Articles written by Joanne Greco

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About me - Joanne Greco

I'm a life long New Yorker who recently moved to sunny Florida. Along with my husband, we adopted three children (siblings) from foster care. Soon after the adoption we removed them from school and began our unschooling journey.
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Celebrations & Holidays > Christmas Cheap homemade Christmas gifts: 1 of 6

Christmas is a perfect time of the year to create a homemade gift for everybody on your holiday list. The obvious reason is that they are cost effective. You can easily create gifts for a fraction of what you would spend in the stores. Another great reason is that by creating your own gift, you can personalize it to meet the...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenting (Other) Book reviews: Everyday Blessings - The Art of Mindful Parenting, by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn: 1 of 4

This is truly a beautiful book. It completely changed the way I view parenting and is a book I refer to often. Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn are parents to three grown children. Jon is the founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and is the author of Wherever You Go, There You Are (another book I highly recommend). So wha...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Adopting a child of another race: 3 of 8

Adopting a child of a different race is not something everybody is comfortable doing. Two of my three children are biracial (African American/Caucasian) and brown skinned and my husband & I are Caucasian. Here's 13 things to consider before you adopt transracially. 1. Your family dynamics will forever change and you will now...
Parenting & Pregnancy > After School The pros and cons of formal art classes for children: 4 of 10

My daughter is an artist. No, you've never heard of her. You've never seen her art hanging in a gallery. What then makes her an artist? She creates art. It's that simple. She's been very patient with me as I try to grasp this. Because I spent 13 years in the public school system, it was hard for me to wrap my brain around th...
Politics, News & Issues > Trash & Recycling Recycling and other money savers: 2 of 4

Recycling something and giving it another life is a terrific way of saving some money (especially done over a period of time) and also stimulates your creative energy. My kids also enjoy it and they see the benefits first hand of recycling and reducing waste. My youngest has gotten pretty good at finding a second life for th...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Adoption Recording adoption memories: A child's life book: 1 of 2

Your childs lifebook is their story. It's their past, present and future. It's a record of their life though words, photographs, memorabilia, artwork and more. There is no wrong way to do a lifebook. It's really more of a concept. If your child is old enough to participate in helping to put together their lifebook, encourage...
Education > Special Education The dangers of labeling a child: 22 of 42

The longer we're free of the school system, the more I see things differently. Like for example, the labels "gifted" and "learning disabled". My two oldest had the "learning disabled" noose hung on them for many years while in school, even before the adoption. My youngest was the opposite..."advanced" was something I heard a...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Adopting older children: 5 of 9

According to 2005 statistics, there are over 500,000 children in foster care, with the average age being ten years old. Adopting older children can be very rewarding but it's not for the faint of heart. These children will bring you every bad experience they've had and dump it right into your unsuspecting lap. I'd like to sh...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Problems Parents Face Strategies for helping children with transition challenges: 3 of 5

Like my son, many children have difficulty transitioning from one activity or situation to the next. When a child seems "stuck" in the moment and not able to move on to the next thing, realize that what they're doing at that moment, is safe and predictable. It takes critical thinking and analyzing to get from one stage in li...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Childhood Development Fostering creativity in children: 9 of 12

"Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual." ~ Arthur Koestler Creativity is used as a personal form of self expression. Children are naturally creative because they enjoy expressing themselves. It helps them learn about their world. Unfortunately, it's the adults...