homeschool day - 9th and 6th grades

Every year for the past few, I have prepared and written a post for the Homeschool Day in the Life series at Simple Homeschool. I love Simple Homeschool. It was one of my first entries into homeschooling, before we even began. And I have loved contributing to this series. This is its 10th year, coming at a time of fewer blogs and more Instagram.

The truth is, this year it crept up on me and I didn't prepare anything.

The truth is, this year I am winding down as a blogger after 13+ years.

The truth is, so much has changed for us this year, as homeschoolers and as individuals, that I am not even sure how to write a homeschool day post.

But...those reasons feel all the more compelling to share something.

So with the link-up reminder arriving in my email inbox this morning, I am blogging about our day today and will link-up late.

Today is a Thursday. Each day of the week looks a little different for us, with a general schedule;

Mondays usually include a 4-H activity for my son.  My daughter will do a make-up of the 4-H activity at a later time, because her class schedule changed at winter break, making Monday one of her long days in the part time program she attends.

Tuesday is also a long day for her, and my son and I work on his various learning needs and desires.

Wednesday is charter school day. Right now, this is Shakespeare class, project, and performance. My daughter graduated from the charter, but is costume assistant. She then goes on to one class in her part time program.

Fridays are a home or field trip day.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings are ballet for my daughter. Tuesdays and Thursday evenings are karate for my son.

Every morning we have 'together time,' which includes a game, read aloud of some kind (book, poetry, news article, etc.), and CNN 10.

Today is Thursday and usually that means we have our morning together at home for together time and some lesson work and lunch before heading out so my daughter can go to a class and my son and I play at the park and go to the library. Today, though, after our together time, we had the first in a series of orthodontist appointments and when we got home, lessons didn't happen smoothly (or at all for one kiddo). Overwhelm from a lot going on finally came to a head and it was clear that structured learning was done while we worked through some big feelings. I called it a mental health day and we stayed home for the day. My daughter's class and my son's karate didn't happen today. I will be honest, 8 years into homeschooling, I am much better at taking a deep breath and letting it go. An occasional miss for whole health reasons feels right to me.

We spent the day on projects, resting, reading, and even having some time on screens. We played a game of Skip-Bo during dinner and we are winding down to an early bed with some music.

And tomorrow is fresh. I have a general idea what we need to cover, but, as always, we shall see how the day unfolds.

(For more about our homeschool, click here. For a little background (albeit 4 years old now!) on our homeschool journey, click here.)

learning period 3: 2019 - 2020

I am trying to capture each learning period as they happen, which, for our homeschooling arrangement, is a 2-month length of time, August through May. Learning period 3 covered December 2019 and January 2020. The idea of a learning period comes from the charter school that both my kids were in from 2013 onward and just Brown Mouse is part of now. Checking in every two months is doable for me and keeps me on track with both kids. Lala Bug is still homeschooling, but we are independently homeschooling now and she takes a couple classes at a private school, as a part-time student for hybrid-schooling.

Brown Mouse, grade 6:

Math: He is primarily using ALEKS and Key To workbooks for math. 6th grade is when I really backed off and made the year playful with math for his sister and I am keeping it short for him, currently, because I can feel a similar push-back and frustration.

Science: Science is one of his favorite subjects, so we do a lot of playing around with science. Recently, we have really enjoyed exploring science projects from the series of books from DK by Jack Challoner.

Language Arts/English: Brown Mouse is doing a loop of materials to work on different aspects of language arts in short bursts daily. He is using Typing Club, Handwriting Without Tears for Cursive, Editor in Chief, and speech-to-text to more fully get his thoughts in writing. He has also read and is now in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Social studies/history: We are learning American History. Right now, we are in the Civil War time period. Just to be confusing, we are also re-exploring the Middle Ages and Brown Mouse is beginning to work on a research project to go with his Shakespeare class.

Other: 4-H (all outdoors projects this year; hiking, urban farming, and wilderness skills, for which he is the junior leader), karate (new for him), soccer (skills class and pick-up games with his rec team)

Lala Bug, grade 9:

Math: Algebra 1 at the school. She is doing really well in this, despite years of math-hating, but the homework is time and energy consuming for her, I won't lie.

Science: Biology, with lab, at the school. This is my background, but is definitely not a favorite for her. She is currently having to practice note-taking because of this class and that is a challenging skill for her differently wired brain.

Language Arts/English: This year we are covering Shakespeare - comedy and tragedy and also essay reading (and eventually a little more writing).

Social studies/history: American history with the intention of being ready for American Government next school year. Right now, we are in the Civil War time period. We have also been dipping in and out of current events, because so much has been going on politically.

World language: This is generally on hold, although she has been "playing" with DuoLingo for Italian.

Other: 4-H (all outdoors projects now; hiking, urban farming, and wilderness skills, for which she is the teen leader. Unfortunately, she had to drop a life skills project because her academic school class times changed), ballet, coding, fashion/design, knitting. (Soccer is on break for the season.)


