Goldenrod Tell me, sunny goldenrod, Growing everywhere, Did fairies come from fairyland And make the dress you wear? Did you get from mines of gold Your bright and shining hue? Or did the baby stars some night Fall down and cover you? I love you, laughing goldenrod,  And I will try, like you, To fill each day with deeds of cheer; Be loving, kind, and true. -Author Unknown

As I was sharing on Monday, the Waldorf tradition of slowing down and savoring the changing of the seasons has always been appealing. So I marked days off on our school calendar this year and planned to use them to "breathe in" special times, mainly equinoxes and festivals.

Last Thursday and Friday were our first marked days off, to be spent welcoming the Fall Equinox. (I can hardly believe that it's here!) On Thursday, a good friend hosted a homeschool Woodland class at her house complete with leaf rubbings, q-tip paintings of changing trees, and a scavenger hike through the woods. Such fun! And a good chance for all our kids to spend time with each other.

On a quick sidenote, I've had so many conversations lately about homeschool and socialization. It was something that I worried about with homeschooling, but decided this was more important. I'm still happy with our choice, and we've ended up having so many chances to socialize- between sports, classes, library, playdates & Girl Scouts- that I often have to choose to stay home to make sure we keep up with our curriculum. There's also some good thoughts in this article, "What about Socialization?"

Back to the equinox! On Friday another friend had planned a field-trip to an apple orchard. Isia dressed herself for the occasion, with this skirt sewn so long ago. It's been her favorite lately, which means there might need to be a few more on the horizon. Especially now that she's old enough to help! We did a hayride around the orchard, then stopped to pick an apple. At least that was the plan...

The kids also enjoyed playing with their treasures afterwards. Here is Billy counting and sorting his for almost an hour. While I was watching him, I realized how many of his Kindergarten standards that he was accomplishing- just through "play." Our newest math curriculum is play-based as well. Here is Isia playing with her Cusinaire wooden rods for her Miquon Math lesson. This is our first time using this curriculum, and I think it will be a nice compliment to our Oak Meadow's Waldorf math (see first photo).

On Homeschool Mondays, I'll be sharing a glimpse into our schoolroom and what we're working on. This year we have a Second-grader, a Kindergartner, and a Toddler in our classroom. 

I had this funny thought before I left teaching to stay home with Isia- that time would move slower if we were together for most of it. The days usually felt like they did- a few days even seemed to go on forever (wink)- but the weeks felt just as short. And as each new baby joined the fold, those weeks started going by even more quickly! So it is now, as I realize we are five weeks into homeschool. Where did August go??

I'd be thankful if we could talk September into moving a bit more slowly.

So, five weeks into our curriculum, I've realized we are behind what my expectations were. In our first years of homeschool, this would have made me feel defeated. I would have lamented on not keeping up with our expensive curriculum, worried about the future of my kid's learning, been distressed that I wasn't a good enough comparison to what they would have been learning in the classroom. I would have wondered if they should be home with me after all. Whether homeschool was a good fit for us- or whether I was a good fit for homeschool. But I've finally learned to take a breath, pour a cup of tea, then slowly look through my phone and Instagram feed for what we've been up to...

Homeschooling Tips for Difficult Times

• Find your minimum: At the beginning of the week, right after we'd found out the news, I took time to let go of my weekly expectations. The kids were sad, and I wanted to respect their grief so I consciously went through our school agenda for the week and removed everything but the barebones of our curriculum. 

• Supplement your learning: 

• Audio Books: A fun way to supplement learning! My family lives three hours away, so we had a lot of time in the car together. To get the most out of an audio book, I like to pause it intermittently and check in with the kids: "Who are the characters so far?" "What just happened?" "What do you think will happen next?" Easy questions like these help kids build reading comprehension strategies that then help with written material, too. Some audio books we enjoy: The Penderwicks, The Children of Green Knowe 

• Simple Learning Activities: Especially if they're portable, and can travel with you! They're easy to do during long car rides (see above) or in a quiet corner of a funeral home. Here's a few that both my older kids enjoy: Toothpick & Rubber Band Patterns, Busy Bag Buttoning, Leaf Sewing Practice

• Learning Books: Right now we're reading the "Life of Fred" series, which the kids love. Each book introduces math concepts through easy, kid-friendly, very funny stories. Isia enjoys reading by herself during quiet time! So I made sure to pack our current book (see link) for bedtime reading, since the chapters are quick & it's great, low-key learning to discuss the end-of-chapter questions together.

