Nothing reassures you the way your children’s own growth does. Recognize the spark of learning, the personality of your kids popping through their writing, the happy confidence of accomplishment in any task. Then you’ll know you’re on the right track.
A wise friend once said that when she doubted her child’s progress or felt worried about an interest, she would get some time alone with that child—lunch or a shake. She’d ask her child about that interest, she’d open space for a conversation that interested the child. She said she’s never had a one-hour time alone with a child that didn’t remind her that her child was learning and growing just as she had hoped.
Do it.
Take time to listen,
to be with,
to observe
Be amazed all over again (the same way you were amazed when your bigger kid was a baby).
Let your child reassure you.
Your kids are learning!
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
Posted in Homeschool Advice | Comments Off on Let Your Child Reassure You
Your interests. They not only fuel your homeschool, they fuel you!
When you follow an interest, you discover that you’re a smart person—that you have curiosity and skill and capacity to grow.
Tapping into your interests:
improves your outlook on life,
allows your children to see you happy and learning,
makes adulthood look awesome,
and gives your kids a role model for what it means to pursue an interest.
You may find that what you love enhances a school subject or acts as a key to unlock a previously opaque subject. Your curiosity is aroused which allows you to be creative!
For instance, if you are suddenly into sewing, you may whip up a batch of capes for dress up clothes for history or tea cozies for poetry teatime. If you get curious about native plants to use in landscaping, where might that lead in your family? Might you discover the history of where you live, how the original inhabitants lived with those trees and shrubs?
Let your interests lead you, so that you can lead your children into a world of skill and happiness. An education is fueled by connections and joy in learning. Bring yours to the table!
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
Posted in Homeschool Advice | Comments Off on Don’t Forget to Include Yourself
Every day your kids show up to learn. They open themselves to your leadership. They offer you their trust. They put faith in you to:
support,
teach,
guide,
and love them.
And so you design an education for them.
Here’s where it gets sticky.
If your focus is on the education more than the child, it’s easy to get impatient, anxious, and annoyed when your child doesn’t live up to your expectations.
Instead look for the evidence of growth: notice the risk.
A child who handwrote even after saying handwriting is hard: perseverance.
Finishing the page even if some of the answers are wrong: effort and practice.
Strong emotional reaction to a book you’re reading: attentive listener, invested.
Turn the evidence before you into a commentary on your child’s skills and development, not a verdict on your homeschool or you.
You can do it!
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
Word to the wise friends: you’ll get further, with a stronger sense of accomplishment, if you go slow first.
Give yourself permission to waste time learning.
Go all in on one lesson—stay there thinking of more ways to
unpack,
test,
explore,
try,
learn it.
How many ways can you discover more about adjectives or geometric shapes or autumn or colonial America? Get stuck. Keep digging. Keep narrowing the focus and expanding all the ways you encounter the topic.
Go slow to go fast. Learn more, not less. Learn lots, not just enough to rush to the next lesson.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
Your interests will influence your kids. Even if the topic is home organization or how to fold laundry KonMari style. Even if that topic is caring for African violets or CrossFit. Even if you are wildly into BTS or college football.
Passionate sharing of your interests is a model for how to be interested and how to enjoy that interest and how to grow it! Family culture is formed by this natural enthusiasm for what you love.
An Example
You may be a person who surfs. Your love of surfing makes you care about your community, protecting the ocean from pollutants, and physical health. It leads to learning:
geography (great surf spots around the world),
history (microcosm of feminism as well as related to ancient cultures and their mastery of navigation),
natural science,
ecology (properties of surfing waves, the tides, the quality of the water, wave production…)
and more!
Give in to the thing. Do it more, not less. See where it takes all of you.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
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