Episode #11: How Much Novelty Do Our Kids Need? (Maybe)

How much novelty do children need? How much do we need and how do we work it out within a family rhythm? Although we realize each person is individual, it’s something we’ve noticed involves observing and listening, planning and yet holding those plans loosely. We are considering time out versus time at home, outdoor time versus indoor, social opportunities versus being alone. How much money to spend in order for our children to have a rich life? How many new ideas? How much to strew in comparison to what the natural flow of life presents?  And maybe most importantly, what helps us to slow down to support the novelty our kids naturally find themselves? Please join us as we ponder!    We Discuss: Observing our children, from even an infant stage, and understanding cues over time for seeking or avoiding stimulation  How being a new parent at home with a baby brings with it a different level of freedom, but also responsibility  How going decades with having time structured for us can diminish the natural sense of our own needs and preferences  Yet also ..   The possibility of finding it easier to be creative within parameters  That we can’t stockpile novel experiences. It’s about the flow rather than the quantity  How trust and safety are important for learning as well novelty. We need brain space to digest and process – a balance between comfort and peace and novelty and newness  That novelty doesn’t have to be massive and we  don’t have to change everything – it can be a new food or new supermarket or driving home a different way The tendency to overcompensate as home educating parents in order to provide “enough”’ How we, as parents, aren’t actually responsible for absolutely everything  Three kinds of novelty: what things we bring/strew, what things kids initiate themselves, what opportunities life offers  Micro experiences within regular rhythms that actually bring in novelty within the routine  Parental narration as a way of naturally showing the potential wonder in life – being a model of curiosity and gratitude  The outdoors as a form of free, accessible novelty  Small sensory changes as novel – a change of pace coming from in or out doors  How kids are very good at finding their own novelty  Adding abundance to our calendar by plugging the natural or requested things in on the front end  That when we really tune in and remain present, we see that things and people are very interesting, whereas when our life is rushed, we need to seek out novelty in less natural ways  Doing familiar things (board games, jigsaw puzzles) in new environments and vice versa with new or returning things in familiar spaces  Trusting that people know what their own systems need and that we can support them to figure that out if it’s not quite connecting somehow Boredom – different perspectives and assumptions. Interesting …!  How life is rich – novelty is inevitable if we’re tuned in!   Resources: Clubhouse Strewing Conversation  Unschooling Together Community