What has your kids schooling and education looked like lately?

learning period 2: 2019-2020

Learning period 2, October and November, 2019. I wrote part of this post back in early November and fleshing out the remainder of a short summary in late December. Clearly, it didn't get posted when it should have, so I will be back-dating the post to be time appropriate.

We spent much of last year really exploring and addressing Lala Bugs differences, needs, and exploring high school options that worked to address those in a healthy way. We made a lot of progress and experienced a lot of growth together, and she is bravely moving forward. Now, it is Brown Mouse’s turn. He and his sister are so different, but they both have some learning differences. So right now, we are working to identify and address his differences. He has possible dyslexia and likely dysgraphia, so evaluations and appointments are taking some extra time.

Both kids are in a group reading Shakespeare's Macbeth.While both kids love Shakespeare, Macbeth has not been a favorite of Lala Bug's. Blood, killing, and greed don't appeal to her and one can sense she is disturbed by Macbeth's selfish acts and Lady Macbeth pushing her husband to do sinister things. Brown Mouse has been more engaged with it. With the kids in two different schooling situations this year, both will be covering Macbeth, but in different ways. Lala Bug has gone to see a local performance of it with her school and will be learning, discussiing, and writing about Macbeth as it compares to Twelfth Night, a comedy. Brown Mouse will be part of a Shakespeare class that will ultimately perform Macbeth.

Both kids are also in soccer and 4-H.

Lala Bug has been adjusting to taking some classes at a small high school and while the adjustment has been challenging, she and we like the school and staff and she is thriving academically. She is getting her math and science (biology) outside the home. She has also been taking dance, her first autumn of doing both dance and soccer. I am hesitant to declare that as a success. She loves both, but has been running very tired and her sleep is 'off.' 

 

Brown Mouse has been taking an ecology class and a tall ships history class through our charter, and both have been a success. for his other subjects, he has been using Key To workbooks and ALEKS for math at home, learning more about American history, and we have been doing a language arts loop of skill-strengthening activities specific to his learning needs.

Onward into December, which boasts a variety of celebrations for our family and a welcomed break from the everyday lesson activities.

learning period 1: 2019-2020

We are in a season of busy! I have been wanting to find a time to blog about how our school is going so far, but time for me to pause, reflect, and write has been so limited. Right now, I am sitting in M’s car next to the soccer field, where Lala Bug has practice. Normally, I don’t wait here, but today, my car is in the shop (again), M is just home from a business trip and worked from home, so he and Brown Mouse are having time together, and with darkness coming earlier, soccer practice end-time feels unpredictable on this field has no lights. So this nets me a little time to write!

I looked back on some of my personal journaling from the past couple of years and the start to the school year has rarely felt smooth. This year felt even less so, as it was very, very drawn out, and growth has made our learning choices different this year. Lala Bug began a part time program at a small high school, which began slowly with orientations and community building, before classes began. The school requires we drive, so this commute is a change, too. Brown Mouse is still in our beloved charter school, and although we had to begin documenting our learning activities in early August(!!), the physical activities and classes didn’t begin until late September. There has been much change with our charter too, bringing more uncertainty. The same late start was true for 4-H, so it felt like we were trying to launch the school year over the span of about two months!

So here we are heading into late October and I feel like we are finally settled into a routine. I hesitate to use the word groove or rhythm, because our schedule just feels too full. We have quite a few things we have to be at, at specific times. It took me several weeks, and a comment from my friend Vanessa (of Wright at Homeschool), for me to realize that I needed a mindset shift to accept that this is our normal right now. We are intentionally busy. We won’t be busy like this all year. (We can’t be. It isn’t sustainable for me or for my differently wired girl.) Right now, we have activities out of the house 4 evenings per week, plus weekend games, in addition to daily classes and/or 4-H, and our homeschool. I have tried to keep Fridays clear, but Lala Bug does have Friday evening soccer practice and we have ended up needing to make appointments on some of the Fridays.

 

So for learning period 1, August and September:

Lala Bug, grade 9, is studying  algebra 1, biology with lab, American History, and English. The first two are classes she is taking and the latter two are been addressed in a less formal way at home with literature, documentaries, and discussions. In addition, she is in soccer, dance, 4-H, and is pursuing her own passions, including knitting, sewing, and fashion design. We haven’t been able to find a way to do block learning with her current classes.

Brown Mouse, grade 6, is doing language arts (rotating through grammar, cursive, typing, and writing, usually through dictation), science (we started the year with a lovely geology block), American History (I can combine with his sister and he is taking a class on American tall ships, navigation, and sailing history), and daily math. (We haven’t settled on a single curriculum for the year. He previously enjoyed Teaching Textbooks, but despite moving him up a couple levels, he is bored. He will likely get practice through Key To workbooks, Khan Academy, and ALEKS.) Brown Mouse is also in soccer, 4-H, and is interested in survival gear and skills.

