homeschooling - the path ahead

This past autumn, and all through winter break, I have been thinking a lot about homeschooling and the path ahead. As any good Waldorf-inspired parent, I have thought a lot about the children in front of me, where they are now, what they need, and lately, meditating a lot on where they are going.

This month, I will be attending a number of information sessions for high school. While I only have a 7th grader at this point, I feel as though the light of high school started gleaming brighter at the end of a much shorter tunnel when this school year began.  As someone who tends toward anxiety and can overthink things, I am trying to proactively explore the options for Lala Bug while simultaneously seeking out support that we may need to help us along the way.

As homelearners, we have taken a year by year approach and I never expected to be homeschooling this long. It has been good for the highly sensitive child of mine, so while we will explore the high school options locally, I will also be learning about the options for homeschooling high school in our area.

Another homeschool mama friend and I were sharing our current homeschooling anxieties and  I realized something really important in a new way.

There are many, many paths to becoming an educated individual.

The typical route that I took, and that M took, and that many (most) other kids take through schools and into college is just one way. There are others. As I consider these other paths, such as homeschooling high school, I fret about things like science labs. As a biologist, lab was important for my path. But it suddenly occurred to me that science labs aren't Lala Bug's 'thing' anyway. If I had let go of what I "should" be doing, would science have been the path I really chose? I don't know. I do know that I want to give our children a chance and input (with guidance, of course!) on where they see themselves going and how they think they are going to get there.

Going to college is just one option after high school. For many people, it isn't an option at all. It is a privilege. College isn't the only route to becoming a self-sustaining, successful adult. As I thought about these things, it really dawned on me...my children may not want to go to college! Can M and I be okay with that? He and I both saw college as a necessity to a successful career.

These are just thoughts and realizations as I puzzle through how to help support my still-child navigate what is coming ahead (when she still doesn't see it coming), but they were important steps for me in letting go a little more. When I meditate on my children, when I focus on Lala Bug and how her life might be when she is grown, I only see a successful adult. That girl has focus, determination, hard work, and skills...when she is passionate about what she is doing and learning.

I am holding onto that image as we explore the possibilities.

gifts by the kids

I have not been sharing much about the creative part of this blog, Creative. Light. Less. Actually, I haven't written much about the light or less part of it lately, either! The creative part has been in full gear, full steam all of this time, but I haven't taken the time to edit or share photos. Mike's and my creativity and DIY spirit has definitely passed on to our children, because these days, I don't have much of my own to share, and instead want to share the amazing talents of my kiddos.

Here is a sampling of what the kids made and gave for Christmas 2017.

 

Lala Bug gave her Nonno some of his favorite things for his morning time; sudoku, coffee, and chocolate, but she wrapped multiples of them all nestled in layers of crepe paper. You can see a puzzle being revealed in his hands below. There were also instant Starbucks Via packets, small packets of sugar for the coffee, mini Kit Kats, and in the center, a plastic Easter egg (to give it its initial shape) full of Hershey Kisses that said Ho Ho Ho. It was very clever and cute. She got the idea from a ballet classmate a year ago, who gave each girl a gift wrapped like this after their performance.

Brown Mouse carved wooden butter knives for his Nonno and Grandma and for his Uncle S. He made his first independent one (which we use daily) in his outdoor summer camp.

Lala Bug embroidered this sweet collection of images (from Doodle Stitching) and then, using a pretty bird fabric for the back, made a pillow for her Grandma.

Lala Bug made "shakes" (herbal blends for fish, pizza, popcorn, etc.) with a variety of herbs and spices. She made her on unique blend first at her herbal medicine summer camp.

Both kids worked together to make a tea wreath each for Grannie, Uncle S, and their great aunt and uncle who often come for Christmas.

After we had so much success with our backyard bird feeders a few weeks before Christmas, the kids decided to make feeders as gifts, too. They made these for their great aunt and uncle.


