Supporting their interests

Some of our children’s interests last a life time, they begin playing with lego as soon as they are able to hold blocks and then they never let go. Thirteen years later they are still buying their own lego models and you have over 25 kilos of lego in your house. Those thirteen years have been spent creating your own home ed lego club, where fellow enthusiasts can come and build with you. There have been hours of building and searching for just the right piece to make the model, that you have designed yourself, move in the way that it is supposed to. Multiple trips to lego exhibitions in museums, wildlife centres, zoos and national gardens. Meeting and working with the adults who build and design those exhibitions. Watching lego movies, reading lego stories, collecting lego annuals, subscribing to lego magazines and playing lego wii games are all part of the lego repertoire. Then there have been the lego shaped ice cubes, birthday cakes, lunch boxes and taco Tuesdays. And there is still no sign that lego will stop being of interest.

Sometimes our children’s interests come and go, and sometimes come back again, or not. One year we spent six months chasing Pokemon around the South East of England. Everywhere we went and everything we did involved catching Pokemon and then suddenly, it wasn’t important anymore.

At other times, our children’s interests can be seemingly brief, even insignificant (although that is never the case.) A quick question here or observation there. Picking up an object or watching a show for a few minutes and then moving onto the next thing. Storing that piece of learning ready to connect to another piece of learning.

It requires us to access resources and information from a variety of sources including libraries, museums, on line forums, social groups, magazines, subscription boxes, YouTube channels, theme parks, nature locations, woodlands, beaches, Home Ed classes, toy shops, friends, family, and community members. Their learning can be cognitive or physical or relational and supporting them and helping facilitate that means paying attention and being involved with each others lives.

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