We have managed to sneak in a couple family camping trips and a weekend in the mountains since this learning period began, which fuels the soul. M has had a couple of business trips. We've attended a harvest festival and a celebration of Monarch migration, which are near and dear to our hearts. So it has been a full couple of months.

I have had to make an intention to include some restorative self-care into my days and be clear and loving with my boundaries, because I know if I am well rooted, my branches are strong enough to help everyone else.

What has been keeping you busy this 'season?'

the 2019 - 2020 learning year

We are gently and reluctantly launching our school year this week. I say reluctantly because we had a very full summer, ending with work happening in our house, throwing things into chaos and leaving me feeling (no, actually being) unprepared. But because of how our school year is framed, it is time to begin.

When we began the school year last year, my oldest, a high needs kiddo, was entering 8th grade. We were really working to determine what the specific high needs were rooted in, with the hope of finding extra support to address them. She knew that she wanted to homeschool high school. I didn't think I wanted to homeschool high school. And so went a year of addressing each of our needs and finding supports.

Oddly (or perhaps not), here we are, a year later, having considered a lot of different options (including a 'gap year'). Now, though, we are making last minute decisions for course work and curricula resources as we descend into another homeschool year, with both kids. Both Lala Bug and I have grown in the past year. The growth and the supports we have both received have lead to more mutual understanding and confidence that we can homeschool high school successfully.

The supplies above, the book stack below, and a handful of other fabulous goodies were free for educators (including homeschoolers) at a local reuse shop!

9th grade:
I want to say I can't believe I have a high schooler. I can, because this transition for Lala Bug has been on my mind for 2 years now and integrated into our lives for over a year, but I can't believe how quickly my kids are growing and, honestly, how hard it is to stay on level with them. I am simultaneously trying to keep up with the changing needs as a slow processor, all while not letting my head get away with me in thoughts of "shouldn't we be doing X by now?" Yes, 14 years into parenting, the "shoulds" can still niggle sometimes.

This year, we have planned for Lala Bug to participate in a part time program in a nearby school that serves kids who need extra support. We had additionally planned to begin a new homeschool charter that serves high schoolers, however, part of our last minutes decisions included releasing our spot. I had a difficult time reaching anyone to answer questions, and when I finally did, I had already spoken with a couple other moms whose families use that charter, and we were already coming to the conclusion that, as scary as it is to fly solo for high school, the charter would not be a good fit for us at this point. (If anyone in my everyday life wants to know the details, please just ask when you see me!)

We only just got the draft schedule for the part time program Lala will be attending and the slow, sporadic, unique orientation will be begin this week. She is nervous, as expected, but I am hopeful that this will be a good fit for her, and the blend of homeschooling with some small school supports will be just right.

So, while I am no longer an over-planner, I would have liked to have had all of the information I gained in the past few days, already in place several months ago.

Math: Lala will likely be taking math as one of her part time school program classes. She has also clicked with the teaching and practice style of ALEKS, so she will continue to practice using this program. She will also be doing some business math this year and she has spent quite a bit of time coding during the summer and I expect this will continue and deepen.

English ~ Literature, Language Arts, and Writing: We will be tying together history and literature and will be covering U.S. history (so we can cover government during elections in 2020) through the books we select. We will be using language arts learning guides such as Boomerang (Brave Writer). We will cover some essay writing, as well. In addition, Lala Bug has been using a spelling program to support some of her learning differences and will continue to practice typing.

History/Social Studies: We will be deepening the learning of U.S. history through literature and non-fiction books, biographies, documentaries, field trips, and discussions.

Science: Lala will experience science with lab in the part time school program.

World language: She has been asking to learn Italian for some time, but I think we will have her begin with Spanish, which is an extremely common language where we live.

6th grade:
Brown Mouse is starting 6th grade this year. We are leaving the elementary years behind, something I can't quite believe! He is still with our beloved charter school, for which I am grateful, although the school, on the whole, is going through significant (to us) changes this year, so we are starting the year curious, but less certain. I am hoping to have Brown Mouse undergo an evaluation through our charter school this year, as he has some differences when it comes to writing and spelling, which are signaling a possible subset of dyslexia or some other language processing difference.

Our plans for him this year are loosely Waldorf based, but with more mainstream resources.
Games and exploration: I just want to start by saying that we play games and do physical exploration for every subject that we can. This goes for both kids!

Math: He would like to continue using Teaching Textbooks for math, however I think he is capable of a bit more challenge, so I would like him to do some practice using ALEKS, which our charter school covers.

Language Arts and Writing: We will be doing both of these through literature, specifically Brave Writer style. I suspect the resource specialist will give us additional materials to work specifically on spelling, the mechanics of writing, and typing. I know there will be additional literature that he will join his sister and I with, in reading, as well, and we will tie into history through some Shakespeare. He and Lala are prolific independent readers.

Social Studies: I would like to cover Roman history and Medieval history with him this year. I think there are some enjoyable ways to explore these periods, despite history not being his favorite subject.

Science: This is Brown Mouse's favorite subject. We are going to be doing a lot of hands on learning this year, exploring some ecology, geology, and physics.

