Planning From Behind

I’m a planner. There’s just something about making plans and checking boxes that really gets me going. I also love to teach, to see those lightbulbs go off when a curiosity is satisfied. Trouble is, when you are homeschooling multiple kids, things don’t always, or often, go as planned. Even with the best intentions, we can squash our children’s natural learning potential in favor of completing a curriculum or following a standard.

For the vlog

Scenes from the Week of Jan 17

Of the things that happen every day, some are little, some much bigger, some take effort, some come with ease. There are countless little and big things that happen each day. Here are some pics and videos that we can remember them by. Every day is a gift.

I Wonder…

Sometimes I find myself jealous of the social media posts of other moms of young kids. The fancy themed baskets and fresh treats to celebrate the seasons, the child-free workouts or lunches with friends. But until you have made Rice Krispie monsters with 4 kids “helping”, you really haven’t lived.

I wonder sometimes what I would do with my time if my kids were in school and not sharing my same square foot for 15 hours a day then sharing my bed all night.

Oyster Catchers and More

I’m a huge proponent of open-ended play and child-led learning. We love art for the process just as much for the final product.

This year I found a super-fun theme based art curriculum. This month we are learning all about tide pools and doing art projects that reinforce our learning. Today we read about oyster catchers, read some tide pool poetry, copied our favorite poem, and made our own oyster catcher art.

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Two Weeks In

We are two weeks into our homeschool year. We pretty much go year round taking breaks whenever we feel like it, but we like to start back with a loose routine and celebrate the end of one year and the start of another. Kids and I talked about their goals for the year, what they are interested in, and how we want our days to go.

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Homeschooling

I am enough. You are enough.

Last night before bed I began, yet again, examining and reworking our homeschool rhythm.

You are not alone!

After a short break to adjust to Dad’s new week on/ week off nursing schedule and a birthday celebration, we are ready to dive (or should I say Glide back in). My oldest just turned 12 and along with him I homeschool my nearly 6 and 7 year-old daughters while wrangling their nearly 3 and newly 1 year-old brothers.

We are wrapping up our second year of homeschooling, just as most of the world has now been thrown into it. Friends from far and wide have reached out to ask for advice and for resource recommendations to help enrich their children’s education and foster connection during this time.

Here’s what I’ve got!

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Jamboree

Yesterday this little-big-thing really seemed all big. We attended her gymnastics jamboree where she showed her skills with the 5-7 year old class she has been attending. She turns 5 next week but has been keeping up with these big kids all season. We all turned out for the event (Marnie and Jeff Jeff, uncle Jake, Daddy and her brother and sister.) It really takes a village to do things like this- Jeff took Jack out where he could roam free and Marnie kept Ellie from jumping off the bleachers. We all beamed with pride as she pulled herself over on the bars without assistance and despite a recent falling off the monkey bar hip injury, tried her very best and pushed through her cartwheels and all.

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