Author Archives: Carrie

Waldorf Homeschooling Middle School: Charcoal Drawings

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The  Waldorf curriculum moves into not just using art as the vehicle for the subject, but for bringing in the fine art of drawing of itself in the middle school and high school years.   Different teachers seem to bring in charcoal drawing at different points, so like everything in the curriculum, this demands that you observe your child carefully and see when you think it is appropriate to start this journey. The Waldorf School Curriculum: An Overview for American Waldorf School Teachers (chart) lists: Continue reading →

The Slow Summer

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Eileen over at Little Acorn Learning is doing a whole series on the slow summer.  You can see one of her blog posts regarding this subject here.  There was also an interesting post about “banishing the playdate” that recently came across my Facebook page.  Part of what the author wrote about wasn’t perhaps particular to summer, but what I personally hold dear from summer – biking around to see who was out and could play.  You can read that blog post about spontaneous play  here.

 

I think slowing the summer down is so important.   Think back to Continue reading →

Monthly Anchor Points: July

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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 yet 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 in past posts, which has led to the creation of this series.  Now we are extending our mood of celebration into July!

 

July has always been an interesting month for me.  My personal energy has often Continue reading →

Gentle Discipline Techniques By Age–Part Two

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Gentle discipline is the mainstay of parenting life, because it encompasses guiding and validating the authentic spiritual being that is every human being and child.  It is a mindset to live by and parent by, and if you can master some of these techniques, you will find yourself even having more positive communication and conflict resolution with other adults.

I have wanted to do a round-up of techniques by age, and here it finally is beginning.  I hope it will be helpful to you, and do please feel free to add your own thoughts or experiences to this list.

 

Today we are focused on birth through age 4.  The mainstay of gentle discipline for these years begins with our own inner work and development, as discussed in Part One of this series.

The overall picture of development for these ages I think is two-fold.  Continue reading →

What I Am Enjoying Right Now

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Each summer has its own particular feel and energy.  In the past, I used to always feel like there was “July Doldrums”.  Last summer was a summer full of community and fun, and there wasn’t really a “July Doldrums” but there was a bit of emptiness as I recovered from two years of loss.  This summer, we are doing active things, but I  have often felt tired.  I think this has to do with planning homeschooling for three children while also  studying for a major re-certification exam at the end of this month; my head is so wrapped up it is like my body is kayaking but my head is digesting all this information!  LOL.  I have been feeling more energized this week after taking the children camping with a dear friend of mine and her children, and coming to a point in my planning and studying that most of it is done! Yay!

So, I wanted to share some things I am enjoying right now.  One thing of delight is that we are planning a trip to the beach in September after Labor Day.  So, I have been enjoying reading about the Georgia Coast.  I think we are going to go into Florida for our beach week, but a lot of the warm Atlantic Ocean wildlife is similar.  I  have always wanted to get “The Treasure Cave:  Sea Tales of Tiptoes Lightly” by Reg Down to bring with us to the beach to read, so I am excited for that.  We will also bring games and puzzles (and our eyes to watch the stars as part of our seventh grader’s astronomy block!  Less light pollution!)

We have been enjoying checking out the National and State Parks in our state as we work on badge requirements for a Civil War badge, a Get Outdoors Badge and a Junior Ranger Badge.  These badges are a great way to discover your state!  You can see the National Parks Foundation link here:  http://www.nationalparks.org/connect/npf-kids/junior-rangers

I have been enjoying church.  There is something lovely about the time between Pentecost and the new church year.  I have been thinking about this post:  http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/church_year/no_ordinary_time.php. Some in the Episcopal Church refer to this time as “Ordinary Time” like our Roman Catholic friends, but the Book of Common Prayer does not name this season. The monks of Taize call this time “The Time of the Church” and I like that.  The Feast of the Dormition of St. Mary is a feast I am contemplating (August 15) and the loveliest ways to celebrate in our home.

Here are some links I have been enjoying out and about on the Internet: Continue reading →

July: Time To Plan

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Well, planning is still coming along.  My seventh grader is the hardest, because not only did I have to find most of the resources by searching or through word of mouth from other homeschooling mothers, I had to read all of them!  So, it is  moving slowly.  I keep having these epiphanies and a-ha kinds of moments about how the curriculum is working to a culmination and how things are stretching over and through blocks, but that also is making things a bit slow.

Things are brighter for my almost five year old, whose year is almost entirely done, and for my fourth grader, whose year is about half done.

