planning: 2018-2019

I find myself somewhere I have never been before. Okay, I realize that is a ridiculous statement, given that each moment we live, we are living freshly, never having lived it before, but as I sit down to write about my planning this year, it looks and feels different for one very distinct reason.

We don't currently know if we will be homeschooling next year (see this post), and if we are, whether it will be one or both kids. So, as I enter this year, I feel different; uncertain, anxious to catch up, sentimental about the past, and (in an attempt to focus on something slightly more positive) determined to not get lost in the details this year, but instead focus in a playful way on the skills I think are essential and on exploring and taking advantage of the freedom of schedule that we have as home learners.

(I wrote about the path ahead back in January. Six months later, I have more information, but the only way in which I feel we are closer to a decision is to accept that we may not know which path until next year, when we take the first step. This post isn't about that. Does anyone want me to write more about that?)

I have spent some time the last few weeks thinking about the year ahead. For portability and ease of editing, I used Evernote for my planning. I can customize it to suit me and this year and I inserted a photo of my kiddos right at the top of my planning page, to keep them at the forefront.

As I thought about the year, I wrote a list of questions to consider as I think about my days with these two amazing, growing people.

How do I want our days to feel? (See the list below, explained in this linked post.)
What have we been doing well?
What can I remove?
What do I want to add?
Where are we struggling? What's hard?
What do we love?
What do we value? (I want to prioritize this!)
What are the strengths and weaknesses? How can I teach to strengths while addressing weaknesses?

I now have a loose plan in place, a good list of resources I can reach for, and an idea of the things I would most like to focus on. I will talk to the kids about my thoughts, but I need a framework for myself, and the truth is, my kids never have too much to say about what they are eager to learn. When we touch on something that sparks enthusiasm for them, it is clear. I want time in my plan to be able to pause and explore those interests. Our roots are still Waldorf-ish, but we have woven it into our own tapestry; our Us-school.

This year, we will still be part of our homeschool charter. My kiddos will do the weekly classes and activities, but due to a resource center move, I don't know if there will be additional classes they can participate in. (Lala Bug did math the last year or two.) Our family will continue to participate in 4-H, with Lala Bug co-leading a project. We will continue in our American Girl club (picking back up with the Civil War era) and to start the year, both kids will be in soccer.

As always, read aloud, games, the library, crafting and building, and nature study are also a key part of our homeschool. In addition, I want to pick back up on our Waldorfish Weekly Art class.

Because we school through a charter, we have to turn in monthly work samples for each child in 5 core subjects. At home, we can do these in any way, using any philosophy that suits us.

Math: I have used Making Math Meaningful teacher guides (for grades 1-5 and for middle school) to help me decide what to cover as I set up a Khan Academy classroom for each of my kiddos. We will be doing geometry through art this year and I am starting the year off with a block on chocolate, which is designed as a math block, although we will dip into geography and cultures as well.

Science: We will be having a weekly nature day again this year, using Exploring Nature with Children as a guide. We will also do some home experiments, journaling, and use Mystery Science again. I would like to focus on health/anatomy/physiology, botany, and some physics this year. A recent post from Carrie of The Parenting Passageway has me thinking how to explore oceanography, as well.

Social Studies: We will be using the library a lot for this subject. We will cover some ancient myths for Brown Mouse and American history (south and north) for both kids. (Primarily Lala Bug, but our American Girl kid club covers quite a lot of U.S. history, too, for both kids.)

Writing and Language Arts: I am putting these two together, because I am choosing some Brave Writer Arrow guides and writing projects this year. Because we have some dyslexic-like challenges, I am considering using a phonics and spelling support, as well, but I have yet to decide how I am going to blend this all together. Writing will allow the kids to practice print, cursive, and typing this year.

I have been grateful again this year for the Plan it Out course and community from Waldorf-Inspired Learning. (I joined as the first group over a year ago and her planning style suits me very well.) I also continue to dip in and out of Waldorf Essentials TFW. (I have been a lifetime member for 6 years.)

