The parMINDary Philosophy

How to read this site—and why it exists

Updated February 19, 2026

parMINDary exists to make sense of learning as it actually happens.

Not as a checklist.
Not as a curriculum.
Not as a guarantee that one method works for every child.

This site grew out of our real days: my child following a question farther than expected, a book opening a door no worksheet could, and me learning as an adult to notice rather than steer.

What follows is not instruction. It is orientation.

This page exists to give you a framework for reading everything else here.

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The Homeschool Philosophy Tree

🌱 Roots — Why we homeschool
🌳 Trunk — Who we are right now
🌿 Branches — How learning takes shape
🍃 Leaves — What grows over time

Each post on this site fits somewhere within that tree.

The tree is not a method.
It is a way of organizing attention.

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🌱 Roots — Why We Homeschool

The roots hold what is often invisible:

• Our values
• Our purpose
• Our beliefs about learning

Without roots, everything else becomes reactive.

If you are new here, begin with:

• Homeschooling With Books: Why Stories Shape Our Learning
• Learning as Emergence, Not Accumulation (coming soon)
• What We’re Building — and What We’re Not (coming soon)

These posts form the foundation.

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🌳 Trunk — Who We Are Right Now

Philosophy must fit real life.

The trunk represents:

• The child in front of me
• The parent I actually am
• The season we are living in

This is where idealism meets capacity.

Posts in this layer explore how philosophy adapts to reality.

• Educating the Child I Have (coming soon)
• What I Can Sustain (coming soon)
• Spacious Learning (coming soon)

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🌿 Branches — How Learning Takes Shape

Branches are methods—but flexible ones.

Here you’ll find reflections on:

• Resources & materials (coming soon)
• Structure & rhythm (coming soon)
• Environment (coming soon)
• Interests & curiosity (coming soon)
• Guidance & independence (coming soon)
• Assessment & growth (coming soon)

These posts are not prescriptions.
They are records of encounters.

A book met a child.
A question unfolded.
Something shifted.

You are not meant to copy what you see here.
You are meant to interpret it within your own context.

Short list of reflective posts:

• What We Mean by “Deep Reading” (coming soon)
• We Don’t Separate Subjects: How Learning Flows at Home (coming soon)
• The Importance of In-Between Spaces (coming soon)

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🍃 Leaves — What Grows

Leaves represent outcomes over time.

Not goals to force.
Not metrics to measure.

But qualities that emerge:

• Confidence
• Curiosity
• Connection
• Capability

When you see reflection posts here, they are what has grown in our homeschool—not exact formulas.

Short list of reflective posts:

• Looking Back Without Auditing Yourself (coming soon)
• Stillness Is Not Absence (coming soon)
• Meaning Is Often Retrospective (coming soon)

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What parMINDary Is (and Is Not)

parMINDary is:

• A thinking space for attentive adults
• A documentation practice
• A reading-led lens on learning
• A values-based approach grounded in respect for children

parMINDary is not:

• A curriculum
• A scope-and-sequence
• A guarantee of outcomes
• A claim to expertise over your child

If you are looking for instructions, this site may feel unsatisfying.

If you are looking for language to describe what you are already seeing, you may feel at home.

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The Role of the Adult

In this space, the adult is primarily:

An observer.
A documenter.
A holder of environment.

The adult notices:

• What captures attention
• What repeats
• What resists
• What language emerges

Documentation is not assessment.
It is a way of making learning visible so it can be understood rather than controlled.

Many posts on this site are written from this stance.

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A Reading-Led Lens

At the heart of parMINDary is reading—not as a skill to master, but as a way of meeting the world.

Books are invitations.

They may lead to conversation, making, research, or quiet reflection.
Sometimes they lead nowhere obvious at all—and that is allowed.

You will see many book-centered posts here. They are not endorsements. They are records of encounters.

Your encounters will look different.

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How to Read This Site

As you move through parMINDary, read generously.

Ask:

• What is this an example of?
• What does this reveal about the child’s thinking?
• What does this show about the adult’s stance?

Rather than:

• Should I do this too?
• Is this the right approach?

This shift—from replication to interpretation—is essential.

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Where to Begin

If you are new here, you might begin with:

• The Homeschool Philosophy Tree Guide (coming soon)
• The Start Here page for a high-level overview of parMINDary
• The Reading & Patterns pillar for long-term themed exploration
• The Learning Through Stories page for reframing required subjects
• The Seasons & Culture page for learning through nature’s rhythms and traditions

This page is not a manifesto carved in stone.

It is a living description of a way of paying attention.

As children grow, questions change.
As understanding deepens, language refines itself.

The structure may expand.
The roots remain.

Learning is happening.
Our job is to notice.

If you are here to notice too, you are in the right place.