September Beauty

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Welcome, September! This is one of my favorite months because it is a month of new beginnings, which I love. Cooler weather, harvest, leaves turning colors, long walks and bike rides, apples and pumpkins, acorns, getting the house organized for fall, searching for things to make for the holidays, fall decorating!  So many wonderful things to love about September! 

September often seems to be about new beginnings.  Here in the South, the school children have been back to public school about a month, so perhaps it is not “new”, but  it still has that feel to me and my Northern upbringing (where we always started school the day after Labor Day) , that it is a time of possibility and change.

I write this in the midst of another barn renovation. When we moved to this property, the former owners had added a run in and two small stalls from leftover wood on the back of the barn. We need more stalls, so we are taking that and turning it into two large stalls and a wash stall and making it look like it all goes together. So, that’s exciting! It’s also the season of feeding the bees due to dearth (no pollen) and overall getting ready for winter. Winter annuals will go in this week. Our son and I are going camping with Sea Scouts while my husband holds down the farm that weekend as the older girls will be assisting and showing at our local horse show. So, it’s a busy outdoor time, but the cooler temperatures are so inviting to be outside!

For me, September is also a time of contemplation as we head into the mood of Michaelmas. It is truly a time of prayer, meditations, new impulses and an idea of serving others and changing the future. I love this festival of Michaelmas as one that illuminates the soul into the winter, takes up the challenges in front of us as we wind our way ahead in the dark to help us find that small space of courage and bravery that lets us know we are not defeated yet. We have not given up yet. Imagine a humanity where this was the theme before us of overcoming, of bringing new into the world. I may be attacked along the way of this new birth and new bringing, but I am not decimated. I can move forward.

There is a beautiful poem in the book “All Year Round” on page 129 that could make a particularly lovely blessing for this time of year and you could modify it as you wish:

Thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us;

Thanks to the rivers and streams and their water;

Thanks to the corn and the grain fields that feed us;

Thanks to the herbs which protect us from illness;

Thanks to the bushes and trees and their fruiting;

Thanks to the moon and the stars in the darkness;

Thanks to the sun and his eye that looks earthward;

Thank the Great Spirit for all of his goodness.

Adapted from an Iroquois Indian address of thanksgiving

Here are a few things we are celebrating:

Labor Day – September 5  (We rented a boat on a nearby lake and took our children and their boyfriends and friends. It was a lot of fun!)

The Nativity of St. Mary – September 8 (Today!)

Holy Cross Day – September 14

Autumn Equinox – September 22 – You can see my Autumn Pinterest Board for ideas!

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – September 29.  This is one of my favorite celebrations in the church and at home!  You can see my MIchaelmas Pinterest Board for some ideas!

The season of Michaelmas, for me, really lasts from a few weeks before Michaelmas until a week or so before Halloween.  In honor of this occasion, I have been re- reading the words of Rudolf Steiner from his lectures  collected and entitled, “Michaelmas and the Soul- Forces of Man”  In the fourth lecture, he relates the four major festivals of the year:  Michaelmas, Christmas, Easter and St. John’s.  He says, “ Easter: death, then resurrection; Michaelmas: resurrection of the soul, then death. This makes of the Michael Festival a reversed Easter Festival. Easter commemorates for us the Resurrection of Christ from death; but in the Michael Festival we must feel with all the intensity of our soul: In order not to sleep in a half-dead state that will dim my self-consciousness between death and a new birth, but rather, to be able to pass through the portal of death in full alertness, I must rouse my soul through my inner forces before I die. First, resurrection of the soul — then death, so that in death that resurrection can be achieved which man celebrates within himself.”

