Homeschooling on The Brain

Two months since my last post...WHAT!?! Every time I hit publish I fully intend to return within a week. Sorry!

Not much has been going on though.  We are waiting on Chris to be given an aircraft and placed in a course for the final part of flight school.  The next part will determine how much longer we will be in Alabama.  I hope that we are here through next May so we can complete the full year of the co-op.

 

 Homeschooling is what is filling up my time.  Planning, teaching, cleaning up after the teaching, reading about teaching, listening to talks about teaching, and building new habits seems to be taking up my time when I'm not changing diapers or feeding someone.  This is NOT a complaint.  It's easy for me to use this space to whine, but I'm not whining here.  Shocking, I know.  I am thoroughly enjoying it the process, as messy as it may be.

I have determined that we are going to be year round schoolers.  It make sense for us, and it gives me the flexibility to take breaks when my ENFP gets bored.  Or the Army wants to change the rhythm of our home.  My kids won't really know they difference.

Our days lately have looked like this, breakfast, chores/play, morning time, lunch, lessons, and clean up.  I didn't give you times because it varies.  Lessons after lunch have been great mostly because I can think better and Becket is napping.  Simon plays well alone during that time, but he's always welcomed at the table.  Assuming no one is dragging their feet we get get lesson done in two the three hours.  I was reminded this evening that Owen needs a list. He will have one tomorrow.

Nature walk.

Nature journaling is hard.

I've been trying to do more nature studies.  Julie at Nurturing Learning has been so inspiring.  Her love for God's earth has been encouraging for me to "do betta".  I appreciate nature, but I don't love the way she does.   My kids love nature walks, collecting items, and documenting them in their nature journals.  I am doing my best to foster their love and not limit them because if my own "nature deficit" as I like to call it.

Morning time has been so lovely this week.  Sadly, it has been neglected, but we bounced back with no problem.  The kids have been receptive, and it has been a beautiful.  I cannot say it enough that every family should have a morning time...homeschooling or not.  Your Morning Basket is an amazing podcast on morning time.  Pam is wonderful and each episode is full of information and inspiration.

For the past few months I have been trying to learn as much as I can about classical education.  This book, Awakening Wonder: A Classical Guide to Truth, Goodness & Beauty by Stephan Turley, PhD is full of amazing passages.  It's more than just resource on pedagogy.  It gave me new perspective for my own life.  I have been commonplacing passages from the book and I feel I should just write the whole book in there. 

There is a local book club for classical educators which has been very fruitful.  God planted me here at just the right time (I don't want to leave).  We just finished reading The Tempest by William Shakespeare.  It's been so much fun to discuss literature.  The Book Broads is a book club with some online friends of mine.  We are reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett.  

The kids folding their laundry.

We have been working on habit forming.  And sometime times it look like the picture above.  But mostly it looks like the picture below.  So take solace in the fact that there is a strong chance that my house is in worse condition than yours.  And for some reason I posted it on the internet.

I will try not to stay away so long next time. But no promises. Peace, interwebs.