Up until yesterday the kids thought ‘zines were just fine — they knew what their own looked like, and they knew what a shelf-full at Fantom Comics in D.C. looked like.

But yesterday was the Philly ‘Zine Fest, and boy did that change things! WHAT an avalanche of fun. The kids brought the printouts they currently had available for their own ‘zines and first shared one with the Philly ‘Zine Library…

Then went on to buy stickers, pins, shirts, and ‘zines at other tables. They found that when they offered THEIR ‘zine for free, not only were they much complimented — they were often offered a trade in return. This meant they ended up with: big plastic beveled jewels, small plastic animals, more stickers, a Prince pin, more more more.

We found an amazing artist who had made a zine about her stone collection, and about her stick collection. Tucker was not loving the incredibly crowded vibe of the Fest and had a headache, so had put himself in a quiet corner, but i was glad to be able to get him two things he would like so much.

We had dinner with Lynnea and Faith at Copabanana. It was a great end to a really special day!

Now when we make ‘zine making a bigger part of homeschooling, the kids will know that there is at LEAST one big party a year to focus on bringing them to — and, frankly, probably more that we can find.