Natalie McDonald—the “happy guinea pig” who attended 7th and 8th grade from home—graduated with honors from Pomona College in 2019. She continues to love learning as much as she did when studying in her backyard schoolhouse ten years ago. She is one of the authors of The Schoolhouse Experiment: Reimagining School at Home and in the Classroom.
Homity Pie
The Homity Pie Story: We discovered this most satisfying dish in the Treasurer’s House Café in York, England. We’ve recently learned that the recipe was the creation of English Girl Guides (the Girl Scouts of England) who came up with the recipe during World War II rationing. They might not have used butter in their pastry,
Easy-Peasy Dutch Baby
From Pamela: Natalie came to the rescue of low spirits. For teatime, she baked a Dutch Baby Oven Pancake (plain and sliced apple is common, this one is with ricotta cheese). It helped our spirits. From Natalie: This is how to make a simple Dutch Baby Oven Pancake. Iron skillet works magnificently. I melted a
Acting on Hope: From Art to Politics
The other night, as I went through my inbox deleting the junk mail that had accumulated throughout the day, a subject line caught my eye: “Dreaming in moments of uncertainty.” The email was from Women for Political Change (WFPC), one of the many Minnesota organizations that provided support to protestors in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s
“Say Nothing”: On Breaking Historical Silences
I recently finished Patrick Radden Keefe’s award-winning book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (Doubleday, 2018). It is a fascinating study of the Troubles and their aftermath. But the questions Keefe raises transcend Northern Ireland: Why is it important to reckon with the violence of the past? What role
Embracing Imperfection with Sourdough – Part 2
I have finally figured out my sourdough baking regimen. Dare I say, perfected it? I think not (note the title of this post), but I am happy enough with my routine that I’d like to share it with any aspiring sourdough bakers seeking inspiration, encouragement, or reassurance. As I explained in Part 1 of this
Embracing Imperfection with Sourdough – Part 1
Shortly after the pandemic began, my household acquired a new member: Stan the sourdough starter. Stan’s appearance in our lives was prompted by the concern that we would not be able to obtain bread while in COVID-19 lockdown; we take bread very seriously in our house. So we ordered a dehydrated starter, and after a
Teaching Citizenship on July 4th
Since January, I have been volunteering as a citizenship instructor, teaching weekly classes (over Zoom for the duration of the pandemic) to immigrants here in Los Angeles who have applied to become naturalized U.S. citizens. My co-instructor and I focus on preparing our students for their interviews with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well
A New Chapter for “The Happy Guinea Pig”
When my mother (Pamela Beere Briggs, Two in the World’s resident “Book Lover”) launched this website with me last year, we intended “The Happy Guinea Pig” to be a space in which to reflect on our two-year homeschooling experiment—and how this wonderful adventure continues to resonate in our lives 10 years later. But the world
This Little Light of Mine – Part 2
Here I am singing one of the various verses of “This Little Light of Mine.” We’re singing this song each day in our house. It reminds us that we must not give up. We have to believe that every little thing we do can help make a difference. And singing helps us breathe a little