And toffee. A holiday favorite. Lala Bugs helps make (and eat) this now.

This was a gift they made and gave in 2016, because I never shared it! Beeswax sand candles and essential oil scented bath salts.

Here is to a creative 2018!

2017-2018: nearly mid-year

As I wrote the post title 'nearly mid-year,' I gave myself a mini panic attack. The truth is, I have been struggling with anxiety for awhile now, but this fall, it has been significantly worse. The roots run deep and are varied, but one small piece is that I am homeschooling growing children, time doesn't stand still, and I have been mentally thinking forward toward what is coming next and behind at what we haven't done. The transition between elementary teaching and high school planning has felt, well...short.


We had a full and productive fall, our home learning has been beautiful, and smoother, especially as I embrace our version of Waldorf-inspired at home. You won't see tons of main lesson drawings here, or consistent form drawing, but you will see lots of stories, art and creativity, singing, and movement. Our Us-schooling makes for a happier, motley mix of activities, using a motley mix of resources.

I wish I had carved out more time to blog learning period-by-learning period again this year, as I did last year. (Our homeschool charter uses learning periods that cover 2 months at a time, and last year I blogged about what we had done each of those learning periods before moving into the next period.) We have done so much! I didn't capture it that way, though. So...here are some things we have done since my last post update.

We spent a lot of time on math and science during late autumn. The kids wanted to participate in our homeschool group's math and science fair and quickly chose to work together on a project about fire. Fire has been fresh in their minds and relevant to them as their Grannie was evacuated from the intense and destructive fires in Northern California. We also explored Mystery Science activities and Lala Bug's weekly math class meant that we were all playing with math very consistently.

One of our consistent anchors has been a weekly nature study or exploration. We have one spot we visit regularly, but we happily take detours when something seasonally magical comes our way, like over-wintering ladybugs or a super (Wolf) moon and spring tides with an  >8 foot change between high and low tides. When not pulled by unique events, we explored fungus, lichen, moss, winter solstice, and more.

The holidays flew by. We took a break from our main lessons during part of December. It was much needed, but the grounding feeling of rhythm has been missed, and so we made a slow re-entry last week and dive back into year-long and into new activities this week. I am taking some deep breaths as transitions are always a little hard....

Happy learning and living to you all!

holiday countdown 2017

Each year, we string baby socks on fairy lights for the entire month of December, through January 1 (to avoid the post-Christmas let down), and each night, I pop a little slip into the sock for the next day, with some kind of treat or activity to be enjoyed. (Last year's here.)

Despite their growth, the kiddos still engage with the countdown fully. They love it. But there were days we did activities that I couldn't use as the sock activity anymore (I did, once upon a time), because now they know (and need to know) certain things will be happening in advance (like my parents' holiday party, for example). And there are activities on my long list of possibilities that I think my kiddos may have outgrown now. But they look forward to this each year, and this year, I was occasionally surprised by what brought big excitement and what was met with less thrill.