Perhaps this sounds like a lot to you. Perhaps it sounds like we have gaps. We ebb and flow (we don't do everything all the time) and as unexpected opportunities arise, we like to add in.

Are you a homeschooler who is planning? What is that looking like for you?

health (and food) journey

M has been encouraging me to share my health journey here. I joke that I am the healthiest unhealthy person (or maybe it's the unhealthiest healthy person?), because all my basics are good...blood pressure, cholesterol, fitness, mindfulness and care of my emotional and mental health, etc.

Yet I am a highly sensitive person who has to be careful with fatigue and overwhelm and I have struggled with eczema for my entire life. It comes and it goes, some of the triggers are very obvious, some are no longer triggers, and some are new triggers that I am trying to figure out. It primarily presents on my face and neck and in the past 6-12 months, my eczema has been so inflamed, uncomfortable, and embarrassing, that I knew it was time to make some more changes.

My eczema story begins from the time I was very little. I would toddle out to the family garden, pick green beans, and munch like they were candy. Every parent's dream...until I would break out in a rash. Through my childhood, I was allergic to legumes.

By the time I was about 12, I was having some other symptoms, as well. I found I was tired a lot. I got thoroughly checked and learned I had hypothyroidism. Not long after that, I struggled with a host of issues that, at the time, was uncertainly diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I was also put on a diet for Candida. Around the same time, I became deeply affected by caring for animals at a beloved ranch camp and decided to become vegetarian. (My poor parents!)

As I write all of this, I realize that some of the changes I have made in the last decade are ones I should have made many, many years prior, or I had made (with parental guidance and support) and then eventually lapsed from. And looking back, my mom and I have puzzled over some of my symptoms and struggles and I now think that anxiety and high sensitivity played a mental role in my struggles, which unknowingly (but now obviously) mingled with my body's health struggles.

About 8 years ago, my eczema flared badly and kept becoming infected. I had already discovered more allergies (cats, grasses, dust, certain scents, etc.). I really struggled during this time because I was a full time mamma to two young ones and I was feeling very poorly, but it wasn't the type of illness I wanted to share about broadly. I saw all sorts of specialists, pursued a variety of possibilities, and I tested positive for Lyme disease. I was on multiple rounds of strong antibiotics and my body was not happy with me.

When a blogging friend (Renee) told me her husband's eczema cleared when he went on a gluten free diet, I began really pushing my doctors to check me for Celiac Disease. They pushed back, but eventually, I was tested. A blood test and then an endoscopy showed that I was in the early stages of damage from Celiac Disease. As an amateur DIY baker, this was crushing, but I cleared out the kitchen, began exploring gluten-free recipes, and have been gluten-free ever since. It took nearly 9 months of being gluten-free for my body to begin to feel better.

For the following 7 years, I still struggled with eczema, but not to the degree that I had been, and not with the infections. Then, about a year ago, my eczema started getting worse again.During this time I added certain supplements to my diet, including vitamin D, multi-vitamin, probiotic, etc.

A couple of months ago, I went in to see my regular doctor for a well check. She was quite thorough with me and I walked away being told I needed to begin an anti-inflammatory diet, especially cutting out dairy. If I thought cutting gluten was hard, dairy was going to be harder for me, because I was still vegetarian for the most part. (I ate seafood.) My doctor sent me for a thorough set of blood tests and this time, it showed that my eosinophils (markers of inflammation) were off the charts high.

Our family went on a backpacking trip and then I began an anti-inflammatory diet the day after we got home. No dairy, no grains (to start, then small amounts of gluten free grains), no alcohol, no sugar, no caffeine, and no legumes (because, remember, I was allergic to those as a kid? And that includes no peanuts). I needed to start eating some poultry to get enough protein and feel fuller.

