Anchor:  a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay: Hope was his only anchor.

When we work to become the author of own family life, we take on the authority to provide our spouse and children and ourselves stability.  An effective way to do this is through the use of rhythm.  If you have small children, it takes time to build a family rhythm that encompasses the year.  If you are homeschooling older children and also have younger children not ready for formal learning, the cycle of the year through the seasons and through your religious year becomes the number one tool you have for family unity, for family identity, for stability.

I wrote about my homeschool planning method of marking seasonal and liturgical ideas down for each month and shared my list for September here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2013/05/16/the-mood-of-celebrationpart-two/  and August here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2013/08/01/monthly-anchor-points-august/

We are already in October, and here in the Deep South the nights are getting crisp, leaves are falling, apple picking is in full swing and pumpkins are getting ready on the vine.

Here are the festivals and holidays we are celebrating in October:

St. Francis of Assisi – October 4.  Marked by many Episcopal churches by a Blessings of the Animals.

Columbus Day – October 14.

St. Luke the Evangelist – October 18

St. James – October 23

St. Simon and St. Jude – October 28

Halloween is October 31 but I don’t love Halloween and am gearing up for one of the most important Feasts in the Western Church, All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2nd.  I have back posts on this blog about Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day for your planning and preparation.

Here are the ideas and themes I am thinking about this month:

Pumpkins and cooking and baking with pumpkins

A special field trip for pumpkin picking

Saint Francis and the birds – I am thinking of making another wool picture for the school room to hang above the nature table

Taking care of the birds, leaves, pinecone people

Fall hiking

We will reading many stories of St. Francis this month

Columbus Day crafts

Toward the end of the month, gathering photographs and momentos of those who have died so we can remember them on All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  We will make lanterns around this time, and plant bulbs to bloom by Christmas.

Here is a post I found from long ago about October Circle Time, and readers left many links to their own October Circle Time gatherings:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/10/09/october-circle-time/

Here is a link to puppets for autumn and special stories:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2012/08/28/fall-stories-for-puppets/

Please share some of your family plans for October.

Many blessings,

Carrie