We've called this podcast, Nertroversus Nertro, because there are many different ways to

raise sturdy, exuberant, educated kids.

Today you'll have the pleasure of meeting a family with a 10-acre working farm, Joan

and Todd, and their fierce 11-year-old daughter Sasha and gentle 8-year-old son Gus.

These children live the principle of what educators call experiential learning.

Sasha can tell when an alpine dairy goat is in heat, turns out they flag their tails.

She knows the lineage of every animal on the farm and how to talk to them using subtle

shifts in tone.

This sister and brother use their environment and imagination to practice life skills.

If one goat picks on another, they are taken to goat court in the manger where the children

present arguments on behalf of their clients and use a hammer as a gavill to wrap up the

proceedings.

Yet Joan worries, are the children getting sufficiently civilized for the real world?

Are they too much like wild creatures themselves?

They leave a peanut butter knife in the middle of the couch, shoes where someone might easily

trip and frequently forget to flush the toilet even if they've pooped.

In this episode, you'll hear what the 11th Century philosopher Moses Mimonides has to say

about effective strategies for getting kids to follow rules.

It's bribery.

And it's different for young children and teenagers.

And you'll find out why I believe, along her toawa, belongs on a farm, even when mom says,

we already have so many animals I couldn't even tell you the number.

...