I read and followed Aviva Romm's Adrenal Thyroid Revolution, focusing on my overall health and a diet and general health reset, rather than an elimination diet. By the end of week 2, my skin was looking and feeling much better and my brain fog was clearing. I felt like I could think again! (I had had a joke that "I need to think about thinking about" things. When the fog started lifting, all of a sudden I had opinions and thoughts about the kitchen remodel that has been years overdue!)

The reset was a month long, it is over, and while I am maintaining some of the things I have cleared from my diet (dairy, alcohol, most sugar), my skin is a little stressed again and I have been feeling a little anxious and fuzzy headed again. I am on a waiting list for patch testing to determine if and what might be contributing to my inflammation topically. I know the self-care and mental health components of our whole being health cannot be underestimated, and as the parent of a high needs child, I know I am under a steady amount of stress.

I was tested again late last week for Lyme and a re-check of my eosinophil levels. This time, my Lyme came back negative and my eosinophils markers have dropped substantially, resting barely above the max of the normal range. I am thrilled! I have noticed that I have dropped a little bit of weight in addition to feeling a better. Feeling better has made me realize how poorly I had been feeling and that I have been functioning low steam for awhile now, without realizing it.

M joined me for the reset and we are committed to stay on track together. While we ate many of these things before, we are eating tons more fruits and veggies, fish, poultry, seeds, nuts, gluten-free noodles, potatoes, quinoa, rice, and millet. The couple of times I have had sugary foods, I have gotten a stomach ache, so I think my body is adjusting, and I am not having cravings like I was the first week. I am still tired, so I continue to work on getting enough sleep.

From a financial perspective, we save money by keeping meals simple, making foods in batches and freezing some, buying in bulk when possible (we have a chest freezer), planning so food isn't wasted (and I keep my food plans simple), not eating prepared foods, and buying foods when they are reduced price.

Health is one part of this life journey, so what I share here is more of a snapshot of 'right now' than anything else. Do you have challenges or successes with your health in an ongoing way?

nature (study) - a peek into what it looks like for us

I cannot remember a time when I have felt a disconnection from nature. My parents are "outdoors" people. In fact, they met in a church backpacking group, were among the earliest members of REI Co-op, summited a couple of California's major peaks, and even went backpacking (with diapers and a birthing manual) when a couple weeks shy of delivering my older brother.  (I was explicitly told "do not do that!" when I was pregnant.) As kids, there wasn't a ton of money, but a strong sense of adventure and I saw a lot of the U.S. from campsite to campsite. Today, still, my parents are hikers, bikers, birders, travelers, and continue to share their love of the outdoors with us and with my children. My kids' knowledge of birds comes from my parents sharing their love of birds. The kids, in turn, share it with me.

My brother and I inherited (absorbed?) this love for the outdoors in different ways. My brother, S, is definitely a careful, but more extreme adventurer than I am, having spent over a decade researching in Antarctica and having completed quite a few 'hard core' through-hikes and peak summits. M is also a lover of the outdoors. Both brother and husband were Boy Scouts (different troops) and M's troop spent weeks every summer adventuring wildly, with little adult supervision and direction, in Desolation Wilderness. M's love of the outdoors is playful and exuberant and he knows far more about survival, equipment, and fires than I do. (Incidentally, S and M met working at REI (they had the knowledge and liked the discounts), became fast friends, and that is how I met M, my husband!)

I have taken it all in in a gentler way. My degree is in biology, but I have a strong interest in plants and environmental science. When I grow up (i.e., I am no longer homeschool parenting), one of my considerations is to deepen my nature knowledge and/or pursue becoming a naturalist. (I could do this through higher education or even participating in some of the classes Jon Young founded here or here.) There is something about nature that soothes my highly sensitive soul, brings me peace and order when anxiety kicks in, and leaves me feeling like there is hope for the future and a connection to the past. While I am a hiker, swimmer, and paddler, too, I also like to slow down and pay attention to what is around me in nature.

And all of these experiences have filtered down to our kids. Our shared stories become part of their story, their history, and their experience.

