Eclectic Homeschooling: Week 2 of 2023

I have been reflecting on rhythms and seasons over the weekend. I feel like I have gotten to the point that our home has some natural rhythms that I need to capitalize on. I have been revisiting seasonal celebrations and Waldorf education. There is a lot I love about Charlotte Mason education and, well, just random education philosophies. I am a big believer that there is truth in just about all beliefs out there. So, I am exploring what truths I can add to our home life from Waldorf education and seasons. 

For seasons, I am putting together a unit study for next week to prepare for the Autumn Equinox next weekend. And from Waldorf education I am trying to embrace how simple and homemade a lot of their materials are. I believe Waldorf isn't more popular because so many of the projects and pictures you find aren't Instagram worthy or trendy. Also, there is a chance that a lot of Waldorf educators aren't really into using the internet or social media, so it is difficult to find information/inspiration. I will keep researching more of the philosophy. UPDATE: while I was sick and spending too much time on my phone, I found so many Waldorf resources on Pinterest! Turns out I just didn't know where to look. Still not as many resources as other education philosophies, but still way more than I thought!

Now on to our week!

Monday: The boys were so excited to do school today! Even Ean kept sighing in exasperation every time his read-aloud time was pushed off...again. We began a bee and wasp unit study that I put together. They have been so interested in them ever since 3 of the 4 boys were stung for the first time this year. Asa was only an onlooker, and so is terrified to be stung. Everyone, including Ean, was able to do anatomy worksheets today. Ean's came with already printed out names that he just needed match to what was on the poster and paste in place. He loved that so much! 

We watched two videos that I found on YouTube. I learned something super valuable. Wasps actually have a purpose other than being mean. If they were wiped out, we would have too many flies, caterpillars, and spiders. 🤯 They are magically not quite so annoying and horrible. This little moment of learning reminded of something I heard on a Simply Charlotte Mason podcast recently. It was about studying bugs in Nature Study. The guest shared how learning about bug help us appreciate them. Even a mosquito! They are pests to us, but there are several creatures that rely on them for food. I thought that was interesting, but didn't realize I would already see the benefits of studying bugs so soon! This is why I love homeschooling. I learn way more than the boys do, haha. 

We did an art lesson today. We were able to use watercolor crayons again, which has become a new favorite medium of mine. I can use something I am already familiar with (coloring with crayons), and then turn it into a watercolor work of art! I can't wait until I get better at it. Today they were invited to draw something from their imaginations! That is something right up their alley, so they had fun showing each other their stories. 

Over the weekend, I observed that reading aloud at night is actually working very well. Both Asa and Ira have things to say about the chapter books and scripture stories I am reading. They NEVER did that last year, which was a great source of discouragement and frustration for me. I spent the whole time telling them to be quiet and listen. Of course, it helps that they like the book I am reading because it is about naughty children, haha. I don't remember Mrs. Piggle Wiggle being so funny! I remember thinking the chapters were long when I was little, but they really aren't. 

The regret I have from today is waiting so long to get in outside time. We had some behavioral problems that magically disappeared the moment we got to a park. We are halfway through an hour outside at 7 PM. We are definitely not going to make it to 2 hours. But, they are super happy and will be prepared for bedtime tonight. I spent about an hour trying to replace the tubes in my bike tires so we could bike to the park. An extra screw later 😳, I am so glad I did. The bike ride to the park was nowhere near as grueling. I brought our repair kit just in case something fell apart. So far, I still have no idea where it is suppose to go. 

Tuesday: Matthew doesn't work on Tuesdays, which is normally fine. It doesn't interfere with our schedule too much. But for some reason today we had a hard time doing anything that we usually do. We got in the basics, but we ended up watching a lot of movies and a family walk was the only outside time we got it. 

The best part about today was when both Ira and Asa were able to remembet the phrases from Spanish last week. They were so proud of themselves and were bummed we didn't get a new Spanish lesson in. We will try on Thursday.

Wednesday: I have heard of the phrase "hump day". Golly, I now know what people mean by it. Today was rough. I had low energy and just didn't feel good. I didn't want to do school with the boys. I just wanted to lay on the couch and not move. We did school, but I don't really remember any of it. I was so tired.

We did make it to the library, but I had to fight sleep the whole time. I hate when I feel like this. I listened in a podcast this morning about how when you realize you are having a bad day, it doesn't have to stay that way. You can change it. I think I just didn't want to change it. It was rough.

The boys and I did get to play Minecraft with my brothers tonight. It motivated all of them to eat dinner, clean up rooms, and get their evening routine done in the fastest amount of time I have ever seen them do it. They didn't push back once! I felt a lot of relief from that, and it helped me turn my attitude around. 

Thursday: Can Thursday also be a hump day? I am struggling with motivation to do school. We did almost nothing today. Ira had ABA therapy, so I took the other boys on our weekly shopping trip, and then we got to spend an hour at a park near the therapy. Thank goodness for spontaneous outside play!

It was a little cooler, and they played well together. So I worked some more on another washcloth! Only one more to go after this! Then I can finally make skirts out of some of my old dresses that were falling apart. 

(Owen got ahold of my phone again. And I am too lazy to crop out the watermark...again)

Friday: Now I know why I have been having such a bad week. I woke up with a cold. 🤧 I wasn't just being grumpy and tired...I really needed some naps! I did a lot of sitting, and finished the last washcloth. We did a lot of screen time. And we made it through the day. That is all I have to say about today, oh, other than that the boys were pleasantly patient with me. When they are having bad days, I need to remember how nice they were to me so I can repay them with the same kindness. 

This week was so rough. Even the days leading up to getting sick are hard on me. I no longer get hit by a sickness out of nowhere. If I pay attention, my body is sending signals for DAYS. 

Definitely not how I imagined our week going. But, I made a batch of elderberry syrup (I forgot to add the honey until it was too late, so no one but Asa and I are eating them currently. I am trying to finish them quickly so I can make a new batch), we finished the wasp and bee unit study, and the boys spent a lot of their free time doing "educational" things that I did not prompt at all! For Ean, that looked like puzzles, Asa was transcribing parts of books and writing letters to me, and Ira made a lot of "alphabet of..."'s. My favorite one be works on was alphabet of monsters. I could actually think of a few without the help of the internet! 

Hopefully I am over this sickness by Monday, and with the help of good food, plenty of rest, and elderberry syrup, I hope the boys don't catch it! Until next week!