We are several weeks into "school" now, and have a pretty good rhythm going. I'm using the Enki books and the Christopherus book. We start the morning with songs and movement. I've been adding one new song/movement per week and we'll keep the same songs for a while. The idea is to get the "breath and blood" flowing first thing in the morning. It's fun!
We do a different story every week, which I start off reading and eventually partially memorize. Gabe sometimes likes to repeat the story of the week back to me at bed time. During story time, we model things from the story with beeswax, progressively making more things from the story as the week goes on. Sometimes the two year old eats them, but that's okay. About once a week, I draw a picture with crayons to illustrate the story. The kids draw whatever they want. We hang all the pictures up and Gabe sometimes looks at them and talks about the stories from weeks past.
I choose one craft per week. We work on skills like tying knots, hand sewing, and woodworking. Helping in the kitchen is something they do regularly, too.
We made mittens from an old sweater! I made these that he will really wear, but he made one just to play with.
Last week, we started wet-on-wet watercolor painting. We are hanging all those pictures up, too. The wet-on-wet watercoloring is nice because I have them keep the paint on the paper and keep the colors separated. I would not start this with a child under 4, unless the toddler is participating with an older sibling. That works well for us, but I wouldn't do it with Susanna alone.
I let them go crazy with (cheap, washable) paint, too. Not more than once a week, though, because it drives me a little crazy!
I have another picture wall where I hang pictures from homeschool co-op and other miscellaneous pictures. It has become a tradition for us to hang up all our creations and Gabe expects it. Old ones eventually come down and are replaced.
We get 1-3 library books every week. We ride bikes to the library. We are not into reading 10-20 different books per day. We enjoy working with the same few stories, rather than joining the rat race to read more, more, more.
I make a habit of going bike riding at least once a week. Susanna is learning to pedal a tricycle. I have been keeping up with taking them swimming once a week, too, and I plan to even when it gets cold. PE is an important subject in our homeschool!
I'm not spending a lot of time doing "school," ie songs, stories, and crafts, but it is important time. It took a lot of figuring out to get where we are. I spent many, many nights studying after the kids were in bed during the past year. The Waldorf-inspired homeschooling that we do leads to much imaginative play as well! So it kind of goes on after I have stopped leading the activity.
I love having a strong family rhythm in which our life comes from within the home. I have read that this rhythm that is set in the early years sets the stage for later academic work in the homeschool. That makes sense to me. My kids love song time, story time, craft time painting time, etc. and generally know when to expect those things, but when they ask to have song time or paint for a second time in a day, we can do that, too. Especially at this age, I don't want to be shuffling kids around all day long to outside activities to let them build their lives away from home. I love the unity of our family. That is why we homeschool. I remember every day how blessed I am to live this life.
I've recently cut back on my own outside-the-family commitments to allow more time to focus inward. I believe in practicing what I preach, and I wouldn't be if my own life was rushed much of the time. My kids don't like it when I leave, and especially with Ryan deployed, I understand. I moved my bed time an hour earlier. My body let me know that I was pushing it. I appreciate how it does that. Besides, I am preparing to be pregnant in a few months and I like to prepare my body and mind for pregnancy in the months before conception. (I have had the good fortune to be able to do this thus far, for which I am thankful.) It is clear to me that there is nothing more important than cultivating a rhythmic, peaceful, happy home life for my growing family.
We do a different story every week, which I start off reading and eventually partially memorize. Gabe sometimes likes to repeat the story of the week back to me at bed time. During story time, we model things from the story with beeswax, progressively making more things from the story as the week goes on. Sometimes the two year old eats them, but that's okay. About once a week, I draw a picture with crayons to illustrate the story. The kids draw whatever they want. We hang all the pictures up and Gabe sometimes looks at them and talks about the stories from weeks past.
I choose one craft per week. We work on skills like tying knots, hand sewing, and woodworking. Helping in the kitchen is something they do regularly, too.
We made mittens from an old sweater! I made these that he will really wear, but he made one just to play with.
Last week, we started wet-on-wet watercolor painting. We are hanging all those pictures up, too. The wet-on-wet watercoloring is nice because I have them keep the paint on the paper and keep the colors separated. I would not start this with a child under 4, unless the toddler is participating with an older sibling. That works well for us, but I wouldn't do it with Susanna alone.
I let them go crazy with (cheap, washable) paint, too. Not more than once a week, though, because it drives me a little crazy!
I have another picture wall where I hang pictures from homeschool co-op and other miscellaneous pictures. It has become a tradition for us to hang up all our creations and Gabe expects it. Old ones eventually come down and are replaced.
We get 1-3 library books every week. We ride bikes to the library. We are not into reading 10-20 different books per day. We enjoy working with the same few stories, rather than joining the rat race to read more, more, more.
I make a habit of going bike riding at least once a week. Susanna is learning to pedal a tricycle. I have been keeping up with taking them swimming once a week, too, and I plan to even when it gets cold. PE is an important subject in our homeschool!
I'm not spending a lot of time doing "school," ie songs, stories, and crafts, but it is important time. It took a lot of figuring out to get where we are. I spent many, many nights studying after the kids were in bed during the past year. The Waldorf-inspired homeschooling that we do leads to much imaginative play as well! So it kind of goes on after I have stopped leading the activity.
I love having a strong family rhythm in which our life comes from within the home. I have read that this rhythm that is set in the early years sets the stage for later academic work in the homeschool. That makes sense to me. My kids love song time, story time, craft time painting time, etc. and generally know when to expect those things, but when they ask to have song time or paint for a second time in a day, we can do that, too. Especially at this age, I don't want to be shuffling kids around all day long to outside activities to let them build their lives away from home. I love the unity of our family. That is why we homeschool. I remember every day how blessed I am to live this life.
I've recently cut back on my own outside-the-family commitments to allow more time to focus inward. I believe in practicing what I preach, and I wouldn't be if my own life was rushed much of the time. My kids don't like it when I leave, and especially with Ryan deployed, I understand. I moved my bed time an hour earlier. My body let me know that I was pushing it. I appreciate how it does that. Besides, I am preparing to be pregnant in a few months and I like to prepare my body and mind for pregnancy in the months before conception. (I have had the good fortune to be able to do this thus far, for which I am thankful.) It is clear to me that there is nothing more important than cultivating a rhythmic, peaceful, happy home life for my growing family.
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