Have you ever wondered whether your child is learning enough? Or maybe you suspect there’s more than meets the eye to what they’re taking in through outdoor play, online gaming, the stories they tell, the things they are making or any other number of things? We were so thrilled to have April Scully from @modern.homeschoolers and @heroineofyourstory and Kelly Edwards from the @90minuteschoolday join us to peel back the layers beyond what we might see at first glance and really notice and respect the depth of what our children are pursuing. This is another long episode as we really dig into the specifics of learning as well as our role, process and practical tips as parents. We hope you’ll tune in!

We Discuss:

The mix of skills integrated into any given activity when we look beyond the first glance

Kids picking up the skills they need based on the meaning in their play and the relationships that they have

That “pulling out” the learning helps us with feelings of self-doubt about how much is happening in our days

How profoundly learning is connected to relationship

Being mindful of not taking over interesting learning opportunities and seeing them all as “teachable moments”

That there is purpose behind all the exploration and potential mess!

Allowing time and space to pursue mastery if wished, reach the end, and really satiate that interest – protecting the time and space to pursue things in depth

“Soft skills” development happening right alongside concrete ones

Our pauses in reaction as being crucial to allowing for our kids’ thoughts and excitement about something to rise up

Being open-minded about the rules of the house – working through what we want the culture of our house to be as far as allowing flexibility for physical play or finding a designated space

That everybody has the right to change their mind – what will work for all of us, parents included?

Valuing non-academic learning at least as much as academic – there’s very little that kids can’t learn quite quickly once they’re a bit older, experienced and mature

Self-directed competence leading to confidence

How these deep explorations our children do can form core memories in the longterm

The perseverance involved in learning something for just for its own sake

The value of a child learning a goal that isn’t important to anyone else but them – entirely intrinsic

How some kids like to learn what they share in a very encouraging way with others and a piece of the learning is in the retelling

That our children’s natural learning style teaches us a lot about our own preferred way of taking in information and also the ways that aren’t natural to us

How our children sharing their stories with us is a form of writing – an opportunity for them to process, self-edit and more

The value of mixed ages and learning in connection with other people

The abundance of skills developed through gaming – reading, numbers, online etiquette, risk-taking – and how easy they are for us to miss

A story of learning to read and the parental processing that went along with it

Strong interests as being portals to learning so many things

That our children are not learning for the purpose of performing or “checking boxes” so it’s helpful to be aware of that in how we process our thoughts and respond

How learning in flow is a whole different quality of learning

Practical ideas for creating a culture of deep, natural learning, including ones for parents quite new to a more self-directed style of home education

Resources:

90 Minute School Day

Modern Homeschoolers

Heroine of your Story

Importance of early years in attachment- Modern Homeschooling

The Soft Skills Disconnect by Nation Soft Skills Association

Honey, I’m Homeschooling the Kids podcast

Virtual Kitchen Table Episode #6: The State of Flow in Learning

Practical Ideas for Capturing Natural Learning if You Need to Record Keep: Stories of an Unschooling Family