Greetings Eddies!

What happens when you run an experiment on millions of families without their consent?

In 2020, we found out. The conveyor belt stopped. Kids stayed home. And parents learned something they weren't expecting.

Today we explore what they discovered, the four trends reshaping education as a result, and some tools that invite curiosity without forcing it.

Let's dive in.

P.S. Stay tuned for the official OpenEd gear launch on Thursday, December 11th!

THOUGHT: 2 Big Realizations
‍TREND: 4 Trends Reshaping Education
‍TOOL: 3 Tools That Invite Curiosity

2 Big Realizations

When COVID hit, families suddenly found themselves at home doing online school.

This led to many realizations about what their kids were really learning (or not learning). But the biggest realization for many families was that if kids missed a few days of school, nothing terrible would happen. They didn't fall behind, and they were happier than ever.

They also learned that they liked having their kids home more. The kids felt the same. They started doing more things together, like baking.

Isaac Morehouse shares the thought process he saw unfold in parent after parent on the Minimalists Podcast.

Watch clip | Full episode 

4 Trends Reshaping Education

Hannah Frankman (@hannahfrankman) writing for The Daily Economy identifies four post-COVID shifts quietly rewriting American education:

1. Zoom school revealed the truth. Parents watched their kids' classrooms in real-time and were horrified. ("Wait... this is what they do all day?")

2. Homeschooling lost its stigma. Overnight, it went from fringe practice to shared cultural experience. ("You can't say 'homeschoolers are weirdos' without a tinge of irony if you yourself were once a homeschooling parent.")

3. Remote work broke the childcare trap. If parents work from home, they don't need school as daycare. The default crumbled.

4. Families migrated to choice-friendly states. 18 states have implemented universal school choice since 2020. Policy is catching up to culture.

COVID is becoming history. But its fingerprints are still everywhere.

Read full article

3 Tools That Invite Curiosity

Claire Honeycutt (@HippyMomPhD), a 20-year classroom teacher turned homeschool mom, compiled some tools that earn their shelf space. Not curricula. Not systems. Just things that shape atmosphere and invite curiosity.

Her top picks:

National Park Pass ($80/year). The Junior Ranger program turns every hike into a self-guided nature and history lesson. Bonus: 4th graders get a free pass.

Anywhere-school backpacks. Keep them packed with school books. When you want to take learning on the road, there's no friction. "Grab your bags, let's go."

Build the home library. "If you do nothing else on this list: build the home library." Books within reach summon learning in ways worksheets never will. It doesn't have to be fancy - just present.

The insight behind all of it: "You don't need a room full of gadgets to build a rich, beautiful life with your kids. You just need a handful of well-chosen tools.

Curiosity can't be forced. But it can be invited.

Read full guide

Meme Monday

One of the greatest gifts of an open education is time. Time to cook together, read together, explore together, grow together.