I know I haven't named a ton of curriculum resources, but it is because I am going to be pulling materials from a variety of resources, depending on the subject or project. My key tool is my library card. This allows us access to borrow books, audiobooks, ebooks, and DVDs. It gives us free admission to a number of museums, use of language programs, and more. We also have similar benefits through our charter school.

Other memberships and services we use (some free, some paid) are: Curiosity Stream, Khan Academy, Brain Pop, our local museums, our local parks district, Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Pinterest, other bloggers, and probably more that I am not thinking of!

Extras:
Both kids participate in soccer, dance, and 4-H (which is comprehensive for leadership, teamwork, community service, and more. The kids will be co-leading a project this year.) There is additional interest in mountain biking, golf, piano, and more, and we are working out what our schedule, budget, and other allowances and limitations will be.

This is a year of a lot of change. I think I won't really know how it is going to go until we are in it and settling into a new rhythm. It will involve a lot of driving for me, and probably some park/cafe-schooling for Brown Mouse and me. I am hopeful and finally feeling at ease with the choices we have made as we move into high school.

August 2019

In August, stone fruits are so sweet.

Peach pie makes a special treat. 

~Nicola

 

 

Well, hello. I have taken a couple months off from blogging and it was so busy it zipped by! We have had a couple of months that were very much of a mix of summer travel and full home time that was not at all summer-like. In fact, some of our usual summer anchors have been missed entirely. August will be a mix like that, too, with some summer activities, but some school related events happening, as well.

 

 

Dates of Interest:




Instead of specific dates this month, I will just say that, this month, we are celebrating a family birthday, have some new-to-us homeschool support school appointments to attend, school 'start' dates on the calendar, a week of day camp, and meteor showers to enjoy!

Homeschooling:







June and July had a homeschooling rhythm broken by trips. Both kids were working on math and language arts programs through the summer and Lala Bug just completed an intensive coding class. In August, the support schools that we homeschool under will begin, although we still have a certain amount of flexiblity. With Lala Bug having graduated our long time charter school, our new situation for her will be a learning curve and transition for us all.

Self-care:


The kids are in an outdoor camp for a week and that is my summer 'vacation.' That is my one week to tackle projects for me, take deep care of myself (massage, haircut, naps, etc.), schedule appointments, read, write, lesson plan, and whatever else fills my cup.

Parenting and Family:

During the next few weeks, I want make sure we get some good family connection as well as fuel each kid with some special time. We are hoping to re-establish the rhythm of a family hike on the weekends. I know the transitions and changes coming are likely to trigger anxieties and I want to prepare for that.

Home life:

I mentioned in my June/July post that we have some major house work to do this summer and it is underway now. It is a bit shocking how long some of these projects can take, even when hiring others to help do them!

I hope your August is lovely and joyous!

the first weeks

In the event many of you are reading loads of wonderful back-to-school or back-to-not-school (homeschool) posts (wherever you happen to read them), let this be the post that lets you know you aren't alone if all has not gone smoothly. Oy.

The first 3(?) weeks here have been rough. I planned, I (thought I) was relaxed, I was excited for the new school year, the first day started well, and then sliiidddde, crash. Rhythm hasn't come easily, we have had significant kiddo struggles, main lesson hasn't gone smoothly, there have been more sibling squabbles than usual, the kids have not been listening well, it has been extremely difficult to transition them out of play and especially out of books they are engaged in, etc. And my block plan? Forget it. I didn't even make it out of the gate.

The final straw came last week when I slammed my finger in a door. Oh my goodness. I haven't had something hurt so much in a very long time (despite having consistent back pain the last 6+ months from an old injury). The injury took down the day, because it meant a doctor visit instead of activity day with our charter, it meant lots of tears from me, and the pain put me in a grumpy mood. While it doesn't seem to be broken (and blood is circulating), it is my dominant hand and it has continued to hurt enormously.

The next day, I descended a little further into gloom just from witnessing others having success. In our charter resource center for math class (where we were after more anger and frustration from my child over completing the homework), I watched one mom engage her 6th grader with joyful, loving praise. Another dad chatted to me about how much he loves homeschooling because he can watch his middle school daughter create and do things she loves and he has found she is so helpful around the home without even being asked. Had I found the same?

No. This week left me feeling like a failure. I had seriously off-track children, no joy, I felt lack of authority in my home(school), my kids didn't step up to help when I injured my finger, my kids were unhappy ("Can't we have any fun?!") and I felt insulted by it all. Whew.

Do you ever feel like the right voices come to you right when you need them most? I listened to a podcast from Hand in Hand Parenting that happened to address some of the very issues we struggle with. I needed the reminder that my kids are good. (They are so good!) I am good. We are all wanting to do the right thing and that it is healthy and necessary for me to offload my feelings to another adult so I don't do it on my kids, or, at the very least, I am lightened so I can engage with them the way I want to. Where had I gone off track? Then, I re-read a piece on temperament from Waldorf Essentials, with the thought it would help me consider my kids' temperaments in our homeschool. What it did, instead, was highlight for me that, even though I fundamentally know it comes down to me, I had gotten off track. I had become unbalanced. I am melancholic-sanguine, which is a hard combo to be. (We feel things deeply, want to do right by others, and have a difficult time with follow through.) I had definitely slipped into an exhausted, resentful melancholy. I find it hard to hold the space and limits consistently.