I have shared quite a few posts about our nature study because it has been one of our greatest intentional successes this year. Because of who I am and who M is and our shared love of the outdoors, our kids have grown up camping, hiking, and loving nature. In fact, as I sit here and write about nature, our kids are in a day camp that has one of them herb foraging and crafting and the other exploring forest crafts. They are loving it. 

I want to share a little more in this post because I have been reading a book called How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott D. Sampson. I had never heard of this book before, but the hosts of one of my favorite podcasts, Homeschool Unrefined, are reading it and podcasting about it, book club style, during the summer. Since the topic is right up my ally, I borrowed the book from the library to join in. 

I am in the middle of chapter 3 and, it turns out, the author is speaking right to me. It could be, in part, because at least part of this book was written when he lived in the part of California in which I live, but so much of what he says resonates and validates my family's approach with nature, which, as a homeschooling mamma, isn't a feeling I experience or allow myself often enough. He talks about cultivating a love of and connection to nature in our children from an early age by providing consistent time in nature and an engaged adult (a mentor) with whom to share those experiences. He discusses the importance of a sense of place and taking the time to observe, ask questions, and being attentive to how the children in front of you learn best. Stories, hands-on activities, individually, in groups? Much of what he has covered, so far, is applicable beyond just the consideration of nature study and the cultivation of interest in nature. Those questions and approaches resonate deeply with my Waldorf roots and apply to other aspects of homeschooling and learning in general.

While I don't want to turn this post into a review of that individual book, I do think it (and likely others, such as Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv) offer powerful food for thought on how humanity is and is not interacting with nature and how the idea of nature has changed in recent generations. 

Other guides that have supported our family's experiences with nature are general guidebooks for where we live. (Some of ours are in a photo below. Some have been gifts, but many have been purchased used in local book sales.) Guides that have greatly shaped my mentoring of nature with my own kids and as a 4-H leader are Exploring Nature With Children by Lynn Seddon and Nature Journaling Curriculum (for use with children) by John Muir Laws. (An updated version of this is coming soon and as a beta tester, I am excited for it! He is local to me, so the kids and I have even gone to some of his free workshops, but he has lots of free videos.) And stories. Stories of all sorts, set in nature or featuring nature, have inspired curiosity, whether they are fables, The Burgess Bird Book, James Herriot stories, stories about pioneering naturalists like Girls Who Looked Under Rocks, and so many, many more.

A quick mention here about gear and food; Having shoes, jackets, hats, and pants that fit well and repel water well makes outside time in wet weather more bearable. The same holds true for warm gear in cold weather as well as proper sun protection in hot, sunny weather. One piece of gear that our kids have, which I don't know if I would have invested in, are CamelBak backpacks. When our kids were 2 and 5, my parents bought them each the smallest size available. To this day, they still wear the packs and for many hikes, those packs were the deal-maker. They loved having their own packs and so from a very early age, they have carried their own water and their own snacks. Now, older, they often have a sitting pad, first aid kit, sunblock, and Swiss Army knife in their packs as well. When they were young, they loved the control and we loved not having to carry so much weight. And snacks...with kids, especially if you have kids who are highly sensitive, everything goes better with food. Pick portable, filling snacks that appeal to your kids and pack extras!

From the time the kids were very little, they have brought nature home with them. We have a nature table that changes with the seasons. Usually, it becomes full and we clean it all up and start over, with a few favorites that stay for awhile. We talk about what we collect here and the phrase "leave only footprints and take home only pictures." We try and find appropriate balance between leaving nature in its own ecosystem and wanting and needing a little bit of it in ours.

Closer to home, interaction with natures has meant bird watching from the deck, growing a garden, taking walks around the neighborhood and seeing what is in bloom and when, raising chickens, and watching the phases of the moon change with each passing day.

M made 'pocket' flower presses for the kids. They were a hit!