What I did this year regarding the needed practice of math and grammar and such was to make one long document with each day of the week for each week of school and I  literally mapped out the math and grammar for the entire year by day.  If grammar coincided within a block such as Man and Animal or Norse Myths, for example, it was easy enough to note which block it went with by week.   I also did this with fine art projects for my seventh grader as well.   This document has turned into an overarching kind of document that the separate Word documents for each block just plug into.  Just a thought for those of you who have children who might need more practice and repetition than is normally spoken about within many of the Waldorf curriculum sources.

Once again, the basic steps that I use to plan, (and everyone does it differently!): Continue reading →

Stopping Societal Violence

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(THIS IS NOT A POST TO READ WITH A CHILD HANGING OVER YOUR SHOULDER.  Adult content!)

You might wonder why this post is here, on a parenting blog.  I just have to speak up and say something, because these things that have been happening involve children.  Children are children until the age of 21, and the crisis that is occurring in the youth of the United States affects us all.

This has been a harrowing time for the United States, with mass public shootings occurring frequently, along with a culture of rape where 6  out of 10 women are raped in their lifetimes.  There was an incident in my own state recently of a graduation party at a cabin that got completely and horrifyingly out of hand and ended in a young woman being gang-raped, presumably by people she probably thought were trusted friends.  My heart just has been breaking for her, and it  has been breaking for all of these incidents and the people involved on all sides, and especially for the parents of these children.

What can we do, as we raise this next generation, to curb and stop societal violence?  How do we do it?

I have a few ideas that I have been germinating upon.  They are in no particular order.  Please add your own thoughts and suggestions in the comment box!

Continue reading →

Update on A Summer Parenting Project

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Do you all remember when I posted a summer parenting project?  Mine this year centered around de-cluttering the house and exercise, but in past years I have begged parents to find a religious/spiritual home for their family.  This year’s post is right here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2014/05/23/a-summer-parenting-project/

I am not the only one with this kind of thing on the brain!   I got great joy in reading Kara’s post over here about exercising:  http://www.kelizabethfleck.com/2014/06/7-quick-takes-birthdays-broccoli.html.  As a former personal trainer, a gym manager, a trainer of bodybuilders and a physical therapist, I cannot stress enough the importance of exercise.  This is so important for mothers who are suffering from depression and anxiety, and such a great example for our children.  Our homeschooled children really need breaks during the day to run and play.  Some homeschooled children do that naturally, but I do find the older children get the more they sit around and read….or craft….or read.  Smile  It can take determination to keep your family moving, especially during a busy school day, but so worth it!

My husband has traveled out of town Monday through late Thursday night for years, and I really got out of the habit of exercising consistently.   He is now traveling less, and  I am happy to say I am back on the exercise train.  What works best for me is to get up and out the door when my husband is home.  So, I am in the gym by 6:30 each morning, and my goal is to move that up to 6 AM.  I am tired by the end of the day, especially when I am teaching, (which is what I found out last year having sixth and third grade), so exercising at night is hard for me.  Morning is much better!  We have also been doing active things as a family, which we did last summer as well, but it is nice to have that piece too.  Hiking, kayaking, and running at our local park have been fun.

De-cluttering is coming along as well.  I am slowly culling books, which is so hard for me because I love books and as a homeschooler I keep thinking I will need that one book!  My husband painted our school room a cheery yellow (Daffodil from Sherwin Williams) and with some naturally dyed curtains, I think it is going to look great for when we start school again in August.  I will try to post some pictures when it is all done!

What are you all up to?  Let’s celebrate our successes, no matter how small!

Blessings and love,
Carrie

Let’s Read: Simplicity Parenting

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We have arrived at Chapter Three, entitled, “Environment”.  The chapter begins with painting a picture of the child’s room which ends with this sentence: “The room’s pastel color scheme and basic furniture – bed and bureau where the changing table once was – are no longer visible, buried under a thick overgrowth of multicolored, ever-growing, and expanding stuff.”

Kim John Payne talks about how in many of his workshops, parents want to begin simplification by simplifying the environment.  This is a tangible, doable step toward simplification.

American culture leaned toward selling toys to children beginning around Continue reading →

Brief Notes on Homeschooling Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Grade

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I have recently been jotting down a notes regarding fifth, sixth and seventh grades.  These notes will probably only make sense if you are coming up to these grades and you are a Waldorf homeschooler. Smile  If you are planning for these grades, I hope these ideas are helpful.

 

Fifth Grade: Continue reading →