You can read these four lectures for yourself here:  http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/MichSoul/MiSoul_index.html  There is also this really interesting collection of articles, lectures, verses and stories all about Michaelmas available in  Waldorf Journal Project #15, edited by David Mitchell.  You can find that here:   http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/WJP15.pdf

The Home Mood:

To me, the fall becomes a time of turning inward; a time of gratitude and reflection.  How do my words, my actions, reflect my gratitude toward my Creator and toward my life?  How do I interact with others in order to show this?  There is a quote I often think about from Dr. Rudolf Steiner that talks about this. He says;

The cultivation of this universal gratitude toward the world is of paramount importance.  It does not always need to be in one’s consciousness, but may simply live in the background of the feeling life, so that, at the end of a strenuous day, one can experience gratitude, for example, when entering a beautiful meadow full of flowers……And if we only act properly in front of the children, a corresponding increase in gratitude will develop within them for all that comes to them from the people living around them, from the way they speak or smile, or the way such people treat them.”  Rudolf Steiner from “A Child’s Changing Consciousness As The Basis of Pedagogical Practice”

Gratitude is such an important mood to create in the home. I think this creation can be tangible,  like those gratitude jars or going around the table at night and sharing something we have gratitude for…those are wonderful in their own way, but I think creating a  true mood of gratitude in the home actually is a much harder and deeper task. 

How do I really permeate this mood and carry it, even when things are overwhelming, is for this season of overcoming and courage as we head toward the longer nights of Winter. I think this is especially pertinent for those of us with teenagers and young adults who often are in the throes of figuring out who they really are, what turn their life is going to take as they launch. It can be a daunting time requiring inner strength on the part of the parent to really hold.

I think prayer comes to the forefront if that is in your spiritual tradition. I have never prayed as hard as I do now for my young adults and all the things they face. Even knowing from a certain perspective that they are made for these times, it can still be daunting. Teaching them deeper joy in the midst of transitions is something valuable that they still can learn from us! The teaching and guiding is not over and in many ways they need us more now than they did when they were small. I also use many affirmations and place that positive energy out into the world on their behalf. This fall, I am making a prayer board to have a tangible place for all the prayers and gratitude.

Ideas for the Home:

  • The seasonal table is transitioning to yellows with dried flowers, seed pods, bunches of oats or wheat or corn that are dried, cornucopias, nuts, acorns, leaves and little “helicopters.”
  • I am going through and taking stock of fall and winter clothes and purging what we do not need.
  • Fall menu planning – a time of chili, soup, stew, warming dishes. I eat a lot of plant based dishes, so beans are coming to a forefront.
  • Crafting – I have some autumn crafting ideas on my Pinterest board, but I think I am going to start with Michaelmas crafts  and autumn lanterns. My friend and I already made fall wreaths, and I made a Winter wreath as well, but I am also thinking about holiday wreaths for the barn!

Ideas for Celebrating this Month with Littles:

Ideas for Celebrating this Month With Older Children:

Ideas for Celebrating this Month With Teens:

  • Find great theater, museum, and festival events to attend
  • Longer hiking, camping, and backpacking trips
  • Bake and cook fall dishes
  • Work on fall organizing and cleaning
  • Stargazing
  • Find new activities outside the home that your teen will adore
  • Find  new knitting, crocheting, sewing, woodworking and woodcarving ideas to try

Homeschooling and Working:

Work has been very busy both with pelvic health physical therapy patients and lactation families.

Homeschooling our ninth grader, our last high schooler, has been going along – also busy! I am trying very hard to keep pushing him forward with math as he is interested most in science and science in the upper levels and college really requires math. We are also working on writing quite a bit. He is busy with kickboxing/boxing, Sea Scouts and a cybersecurity team that goes to competitions.

What are your September plans? If you blog or on social media, please leave a link in the comments below so we can follow each other’s plans!

Blessings,
Carrie

Provisioning For Children

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What are we supplying/providing to our children?

Goodness from ages 0-7

Warmth, security, stable and predictable rhythms of the house, real work and helping one another, the beauty of outdoors in all weather and seasons, rituals of the seasons, small stories about ordinary events, beautiful puppetry with storytelling, songs and fingerplays, rest and sleep, developing strong bodies, nourishing and warming foods, smiles, giggles, gentle voices, happiness, joy, kindness, positivity.