One of our greatest homeschool successes this year has been a dedicated nature study day each week. Each week, depending on what is going on, we enjoy nature in our own back yard (like the week we participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count), at a nearby lake (seasonally, so we can see the changes from season to season), we take a little field trip, or, most commonly, head to our favorite nearby park. (By park, I don't mean playground. We are blessed, for as urban as it is where we live, the area has a tremendous number of large regional and state parks.) Annually, we spend time up at the lake, off-grid with the environment as our playground. For our weekly nature time, we often have something to focus on (buds, bugs, trees, weather, etc.), but always need free play, too. I always try to capture it in some way in my nature journal (some pages of mine shown here) and the kids often do, as well. Looking back on the year's worth of journal pages has brought a sense of awe and accomplishment.

Camping, hiking, observing, foraging, identifying, growing, and protecting are all ways in which we are connecting with the natural world around us. How do you connect with nature?

summer reading 2018

My summer priority reading

Every summer since they were little, my kids have participated in our city library's summer reading program. They love to do it, are eager to sign up, and it seems to be mostly for the thrill of checking off the days. Always, the kids earn a free book and a packet of coupons for things like a free ice cream at a local creamery. Several years in a row, Lala Bug won an additional special prize, so those years, we got to go on a ferry ride, as well. This year, it is clear the program has had an overhaul. I don't know what the ending prize will be, but they still earn a free book. Now they are entered to win an iPad (wowza) and upon signing up, got to choose tickets to a baseball game! I think some kids are less motivated to read than mine are. Our weekly library day is quite important to the guys!

''If I get to them' reading

I am relaxing into reading time during the summer, too. I posted my list last summer and I got through some, not all of the stack, so this summer, I have made a few stacks. My priority stack (and I am half way through two of those books), my 'if I get to them' stack, my lesson planning books, and I will certainly read some fiction that I will pick up along the way.

 

 Lesson planning materials

What are you reading?

June 2018, a nature filled update

We have had so many beautiful moments that I have caught on camera lately and I have shared bits and pieces of our doings on Instagram (request to follow me @nicolacreativelightless ), but I wanted to share more here, and quite honestly, had forgotten that I posted a decent summary of our highlights in early May. All of that still holds true, with the exception of my health status. Knock on wood, I am on the mend. After a glorious backpacking trip (see below), we began an anti-inflammatory diet. Really, it is for me, because my inflammation markers were through the roof on a recent blood test, but M decided to join me. He says he isn't feeling that different, but my skin (horrible eczema) is clearing and my brain fog is lifting. I am still tired, but am taking much better care of myself, my family is supporting me, and I don't feel like hiding quite so much.

We slid out of the school year. What I mean by that is that I simply chose a day to end the school year, but we had already started fizzling out and while I truly believe in a rest period (I might be the one who needs it most), rhythm is good for all of us and there are certain pieces to our days that we don't want to let go of (nature play and study!) or I feel like need a little special focus. We did finish up some unfinished projects, which felt good.

With my brain fluff clearing a little, and in combination with Waldorf-Inspired Learning's Plan it Out program, I am thinking a bit about what worked, what didn't, and what I would like to plan for next year. We won't likely make decisions about high school for some months yet, but I am planning as though this is our last year homeschooling with all of us together. A lot of emotions for me. Really, kiddos do grow up so quickly.

So now we enter summer. Long days of light have meant a loss of morning alone time for me, because Lala Bug is waking super early and can't fall back to sleep. (Yes, there are black out shades in the bedroom.) She is a highly sensitive kid. We used to do a summer manifesto, but now, I am simply holding the words "summer slow down" in my mind.

What will summer look like for you?

corner view: my room 1, before

I began blogging over 10 years ago. (I closed my original blog, Which Name?, to the public and stopping adding to it about 3 years ago.) Somewhere in the 11+ years I have been blogging, perhaps starting 8 or 9 years ago already, I was enmeshed in a lovely blogging community, one that was big and overlapping, like a beautiful online Venn diagram. One circle of that Venn was a group of bloggers from around the world that participated in Corner View. Each week, there was a theme, and we were to take a photograph of our corner of the world, to fit that theme, and share it on our blog. We linked up to each other's blogs. The themes were things like coffee, home, community, etc.

