156: When Hobbies Are Your Homeschool

When there's joy, there's learning! We're talking all about hobbies in our homeschool: the why, the how, and all the ways these seemingly trivial activities and interests can actually unlock deep learning, self-confidence, and lifelong joy for our kids.   As always, you'll also get an Aha Moment and our LTWs at the end. Plus you can join us on Patreon to hear us talk through this week's listener question.   Takeaways -Hobbies are something we do because we want to, and doing something because you want to helps us focus and learn more.   -Hobbies create a sense of success more than we might experience doing things we don't want to do. Hobbies help us to spiral UP!    -Hobbies support mental health and emotional regulation.   -Hobbies give our kids a noncoercive experience of learning. They help us learn to love learning and enjoy the process of hard work.   -Hobbies get us into a flow state. They build our confidence to try new things and explore more.   -Hobbies reduce stress. Making time for hobbies now helps our kids establish the lifelong habit of cultivating hobbies.    -A flexible schedule and routine gives us time to explore hobbies.   -When kids have time for hobbies, they'll come back to the table refreshed.   -Encourage and support hobbies--even ones we don't understand and ones that happen on (gasp!) screens.   -Homeschool can be built around hobbies or playing, with academics in between—because hobbies are learning!   -Create excitement about the day by putting hobbies first, followed by hard work.   -Kids are figuring out who they are and how to have a full life when they explore their interests.    -What not to do: -turn their hobby into an academic thing -invalidate their screen-based hobbies -go overboard or get over involved    Mentions Sidewalk chalk 154: Unrefined Education: What Have We Learned From Pandemic Schooling? 153: Permission to Cancel School This Year   Aha Moment "Get the supplies." -Maren    Listener Question Join us on Patreon to hear our conversation about the question: "How do you navigate parenting with your partner?"   $5 Squad on Patreon We know that a lot of subscriptions and memberships can be out of reach financially for homeschool families, and it's often us parents that give up the things we want in order to afford what our families need.   But we really want our Squad to be affordable for you because every homeschool parent should be able to get connected to the support they need. You get ALL our rewards and join our community for just $5/month. And we now offer a DISCOUNTED annual rate with TWO MONTHS FREE. $50/year is a small investment to make in YOURSELF—and you DESERVE it. Loving This Week (LTW) Maren: The Warmth of Other Suns Angela: Minari   Patrons get a monthly "LTW Extra" episode when you join our $5 Squad. An hour-long chat about the shows, products, podcasts, books, and more that we're loving!    More About Homeschool Unrefined We are an inclusive and nonsectarian podcast. We believe Black Lives Matter, and we are LGBTQ+ affirming (for more, read our piece on Romper). We are listener supported and are donating 10% of all Patreon income and product sales to The Conscious Kid, a Black and Brown-led organization that has been instrumental in our own evolution and in leading the way in both ideological and tangible change with their work in "parenting and education through a critical race lens." Read our full ABAR Statement here and on Instagram.   Connect with us!  Visit our website | Sign up for our newsletter. | Support us on Patreon. | Join our closed Facebook group: Unrefined Homeschoolers | Merch Shop Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube Angela on Instagram: @unrefinedangela | Maren on Instagram: @unrefinedmaren Email us any questions or feedback at [email protected] Visit our Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/homeschoolunrefined We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.