Beauty from ages 7-14

no social media, no media to low media, beautiful home environment of well loved and simple things, an unhurried pace with margin, stable rhythms of the home with rest and sleep, rituals of the seasons, interesting fairy tales and epic stories and biographies, spontaneous play not led by adults, being outdoors in all weather and seasons, real work and responsibility, developing the physical body, artistic development in the eight lively arts, nourishing foods, warmth of the heart, beautiful live music, helping and loving others, gentle voices, joy, kindness, balance, positivity

Truth from ages 14-21

developing discernment, limiting things that cause imbalance in our lives, games, sports, animals, beauty of outdoors in all weather and seasons, rituals of the seasons, pursuit of areas of interest, wonderful books, nourishing foods, developing useful and practical skills, real work and responsibility, helping in the community, helping others, creating music and art, being in healthy relationships, beautiful theater and music, joy, kindness, purpose, positivity

Keep it going,

Carrie

Nurturing the Home in Autumn

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I know it is still summer, but since down here in the South school has already started, young adults are back at college and some of us are longing for cooler weather, I have been thinking about how to nurture and nourish our home for autumn.

Because, the reality is that whether I am working outside the home or not, whether children are in the home or not, I love homemaking. I love our home to feel peaceful and warm. I still love to celebrate all the autumn festivals, which for me look like Michaelmas, Martinmas, All Saints and All Souls.

Now is a great time to get organized. I have to plan around homeschooling and work outside the home, but I love to put autumn adventures and self -care on the calendar. My self care coming up includes acupuncture and massage plus exercise and inner work. We are trying a new church tomorrow, so that is exciting.

We have a strong daily and weekly rhythm at this point, so mainly I am thinking about how I can make our house cozy? We got some new porch chairs and I got sunflower pillows and a throw and freshened up an autumn wreath we had. I am anticipating porch sitting as the temperature goes down. We will be in the middle of a barn addition on the farm as we head into September, but I am already looking forward to new paint and flowers for around the barn when the addition is complete.

In the home, I am mainly thinking of decluttering, pulling out puzzles and cozy pillows and throws, and having a bar for tea and hot chocolate set up. Bread baking and baking in general will come back more and I am excited for that!

What kinds of things are you doing in your home as we head into September?

Blessings,
Carrie

Joy in the Home

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“We must make the mother happy, as the child thrives on joy!” – Michaela Glockler

In this time where I see parents more and more searching for right answers, (convinced there is a “right answer” in matters of parenting), increasingly time- pressed and pressured from the economic side of life, with perhaps less differentiation between children and adults, there often can be little joy in parenting.

The smallest interactions with your child have the potential to be joyful, if one slows down long enough to experience this. All children, but small children especially, need the gift of time. Some have labeled this “slow parenting”, but this wisdom used to not need such a label. This does not mean they are shut off in their rooms for long periods alone and with technology but instead of infusing into the life of the family through a continued call to come and be held by the warmth and joy in the house.

Early years children need just the smallest flexible rhythm around diapering/bathroom; eating; playing and working; rest and sleeping with warmth infused in a happy and stable rhythm. Middle years children need heartfelt guidance of what to do with emotions, how to participate in an expanded community life and with expanded rhythms and responsibilities. The adolescent needs to begin the work of discerning right judgment, right initiative, right independent thinking – among other things. Four years in high school goes by rather quickly.

The backdrop to the developmental tasks in hand of the parent is that of joy. How can you bring more joy into your homes and into your attitudes in parenting? How you nurturing your own path? This is important not only for tiny children who notice so many small details in their world, but even for the teenagers who will notice the home cooked meal, the flowers on the table, the smile when they enter the door and more. We can hold this space throughout the stages of development.

Our third child is now fourteen and entering ninth grade, the first year of high school in the States. We are embarking on this journey for the last time and I am thinking and meditating in regards to how to help guide him in the best possible way toward his future. At this point, we also have coaches, mentors, other parents of his friends, to also assist us and to love him. This is invaluable. Your community is so important and helpful in this time.

How are you planning your new parenting and homeschooling year to bring joy?

Love to all,

Carrie

Happy August

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I love August so much! It’s the beginning of another trip around the sun for me and this year I will be 54! Last year could have gone a different way when I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive disease, but here I am this year again thanks to the wondrous combination of modern science and holistic care, celebrating my birthday! I went out on the lake this morning to enjoy some stand up paddleboard yoga, and am reveling in all the summer glory of the farm. We have six horses here, dogs, cats, and bees along with blueberries and apples. I am so looking forward to seeing this place grow even more over the next two years. We have big plans!