Now, on this blog, I am going to use a modified version of 'corner view' to share some photos of home. This summer, we plan to do some minor renovations and major rearranging in our home, so it occurred to me what feels like 'home' right now, might feel very different by the end of the year.

 This corner view is in my room, now. My dresser, pulled from my in-laws storage shed, each drawer lined with old maps. On the wall above, my growing curiosity cabinet, given to me by my brother. On the dresser, a driftwood beach candle holder (also from my brother), a mosaic mirror made by my girl, M's childhood piggy bank, my name scrolled by my grandpa when I was a child, an antique jewelry box given to me as a young teen by my parents, a plant from my best friend, and rocks. Always rocks with words on them. The ones in the shell have some of my word-of-the-year rocks and the ones in the jar were written on and given to me on my birthday from my family.

As I write all that, it amazes me that this one tiny corner view holds so many memories and shares so much about me.

home and homeschool - a May update

I haven't intended to become such an irregular blogger. I deeply miss the writing and sharing here in this space, but a few things have happened that have slowed down (paused!) my blogging here.

Journey North Mystery Class and also math-in-the-garden nature journaling.

My joy in blogging has always been two-fold. One is my love of photography. I love capturing what I see and sharing it here. My desire to share hasn't mixed well with my time to upload, look over, delete, and url stamp my photos lately. In addition, I have had to take and choose photos with a different 'lens.' I have been very careful when choosing photos that include my kids or their work because they are becoming more private, probably in part because of age, but also, following my lead and conversations we have had, they are more cautious. And, of course, I admit to having finally joined the world of Instagram last autumn. It is so easy just to share a photo there, without url stamping and with easy editing. It has made me lazy with photo blogging. (You can request to follow me there @nicolacreativelightless )

The second has been the writing piece. As for the writing component of sharing here...well...my thoughts and feelings have run so deep and so muddled, that I have struggled to make sense of them. Writing has always helped, but for me to be comfortable sharing here, the re-writing and editing would take too long. I have struggled with some health challenges which have left me drained at the end of the day. The time after the kids go to bed has always been my quiet writing time, but lately, I have lacked all desire to be on the computer before bed. In fact, right now, it is mid-afternoon, we are all out on the deck and the photo below is my view of the kids as I write. We just visited the library and need nothing more than a good book, a snack, and sunshine to undo some of the tension built from testing the last couple of weeks.

Lala Bug made a thunder cake on her own after reading Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

So much has happened the past couple of months, since I last truly blogged about homeschooling. Nothing hugely significant, but just many little, ordinary, extraordinary, beautiful (and stressful...let's be honest) moments, cobbled together to make a meaningful family life and education. One of our strongest anchors has been nature study this year. It hasn't been what I imagined it would be, but it has been healing and soul-filling. Read-aloud time and hands-on explorations connected with those readings have also been strong roots, along with our charter community and activities.

We have had crazy spring weather. Dime-sized hail!

Family nature journaling

Since my post about worrying about the path ahead, I have attended some homeschool high school discussions, had lots of conversations with other parents, I have listened to a number of homeschool podcasts, 'attended' a couple of online summits (including one for twice exceptional (2e) children...children who are both gifted and have special needs/challenges), visited a couple of alternative middle and high schools, journaled, discussed with M, and thought a lot.  We still don't know what we will be doing when the time for 'high school' comes, but my exploration has opened conversations with Lala Bug, has begun warming all of us to the idea that transitions are coming, and I feel significantly less anxious. (For now.)

   Knitting pattern writing and drawing

 

 Fibonacci explorations

So, today, I am enjoying the sunshine of spring, sitting here with my computer and my notebook, and dumping ideas down for what is worrying me and what I want most to tackle in our home and homeschool in the coming months. It gives me a place to begin a conversation with the kids and M about what they most want to guide and learn and do. What does your home look like this spring?