available in most cases. September The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (short film, on Netflix, September 27) is one ..read more

Grace Thompson is a voice and piano teacher based in Austin. She is a classically trained soprano who graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in music–ethnomusicology. A longtime advocate for the neurodiverse community, Grace joins us on the blog to discuss her nontraditional methods of teaching music to kids through the Groove Garden program at Eastside Music School. Musicking: (v.) any activity that includes playing, performing, listening, writing, recording, or sharing music. Childhood music lessons. We’ve all been there before, or maybe you haven’t. A pare ..read more

I recently had a chance to chat with U.K-based psychotherapist Louis Weinstock, who has written a new book about helping children deal with the anxiety, depression, fear, and stress that seem to plague our 21st-century lives. The book, How the World Is Making Our Children Mad and What to Do About It (Penguin, 2022), is full of real-world examples from Weinstock’s 20-year career as a therapist, and he offers practical exercises in every chapter. Weinstock approaches the questions parents and kids face with compassion, humor, and a sense of deep connection to history, myth, and spiritual practi ..read more