• Learn From It: There were quite a few hands-on learning experiences last week that had nothing to with our curriculum. We learned how to dress for a visitation & funeral. How to shake hands and properly introduce ourselves to adults, especially during the visitation. We learned what's helpful- getting water & extra Kleenexes for Great-Grandma, and what's not helpful. We learned what grief looks like, and had some great, age-appropriate conversations about death. 

• Let it go: Lastly, it's extra important to take care of yourself. During the week, the kids watched several episodes of  "Reading Rainbow" & "Wild Kratts" so I could recharge and work through my own grief. I think honoring & being present for my own grief made me more compassionate to my children's as well. 

The 17-Cent Daily Homeschool Calendar for Kids

• Daily Chores: Bed-making, un-loading dishwasher, emptying trashcans, organizing our shoe area, & sweeping the deck are favorites around here.

•  Daily Weather: Billy only draws the weather so far, but Isia also looks up temperature, writes a weather word, and now records the humidity (a great excuse to talk about percentages). Daily weather observations connect kids with their natural world and include science in your day!

• Daily Quote/Verse Copywork: Memorization is a great way to instill values in kids, and build mindfulness. There are so many words floating around the world through type, screen & audio that it's important to fill our children's core with loving, purposeful ones that aid them in filtering the rest. It's a helpful practice for parents, too (smile).

• Handwork: Simple sewing, knitting, crocheting
 

• Sibling Activities: It empowers older kids to be "in charge of" a simple task with a younger sibling. The best way to strengthen your own knowledge is to teach it to others, no matter how young you are! Whether it's singing the "ABC song" together, doing a puzzle, or reviewing flashcards, it builds sibling relationships and personal knowledge, too.

Homeschool Yearly Schedule

Kindergarten Curriculum

I was so nervous about this pattern: sportweight yarn, going back and forth between two needle sizes, sleeves?? But I'm happy to report that the "Baby Tea Leaves" cardigan ended up being a simple cardigan to knit after all, perfect for babies and toddlers when the leaves start to change. There was some light stretching of my knitting skills along the way, but Melissa's instructions were extremely easy to follow. Here are my Ravelry notes.

The cardigan progress was closely watched by all my children. We "oohed & aahed" together as the sweater design took shape, and they were so excited when it was finished. Of course, Isia's been closely involved since the start. The pattern recommends Madeline pashmina, which I mistook for sportweight (details, details). It still worked great- although I'd like to knit a future one in pashmina to see the difference. Since I'm planning on including knitting in homeschool this year, I'm hoping my needles will inspire her own! The one who's enjoyed this knitting pattern the most is Esther. She's squeaked to try on her cardigan every step of the way, and didn't want to take it off after our quick photo session- even in our hot summer weather (smile). 

 Now that it's done, both older kids are vying to be next. Of course, our leaves are far from changing & the swimsuits are still in full rotation, which means it's probably time to cast on another!

It's also time to plan my monthly goals. Such a simple exercise, but it really helps me to stay mindful as we move through the year. Here were my June goals, and here are some things I'm planning for August:

• Get homeschool up & running: This includes the smaller subset goal of getting up earlier. We all slept in this summer, but it's important to get back into our school rhythm. An earlier start makes the day go much more smoothly!

• Finish the basement: Construction is almost done, so we need to put it all back together. There will also be a good dose of minimizing & organizing.

• Weekly updates: I'll be checking in each Monday to share our previous homeschool week. You can also catch our adventures on Instagram, including the sleepy ones.

• Soak up Summer: This includes a visit to the fair- one of my favorite summer rituals!