Sustaining all that is needed to homeschool a growing family of individuals, some of which have high needs, is, well...hard.

So that is where I am, fully aware and doing my best to quickly work my way back to balance, despite the crazy going on around me in my family and the world.

So...back to the school year. This realization made me stop and reconsider. Instead of feeling like everything is a flop, what IS working? There are individual successes! (I am letting the kids know I see these, too!) As a little tribe, our weekly nature walk using Exploring Nature with Children and John Muir Laws has been wonderful. Also, Waldorfish Weekly Art has been a success. I am letting these success lift me up, particularly as regular art and regular nature time were both difficult to establish previously! Also happening around here is a lot of reading. Honestly, so much that it has been difficult to transition kids' attention to anything else and I have been feeling, well, annoyed. But the last few days, several people in my homeschool world have serendipitously commented on the joy their kids are finding in books and in the library and I heard a voice in my head reminding me I would be distressed if they weren't reading. So...success!

This weekend,  we had a birthday celebration for Lala Bug. All the guests were homeschoolers or former homeschoolers, and listening to the kids talk about the differences they perceive was so validating! They feel supported, like their interests and needs matter, and they like spending time with friends of both (all!) genders and ages, who are kind. This is what we hope for as homeschooling parents!

When I need a reminder to focus on connection and happiness in the home, Julie Bogart always seems to say just the right thing. Permission from a veteran. I read this Simple Homeschool article about what to ask ourselves as we begin the year that I thought was good and simple. I also made note about a little daily list of questions that come from Melisa Wiley in this Brave Writer podcast, but were highlighted by my friend, Jess, when she incorporated them into a beautiful art piece for her wall.

Today, did we:
Play and use our imaginations?
Do meaningful work?
Read a good book?
Have an encounter with beauty?
Ponder or discuss an idea?
Attempt something challenging or new?
Express gratitude?

So, here is to refocusing and moving forward. What has been working well for you?

planning 2017-2018, part 3

I wrote about planning part 1, here, and planning part 2, here. Here is part 3!

 The neighbor's Little Free Library has been motivating for morning walks. We have wanted to open our own for a long time, but the neighbor's gets the kids moving to bring a book and take a book and take a walk!

I had intended to come back and post this a little sooner, but life has been busy. I took a little time to look through posts on my old blog, which I have privatized for safety reasons. I miss that blog. There is so much history and information there that I want to just link to or sort and copy over parts of, but the time...Time is whizzing by me and really ruffling my nostalgia and melancholy, so I have really been trying to wade through that. For example, my search through my old blog included a skim through Lala Bug's 4th grade year, since that is Brown Mouse's level now. The photos made it feel like yesterday. I can't believe the end-of-year images I was seeing were already 2 years old and I am keenly aware of how much my kiddos have physically grown lately. I worried so much about her being "in FOURTH grade!" This feeling only lends to my constant battle with the "we're behind" monster.

So, this is a surface level hint at the (over) thinking place I have been in. I would have liked to have waited a little longer to start the school year, but we began slowly this week, as our charter school actually started 2 weeks ago. The week was a bit bumpy because (ahem), we have not finished 4-H record books (due Monday), so we spent a lot of time on those. We will begin easing into our new and consistent rhythm and our first blocks this coming week.

Art and copy work this week were from our experience of the eclipse, which honestly, due to drifting clouds, was underwhelming.

This year, according to our charter (which we love, for the record), my kiddos are 4th and 7th grades. I am using grades loosely now, because neither child is at grade level for everything and I have one child who is developmentally younger than birth age (although both look at least 2 years older than they are! Oh, the height!).

Our little homeschool tribe will be schooling through our charter again this year and they are the most supportive group of education coordinators one can imagine. There are some changes in staffing this year, so there is some newness to explore. The community that blossoms out of the charter is wonderful too. The kids will be participating in classes and activities our charter offers, which is wonderful for them and for me. As these guys are growing, the classes become less supplementary and more supportive for me, the home teacher. (Unfortunately, our charter only goes through 8th grade, so I think some of my current anxiety stems from thinking ahead to high school.) Brown Mouse will likely be in a Mythology class and local living history class this fall. Lala Bug will be in a class that adventures around the community (encouraging and teaching independence and meeting and learning about different businesses) and also in the local living history class this fall. She will also be in a foundations math class the entire year and possibly a book/writing club, if it comes to fruition.