2017 Countdown:

1. It is time to begin enjoying Sparkle Stories’ audio Advent calendars! (We all still love these. I will be sad when they finally outgrow them.)
2. Make paper snowflakes.
3. Go to a winter concert and help Nonno and Grandma decorate.
4. You deserve a treat! Ask mama for one. (They each had a candy cane.)
5. Lunch out with Dada.
6. Happy St Nicholas' Day. Winter craft with school! Pull out our holiday decorations.
7. Think of others today. What can you say to or do for someone else that is especially kind?
8. For the birds! See birds at at the shore and make bird feeders.
9. Get a Christmas tree today!
10. Choose a candy cane from the tree.
11. Treasure hunt! (Their favorite. This one lead them to a mini Christmas tree and wreath to decorate and put in their bedroom and on their door.)
12. Hanukkah begins. Light menorah.
13. Make latkes and applesauce.
14. Make a Christmas gift or card.
15. Take walk to see the overwintering ladybugs. (Brown Mouse: "I want Daddy to come with us." Me: "Ask him!" Brown Mouse: "Daddy, can you miss work and come with us?" Daddy: pause and "Yes!" It made the day so special.)
16. See the historic manger scene (after a Christmas party).
17. Outing with Dada -walk to get local, seasonal kettle corn
18. Treasure hunt! (This one lead them to a Trader Joe's "ugly sweater cookies" decorating kit.
19. Practice singing or one of our instruments. Play a Christmas carol.
20. Have a doughnut treat to end Hanukkah.
21. Celebrate Solstice at a local regional park. (We didn't end up going. We had two very tired kids. I admit, I was disappointed to miss this.)
22. Nutcracker!
23. See the lights at the nearby Mormon temple.
24. Today is a neighborhood day! Deliver cards or treats to neighbors, pick up garbage, add (a) book(s) to the Little Library.
25. Christmas! (I tucked a poem I wrote into the sock.)
26. Make a popcorn garland for the birds.
27. Play with friends at the park.
28. Write some thank you notes!
29. Holiday baking  (millet muffins and pumpkin 'doughnuts' at their request)
30. Make walnut shell candles.
31. Winter spiral walk. (This was eagerly anticipated, organized, and arranged by Little Brown Mouse.)
32. (Jan 1) Treasure hunt! (A double - a treasure hunt for each of them. Lala Bug's lead to 2 books and Brown Mouse's lead to a robotic inventor kit.)

And for me, this year; I adore Simple Homeschool, in particular a few of their contributors, including the site owner/editor, Jamie Martin. I relate deeply to her posts. This year, she offered a free Advent countdown for introverted mamas. (Waving my hand over here.) I printed it out and to my delight, Lala Bug cut each slip, read and numbered them as she saw fit, and then had me buy a couple goodies mentioned for along the way. It was lovely for me all month and lovely for the kids to see me 'earning' a little self-care countdown.

 

Happy New Year!

happy

Each year, I choose one word, a grounding word, to hold in my mind and heart when I need it most.
This year, I thought of many words that seemed right; Reflect, Connect, Rest, Quiet, Us, Grow(th), Acceptance, Smile, Contentment, Consciousness, Creativity, Letting Go (two words, I know).

I needed a simple word to return to, something that, in some way, can encompass all of those, depending on how life ebbs and flows.

So I am embracing the word Happy.

Happy is a feeling I want to reclaim. I feel as though I have lost it as I grasp for other things. Honestly, what I really came down to were the words Expectations and Boundaries/Limits, which would, in turn, lessen my feelings of Guilt, something that really chokes out Happy. So, through the year, as I meditate on the word Happy, I will be checking in with myself about Expectations, Boundaries/Limits, and Guilt.

This is my 9th year choosing a word. My previous words for each year were as follows, and each has given me one anchor to pause and meditate on when I need just one thing.

2010 ~ Calm
2011 ~ Nourish
2012 ~ Hope
2013 ~ Renewal
2014 ~ Treasure
2015 ~ Joy
2016 ~ Laughter/Humor (Really, it was a word that was an inside family joke. Here is my post.)
2017 ~ Harmony (Here is my blog post from last year)
and now,
2018 ~ Happy

When I look back and think about those words, each one brings such unique memories of my focus for that year. The summer I practiced embroidery at the lake by stitching calm into the sampler. The year nourish shifted from tending my pregnant body to tending my miscarried soul. The year I needed to remember to treasure what I had instead of looking for something more, different. These words are an anchor to focus my busy mind.

Each year, on our adventures, I find a rock along the way, write my word of the year, the year, and where I found it, on the rock. I then add it to the growing pile in a big shell on my dresser. Sometimes, I stop and handle the rocks, holding the weight of those words and memories.

I hope you found harmony in 2017 and may your 2018 be a happy one!

52: 52

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of December 24, 2017

And that's a wrap.

52: 51

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of December 17, 2017