It’s that time of year again in my area of the world – time to wrap up one homeschooling year and get planning for fall! Are you planning as well?

I always like to take stock as to what worked well this year, how was our consistency, where are our skills- academically, socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually. All these areas matter in homeschooling because our homeschooling reflects our family life!

I have homeschooled two of our children through to graduation, although for high school we did use either a combination of outside classes with homeschooling at home or a hybrid school. Our youngest is now coming up to eighth grade, so high school is on my mind again! So, I guess a good question to ask yourself for the coming year is – are my children getting what they need so they can be functional adults? Is homeschooling meeting that goal or do they need something different? What are my options?

If homeschooling is the right option, then I love to look at website of Waldorf schools around the world to see what they bring for the grade you will be teaching and find the “hallmark” blocks. These blocks, to me, are the ones that match the soul development of the child, such as the Man and Animal Block in fourth grade, or Rome in sixth grade. If you feel you are short on time, those are the blocks you want to make sure you tackle! I like to plan a monthly seasonal calendar and also a weekly and daily rhythm for consistency and nourishment of the family.

Then I like to match resources to my block. Typically, I would go to the library and get out all the books on that block and sort of synthesize those into a block plan and then scan the Internet for artistic images I wanted to work off of. I realize this is a lot of work, but it’s the only way things are super personalized to your child. If not, there are premade curriculums that you can use and jump off of. I have used bits and pieces of both Live Education and Christopherus in the past.

I also really like to get a good stock as to what our children need to do socially as they age (past 9 year change) in order to stretch themselves in building character, in building community, in building themselves spiritually as these areas often take other people to help expand these areas. I think it is really important as children age into high school that they have at least a small peer group as the right group can be very helpful in their striving toward adulthood, and some areas of passion and purpose.

How are you planning your homeschool year?

Warmly,

Carrie

This has been an important week to remind myself that our whole being and attitude should exude gratitude. We have so many small moments of beauty in front of us to choose, even if things are not going as planned or as well as we hoped.

In this season of Eastertide, I am constantly amazed by the smallest details on the farm from planting seeds and vegetable seedlings to finding the tiniest of ants,snails, and slugs to watching our horses get baths and how they play with the water. It’s been a time of spring cleaning, of envisioning new dreams, and of planning ahead. There is always something to be absolutely grateful for.

My spiritual life is very important to me, and often as we head toward Pentecost, I feel such gratitude and closeness to the spiritual realm. I have a few Pentecost back posts as Pentecost is coming up on May 28th. One thing I always loved is this explanation regarding Pentecost from the Sunday Papers, which is an Episcopalian resource to explain things to children:

We do not have clear and emotionally affecting mental images of the Spirit, because the Spirit is the very power working within us that enable us to image and love the Father and the Son.  The Spirit is the voice of prayer, prayer through us when we turn with love and longing to our Creator and beg to be made new in the image of Jesus…..the Spirit is what connects us to each other and to God, so that a movement of atoms in my brain becomes living speech, understandable to you.  The Pentecostal images of fire, wind, and speech are all forces that move, invisibly, to animate and set in motion.

It’s a lovely thought in spring to think of the voice of connection calling out to all of us, the forces that tie us all together in humanity and unity and love.

Summer is coming, and every year I love to think about the slow days of summer. You can see some of my ideas in this back post: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2014/07/16/the-slow-summer/ and the beginning of a small series you may enjoy here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/06/27/serene-summer-one-small-step-1/

Blessings and love,
Carrie