We will be participating in 4-H again, although much less intensely. Brown Mouse doesn't love it and I needed a break from leading. My personality couldn't seem to just let us take a year off and there are many things to love about 4-H. We will be active with our charter, as mentioned above, and both kids are on local rec soccer teams this fall, which have already had their first practices. (Success and bravery!) A favorite activity for all of us is our American Girl Boy club. We meet monthly for history, crafts, and appropriate food, through the American Girl doll historical characters. And we are part of a larger homeschool group, through which will participate in some of the group activities, like the math & science and history fairs.

Both kiddos are in therapies for different reasons and these take time and energy, so are part of our rhythm. (Although I have alluded to this before, I don't write much publicly about my kiddos higher needs. Perhaps I should. They have a huge impact on our home learning.)

Also part of our rhythm will be a weekly nature walk/journaling outing, weekly library visit, and weekly art.

For my 9 year old this year, I hope to cover the following blocks in this order: math, Norse myths, local history, math, a catch-up block (I know we will need it), math, local geography, and human and animal. These are Waldorf blocks, but we are definitely Us-schoolers, so I know we will get lead away by interests here and there along the away.

For my 12 year old this year, I hope to cover the following blocks in this order: Geometry, Business Math (setting up an Etsy shop), Writing, Rome, Middle Ages, Astronomy, Renaissance, Physics, Anatomy and Physiology. Again, these are Waldorf blocks (for a mix of grade 6 and 7), but we are definitely Us-schoolers, so I know we will get lead away by interests here and there along the away. In addition, I have so many blocks (too many) that I want to cover for Lala Bug, that I will likely drop a couple of the subjects out of block form and sprinkle them throughout the year. This works for us, since we have to turn in work samples to our charter for every subject, every month. If you noticed few math blocks, it is because I will be working it into the existing blocks, working with her on an Etsy shop, and also she will be in a class through our charter. Also, because I am blending some of the grade 6 and 7 history/story blocks, I am thinking to cover it as European history over time.

Back to school goodies were plentiful and joyfully and gratefully received this year. The basket is full of the art supplies we didn't already have but need this year for our family weekly art lessons. In the packages for each child were fountain pens, a book (The Dangerous Book for Boys for Brown Mouse and his Dada and The Alchemy of Herbs for Lala Bug and me), and a new spiral notebook for daily/weekly task lists. Lala Bug also received a parent made gift certificate for 'handmade by' labels for her handwork and Brown Mouse also received his own tin of soft colored pencils.

I had planned to share the resources I am thinking to use, but the list is incredibly long. This is not because I am actually going to use tons of books, but because my own understanding for each block is coming from lots of bits and pieces pulled together from many resources along the way. There are a number of excellent websites offering free background and resource information for Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, and more. I use a little of this and a little of that. I do want to mention a few of the materials I am using that I am really excited about. For our nature studies, I am using Exploring Nature with Children by Lynn Seddon and also resources from John Muir Laws. For weekly art (besides nature journaling), we are signed up for Waldorfish Weekly Art lessons. We are so excited about those, that when the kids opened the basket of art supplies on the "first day of home school," they were thrilled and asked if we could do the first art lesson right away. (It hasn't begun yet!) I keep a long list of resources right here on my blog (although I need to update it) and I will be using many of the resources I share there.

And so another school year begins. Before we know it, I will be looking back, wondering where it went, so I am encouraging myself to be present and make caring for myself a priority. Have a wonderful day!

planning 2017-2018, part 2

I started blogging about my planning for this coming year in part 1, linked here.

Shortly after I did so, we went up to the lake for a week. This was the perfect break from the draw of the computer for planning (which can lead to wonderful, positive connection and information, but also, for me, over-researching, self-doubt, questioning 'Do I have enough? Do I need that book too?').  Worry and overwhelm are tendencies I will always have to work hard to manage, so I just have to stop and be quiet sometimes, so as not to over-plan. Follow through can be hard for me, too, so not over-planning is important for many reasons. (I am melancholic-sanguine. Either that or highly sensitive with ADD! Probably all, actually.)

The week was the perfect chance to just be with my own thoughts, to watch and be with my family, to sink into some books, to journal, and to draw.

One of my take-aways from Jean Miller's Plan It Out class was how to make art more doable in our homeschool. Jean talks about the Lively Arts of Waldorf education. They are key to bringing the lessons alive to children, but I had lost some of them (or never had them well established) and I have a child for whom creating is extremely important and who has had very few requests. (Knitting together, learning to draw, and learning Italian.)

So I spent some time drawing. If I don't ever do it, I won't ever get better, right? And if I don't ever model it, it will be hard to encourage us along, right? Earlier in the year, I had said I planned to draw something, anything, daily, but I haven't stuck to that goal, so this felt satisfying.

 

And I spent some time reading. I can now highly recommend Spelling by Hand by Jeremy Hermann and Let's Play Math by Denise Gaskins.

Spelling by Hand is a short, quick read. I thought it 'read' a bit stilted, almost like a translation of Rudolf Steiner, although the author is a young American. It had some very simple, linear, clear ideas of how to teach spelling in short lessons that are active and build upon each other. While he discussed what to cover in each grade, he didn't dwell on grade, in the event children aren't at grade level. We have some special challenges here, so spelling is something that we need to actively work on now. (It was not a priority before, as we were dealing with higher needs.) I am looking forward to putting his ideas into action.

