Siblings and Homeschooling

I looked out the window this afternoon to check on the kids and saw this sweet picture:

They certainly are not always like this.  In fact, they spend as much time shouting at each other as they do playing together.  In fact, Pepper kicked Banana Boy this morning.

 

 I watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 last night for the first time.  We don't have cable and we were at my mom's.  There was apparently a JK+8 marathon on.  Anyway, those kids kept whacking each other over the head with whatever weapon was handy.  If no weapon was handy, they just used their handies!  She seemed fairly great at discipline and seemed to have good ideas about structure, yet these kids kept slapping each other!  Except for the very littlest ones (and obviously Pepper!) my kids seldom hurt each other physically.  We just don't allow it.

 

I do believe that having only each other to play with for most of the day promotes bonding.  I don't usually see all three of them hanging together.  Banana Boy has his best friend next door available all day and the girls are joined at the hip.   But two of them will often pair off and play for a long time.

 

I also believe that homeschooling (or living in a culture of all-the-time learning) really encourages them to play things that require intense participation with and by others.  When they play, they are playing Indian or pirate or house or adoption or school or some other imaginative thing.  The best friend neighbor kids are a part of this too.

 

I just thought it was so sweet to see the three of them out there together, heads together involved in something intense.  I had no idea when I took the picture what it was.

 

I did find out.

 

Do you want to know?

 

They were making their own knives.  More specifically, they were making one for their brother, who didn't yet have one.

 

Isn't that sweet?

 

I love homeschooling!