Thinking about Homeschooling ?

Here are some ideas based on the 4 pillars of Simplicity Parenting

Environment

Simplifying school resources, learning to make do with what we have or using what already exists
Making things we need as part of our learning
Understanding making things as part of the economy (productivity outside the monetary system)
Learning how to fix things as part of our education - a dying art that could prove to be invaluable in the next generation
Making things to give to people (presents)
Understanding the true value of things and so feeling gratitude rather than entitlement
Learning the freedom in living simply as we grow into adulthood - not having to work in a system that doesn’t support us - the less money we need the more freedom we have
Making the home environment a place we all enjoy (especially the parents)
Learning to take care of our environment

Rhythm

When we are learning at home it is much easier to fit the rhythm of family life in with the rhythm of school life
We are more able to create a rhythm that works for our family. We have our own breathing in and breathing out times according to the natural pulse of our family group.
The rhythm of the daily tasks of life become part of the rhythm of the school day eg. children clean up their learning space as part of school.
We are able to focus more on work in the home as part of the rhythm of the school day. That way our children get to learn to take care of their environment as a central part of their education
We have plenty of time to teach our children these important tasks as we are no longer having to squeeze them around the rhythm of the school day

Scheduling

Important developmental activities like sitting around reading, going on nature walks, making up plays, inventing new games, writing letters, cooking, growing things, learning an instrument, or making up a play all come from lots and lots of open ended down time
Children have the chance to be ‘bored’ which allows them to dig deep inside themselves to a place where they have a lot of great ideas for hours and hours of creative activity and learning experiences. They will have a lot more opportunity to get lost in their play
We have time to schedule into the children’s day things that we think are important instead of having to squeeze them in around a 6 hour school day (or missing out on them altogether)
We get to spend down time together as a family
We have time to watch birds nesting, pick flowers, learn songs together, play board games, stay in contact with our extended families, make presents for people
We have time to make a lot more of our own food instead of buying it which is better for us, better for the environment and a lot more delicious - hommous, sauerkraut, pasta sauce, jam, cakes, bread………….
We learn about having fun not just being entertained

Filtering out the adult world

Children get to stay in a more protected environment for a bit longer
They are not travelling in the car as much
We can focus on making our homes child centred but adult led.

In order for the home environment to function we will need to establish ourselves as the warm and loving authority within the home

This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and something that is so often forgotten in the busyness of life

A Healthy Emotional Diet

Long after our children are weaned they continue to feed off our emotions. That is why it is so important right now to stay out of our ‘fight or flight’ response as much as possible, to be a safe harbour for our children and to prevent anxiety from polluting their childhood. ‘Simplicity Parenting’ author Kim John Payne explains how children’s learning and development functions can be ‘hijacked’ by stress. As parents our task is to create filters to protect our children from the deluge of adult information, pressures and concerns and to allow them to grow up with a sense of confidence and trust in the world.

We protect our children by regulating our own internal world as well as by being conscious of the adult conversation our children are exposed to. Children do not have the mental faculties to process a lot of adult information. For a young child this information does not prepare them for the adult world, indeed it is the gentle experience of a protected childhood that provides them with the resilience and strength of character that allows them to deal with the harsh realities of life as they grow up. The words of the adult world can be experienced by children as emotional and verbal clutter, what they mainly hear is the emotion running through the words and if this emotion is fear, our children will feel afraid.

So we need to be very careful right now. Just as we would not expose our children to physical dangers, we need to use the same vigilance around emotional dangers. We need to create boundaries around the adult world, taking care of these concerns ourselves and meeting our responsibilities as adults while honouring the sanctity and freedom of childhood. Children need to relax knowing that we are capable of taking care of the adult world for them. We need to be careful that the adult information they receive is processed so as not to cause them any alarm and that they are not privy to any inappropriate adult conversation.

It is so easy in these turbulent times to forget about what is most important, like our children’s emotional wellbeing and development. We do not want worry and fear to pervade the atmosphere of our family lives. We need to be the strong foundation for our children and to move through the world in a way that sets a good example because when they are young it is our actions that really count.

So it is important as parents that we exercise discipline. Simplicity Parenting recommends that we limit our exposure to media that informs rather than alarms. This will help us to navigate this territory calmly and to stay grounded for our children. It is so tempting to get caught up in conversations and media that reinforce our views about what is going on right now but as parents of young children that is a luxury we can’t really afford. We need to put our children first in this situation, to be there for them as much as we can and to be a ‘lighthouse’ for them in turbulent seas.