Let's Play Math is a book I am reading as part of an online homeschool group that discusses math. There has been much resistance to math in our home, leaving me frustrated, tentative, and worried. However, I shifted gears this past year, set expectations differently and brought math more playfully, and I notice an increase in skill and willingness to come along on the math trails with me. I am half way through this book and it is excellent. I love the way she discusses math as a series of questions to answer (curiosity!), not a formula to apply. She discusses playing with math, hands-on math, reading math, the history and culture of math. It has been an encouraging and inspiring read so far.

Home again, Lala Bug pulled out the magazines and started collaging. She asked us to join her. Why, yes, please! I used to create a 'Dream Garden' or 'Vision Board' each year or so, inspired completely by an online class I took from Erin Goodman of Exhale. Return to Center. (I don't think she is writing or doing this type of work anymore. She is amazing and works now as a Reverend.) My collage is made, roughly using a 3x3 grid (you can find this by searching 'vision board' on Google or Pinterest) and magazine cut-outs to create a personal visual of what I want for the year ahead.

I am also considering a paid online art course. I have felt that art is something we can learn if we just do it regularly, but perhaps a motivation and some tips would be valuable and the consistency could be good. So I tested out the sample lesson from Waldorfish, and am considering their package of lessons. I am still deciding because of cost, but I enjoyed the lesson and loved the comments the kids gave me about my results. I will have them try it out, too.

More planning to do, but I am on hold now as I wait for more information from our charter school, 4-H, and therapists, and as I consider what is essential for us right now. The kids have camp, so I am heading into a week of tasks from a long list I have made for myself...reading, errands, more decluttering, and some self-care/pampering.

I'll be back again with a post that shares a little more about what I plan to teach this year and resources I plan to use. Until then...

planning for 2017-2018, part 1

You'll notice a photo theme (repeating view) here. One of my daily anchors is to rise early, journal and do a little work outside on the deck (the birds! the air! the sunlight!) and then get some exercise.

In June, I participated in Jean Miller's Waldorf-Inspired Learning Plan It Out online course (Homeschooling with the Lively Arts) and I am so glad that I did! (The class was like a more in-depth, personalized version of her free webinars, free online articles, and inexpensive planning guide combined, but not overwhelming.)

While I feel as though, several years into this homeschooling gig, I have planning under control, and I am a lifetime member of Waldorf Essentials' Thinking Feeling Willing (TFW) program (which definitely covers planning), I found myself in a different place this past spring, with different needs than other approaches were meeting.

This past year, we all changed quite a bit, each in different ways. I realized I was feeling overwhelmed, tired, and tangled in the mess of parenting, homeschooling, special needs, Waldorf approach, and mainstream life, resulting in anxiety of where we are, what we have missed, what is to come, and how to tackle that all. We had deviated quite a bit from the typical Waldorf scope and I was feeling stuck in how to envision the upcoming year, given I hadn't taught "just so" up to this point. Jean's gentle, calm approach was just the guidance I needed.

My planning is not yet done, but I have a much clearer picture of what I need to do, why, and how to pull it together. My spaces are more organized, I am fretting less, and I feel more inspired. I also know from past experience, I cannot pull together a solid plan until just before school starts, because I don't know what classes and projects will be offered through our charter or 4-H, or when they will take place, so I am reminding myself not to over-think and over-plan with information lacking.

 

So for now, I am deeply appreciating the small group discussions, the personal support, the resource sharing, and my accountability partner! I am reading online article, e-texts, and books, picking and choosing resources, and realizing how much my thoughts keep returning to an essential need to simplify our daily and weekly rhythms. 

How is homeschool planning going for you?

learning period 5: 2017

We homeschool through a charter (more here and here), which organizes us in 2-month chunks called learning periods. Here are my posts for Learning Period 1 (August/September), Learning Period 2 (October/November),  Learning Period 3 (December/January), and Learning Period 4 (February/March). Learning Period 5 (April/May), the final period of this learning year, is below.

Lala Bug contemplating a Monet, seen at an exhibit on our annual art outing with Grandma. Monet was 'playing' with paint to get the rippled light effect on that water.

Learning Period 4 felt full and engaged. Learning Period 5 felt inconsistent and heavily focused on trying to wrap things up while simultaneously prepping for and participating in testing while winding down the school year. It felt awkward. In addition, we had a lot of personal/family things happening during this time. In fact, it has taken me a long time to finish and publish this post because I am not even sure what we really did that I feel happy sharing!

Growth and progress definitely happened in spite of and because of all this, though.

Brown Mouse practicing typing and test taking (with new glasses!).

We covered a lot of subjects in non-traditional, non-Waldorf ways this learning period. Science was a lot of hands-on activities (eye related due to eye appointments) and in the field (nature!). Math was in the form of lots of math books for read-aloud and games and activities from Math Geek Mama. 

