Sandra Dodd

Unschoolers have questions about how to help their kids learn about relationships, and this might help.


There are programs coming into being in the U.S., through a program called 4-H (it stands for heart, hand, health, home). I hope even those in other countries, though, can get some ideas or encouragement from some of these articles.

The organization is expanding into learning about relationships, and I thought it cold be good to know. For those outside the U.S.

4-H Is Helping Kids Plant The Seeds For Healthy Relationships

From the NPR (National Public Radio) article:
________

"Conflict is pervasive when teens have romantic relationships," says Giordano. She finds that when young people are given the right tools, they have the ability to identify unhealthy relationship signs as they mature.

This 4-H program has been around for about a year. In that time, Chan says the majority of participants report feeling more confident after the workshop was over and that they felt they could share their relationship needs with their partners.
____________

It’s an interesting piece, and it’s possible that there will be materials available online. I hope.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/08/11/540618626/4-h-is-helping-kids-plant-the-seeds-for-healthy-relationships?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20170813&utm_campaign=&utm_term=

An expansion on their youth development programs:

https://nifa.usda.gov/program/4-h-positive-youth-development

4-H groups and programs are related to The Department of Agriculture, and were mostly about farming, ranching and homemaking (safe food preservation, storage) and community service. When I was in 4-H in the 1960’s, we learned about flowers and floristry (among other things). So groups have a great deal of flexibility.

Lots of homeschoolers are involved in 4-H, and unschoolers have been, too.


That top article linked to another article at NPR which isn’t about 4-H but might be helpful to some here.

Teen Sex-Ed Resources For Oh, Oh, Those Summer Nights

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/06/14/531885125/teen-sex-ed-resources-for-oh-oh-those-summer-nights

It could be helpful for families to think of it as relationships rather than “sex ed,” when they’re discussing such things with their growing children.

Sandra