"Relationship First."
You hear this over and over in homeschool/unschool circles. It sounds amazing, although idealistic.
What does this relationship first actually look like?
Why is it this relationship the key to home-education?
It looks like parents being present, but more. Taking on the task of acting as a social scientist studying your child or children, is the first step toward relationship first living. Observing behaviors, seeing interests spark and wane, discussing areas of passions and desires, and just being present and available. As this happens, the connection between you and your child/children grows.
It is the key to home-education, because through this relationship you KNOW your child/children and in turn they know you. This tie builds trust that goes both ways. That trust can increase the value you see in their individual personality. Then when it comes to learning and academics this relationship gives you both common ground to build from daily.
This month, we have listened to the FunJungle series in anticipation for the 6th book in the series. (Belly Up the first book does not have an audio version, so we have the actual book.) I love enjoying books with my kids, so we downloaded the series on to each of our phones. Everyone listens at their own pace and we get together for coffee and discussion.
Stuart Gibbs is a favorite author around our home. FunJungle is a middle grade novel series with the main character being 7th/8th grade boy who solves mysteries while causing trouble while he does. Each book involves an animal or animals in danger. Of course, loving animals and mischievous characters makes this series a hit in our house. With everyone listening to the same books during the month, the opportunities to discuss literary devices and the author's techniques are plenty. This is amazingly, easy, but also memorable way to do an author study.
Each season during the year brings forth a little different bend to our homeschooling day. Only after several years of observing this can I see the pattern and embrace the change as it happens naturally.
A brief explanation of this seasonal flow through our home and homeschool.
Fall: This is the time of more formal education. I usually plan activities and pull together resources for these four months or so based on requests for learning in certain areas or just subjects that may need a little focus. It helps that this coincides with the time of year that friends return to school and others are asking when we start, what the kids are studying, and other random school-y questions.
Winter: I consider winter to be December and January (probably because I am from the Texas coast and those are the only 2 cold months in the year). These two months we celebrate holidays and birthdays since both kids were born in January. Lots of baking, fun activities, adventures, outings, parties are the sort of things that keep us busy during this season.
Spring: This season with turning a year older, everyone becomes more goal oriented. Each of my kids reignites the desire to complete goals and quests. They tend to develop into passion driven individuals.
Summer: With a wonderful area to roam and freedom to do so, summer makes the perfect season for experiential learning. We try new things, camp in new areas, hangout with friends, learn new hobbies and skills.
This may be a thing that only my family moves through. I thought it was too interesting not to share. It supports the researched idea that kids learn best in bursts of focus.
Every parent wants siblings who are friends or at least get along. I have found that a key to creating that bond between siblings is adventuring together. Many times activities are easier if you bring a friend for each child, but then you cut down on that interaction and relationship development between your kids.
Our intentional choice to get out as a family on adventures, camping, hiking, skiing, swimming, and whatever else has truly developed a strong bond between my son and daughter. They don't always get along, but know they can depend on each other.
In a world, where friendships come and go, if you have more than one child take time to have them do activities together.