 Engaging science with Mystery Science.

We began an American Girl (Boy) Club with three other families during this time. Little Brown Mouse isn't the only boy and the group of kids, all homeschooled, are so engaged and seem to learn well together. I never thought a doll (with books series to go with each) would be the motivator for so much history and language arts, but this has been a hit. The history has taken us on rabbit trails, so our start with Kaya (Native American Nez Perce) lead us to be interested in Sitting Bull (Hunkpapa Sioux). The Birchbark House by Louise Erdich was recommended, so we read that and learned a bit about the Ojibwe. Then we talked about the differences and similarities. The was the source of copywork and other writing, as well.

The learning period felt short. The school year felt short. We didn't cover all that I had hoped we would, but maybe I never will. The years keep flying and I am feeling a bit stunned by it all. This year was one of tremendous growth. Bittersweet growth that has left me proud, yet reeling. Ages 9 and 12 are ones of incredible growth, particularly away from the parent, and I feel that. I am looking forward to a summer of mental rest. I know now from experience how much growth and knowledge can come from this rime of rest.

52: 23

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of June 4, 2017

learning period 4: 2017

We homeschool through a charter (more here and here), which organizes us in 2-month chunks called learning periods. Here are my posts for Learning Period 1 (August/September), Learning Period 2 (October/November), and Learning Period 3 (December/January). Learning Period 4 (February/March) is below.

This learning period, for us, was guided by three main parts, from which all our subjects arose; Heal the World Book Club, Journey North Mystery Class, and Shakespeare.

Shakespeare is an upper elementary/middle school class offering from our charter school. While our charter school itself is large, we school through one of the satellite offices, so our experience has been intimate and supportive. One of the many perks is an annual Shakespeare class organized and lead by one of our amazing education coordinators (EC). The class began before winter break (several weeks before the other classes begin the winter session) and submerged us in our first exploration into Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era. This year, the EC adapted and directed a group of about 25 students in a version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a perfect choice for our Lala Bug. This is the first class she has taken through our charter that has required consistent homework with deadlines and culminated in a larger project and, of course, a performance. I want to share more here about what Lala Bug did for her project. (Hint: You can see her working on it in the photos above!) I want to share photos of her performing as Poppy the sprite. I want to share more about how challenging this class was for her, and as a result, me. I want to share more about the growth that has come after the class was completed. I am bursting with pride! But out of respect for her, and for her privacy, the privacy of our family, and the other performers, I will limit myself to the photos above and below.

Every morning (and what has become a key part of our home learning), we have morning read-aloud. I keep a basket of books that I read aloud to the kids while they do some sort of hands-are-busy-minds-are-listening activity. While spring has definitely sprung now, we read and really enjoyed The Snowy Day in combination with A Poem for Peter in early February, when winter still felt like winter. We read books like these, science books, poetry, picture books that build on or introduce a theme we are exploring, and often we have a single chapter book going that is part of our learning.

So as part of morning read-aloud in February, March, (and April), we have participated in the Simple Homeschool Heal the World Book Club, which had all of us hooked! We have loved the books (all of which are chosen from Give Your Child the World), loved the extra information about the authors, countries the books are set in, and the charity that money is being raised for. The book for February was The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech and the book for March was Extra Credit, by Andrew Clements. (April, since it is April as I type this, is Rickshaw Girl, by Mitali Perkins.) From the book, my kids practiced copy work, we did the grammar puzzles offered, we explored the globe, and had incredible discussions about similarities and differences between our lives and the characters.

 

Another big part of February and March was Journey North's Mystery Class. It is a free weekly "class" that runs from the end of January through part of April, providing weekly clues and had us tracking sunlight changes in 10 (mystery) places around the globe. The kids use the clues and maps, science, and math to learn about and start to figure out where the mystery spots are. Journey North also provides a number of extension activities, including weekly journal activities. We have all enjoyed being geographic detectives with this class and Lala Bug asked to please do it again next year! 

And then, of course, other learning and other lessons sneaked in here or there. Above is math in a huge cardboard castle, gleefully built by an 8th grader in the charter resource center after a couple of the ECs saw it being discarded by a nearby business and couldn't pass it up as the play potential was too good. (Yes, our charter and the ECs are that wonderful!)

Below is the annual sheep shearing at our favorite historic farm. They demonstrate sheering with electric clippers and the older hand shears. "Click go the shears, boys, click click click..." It is amazing to watch and is an annual favorite, but I can see the changes and growth in the kids this year, despite this being Brown Mouse's year for farming. Both kids preferred watching the sheep dogs herding sheep, and all the while, I kept thinking of James Herriot's Dog Stories.

 

February and March brought rain to our little neck of the woods. Finally, rain. We have been in a drought for the past 5 years. That, of course, has lasting affects. But, in the little, local ecosystem of our family and garden, it means good fun digging in the mud for those of us who like that kind of thing!

This winter there were few blues and more engaged learning excitement. It was lovely!