This is a month of sunshine and sunflowers, lakes, and fun – and here in the deep south, it’s also time for back to school. School down here begins this first week of August or the second week depending upon your program. We are beginning on August 20th this year for our little 14 year old (he can be six feet tall, but he’s still my baby!) – our last child in school!

The things we are celebrating in this beautiful month:

August 6th- The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ

August 8th- My Birthday!

August 10- School starts!

August 15- The Dormition of St. Mary

August 28 – our oldest child will be 23! Doesn’t seem possible! 

Ideas for Celebration:

  • Making a  beautiful triptych to celebrate the life of St. Mary.  There are many wonderful ideas regarding this on the Internet.
  • We have about another month or two of tubing, swimming and water park availability to us, so we hope to take advantage!
  • Camping – it can be super hot here, but I am already making camping in the fall a priority. We went in June and it was hot but fun!
  • Gazing at the stars
  • Walking in the mornings
  • Working out. I have had good success combining gym memberships so I can do some HIIT workouts and some yoga based activities. Super fun!
  • Making delicious meals!

The Domestic Life:

This a good time to take stock of needs for fall/winter in clothing, shoes, outside gear, school supplies, art supplies. When our children were little, this was the time I always looked at our woolen clothing. Yes, even down here in the South it can get cold to be outside in the fall and winter, and I am a big believer is preserving bodily warmth for babies and small children.

I also think this a great time to go back to manners.  Children are often in an expansive place with summer weather and may need some help in remembering school behavior, work ethics and manners!  I like opening the first day of school with an introduction to how the space works for homeschooling, expectations and the like.

Getting back into a rhythm that supports school is also a huge help with that.  Rhythm is a key word for this month and the structure of the rhythm of school for homeschooling does us all good!

Meal planning gets us through because I am too busy to have to spend a lot of time every day planning.  So, I like to plan 2-4 weeks of meals and shop. Generally over the summer I have been shopping less in bulk as there have been people here with the numbers varying daily. However, I will say I think leading up to the election that I am guessing that prices will rise, so I am stocking up on things for fall and winter now. 

Homeschooling:

We are jumping into ninth grade (for my third time!)  I am really looking forward to this. We are doing some classes through a homeschool hybrid for high school and will do some of our own blocks and courses. Our son has kickboxing/boxing and Sea Scouts along with the farm and volunteering to keep him busy. I love the quote from The Waldorf Family Handbook that says that the goal of high school is to prepare them as “free independent individualities and to orient them realistically to the world outside of school.” I have always taken that as the mantra for high school! Be prepared for life.

Our other two children are adults and living their own lives. 🙂 They have jobs and are still super involved with horses. Both are back in our area which is so wonderful to have them close.

Self-Care and Rhythm:

My biggest priorities right now in addition to homeschooling and working outside the home are my workouts, medical appointments and self care. The other thing I have penciled on my rhythm for fall is Thursday mornings to meet with a group of ladies from my former place of worship. We have a new church that is closer to the farm, but I am happy to be part of this group too. This helps anchor me for life!

I want to hear how August is shaping up for you! How is school looking?  I have been very busy doing homeschool consulting this month! If anyone needs help with homeschool planning or planning for family life, please email me at admin@theparentingpassageway.  My rates for a half hour phone call are super reasonable and I have helped lots of moms this month!  Please let me know if I can help you!

Lots of love and many blessings,
Carrie

Read Along With Me – “How the Future Can Save Us”

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We are on page 20 of this wonderful book by Stephen Sagarin, who is a faculty chair, cofounder and teacher at the Berkshire Waldorf High School in western Massachusetts. It is so fun to read his musings on Waldorf Education, and I hope you are enjoying reading along!

We are in Section 7 of the “Method” section and the author talks about how so often we begin Waldorf Main Lesson with this idea of dancing, singing, eurythmy and bean bags. Rudolf Steiner himself said in Soul Economy (by the way, one of my most favorite set of educational lectures compiled and often overlooked by people) that “while a person is engaged in limb activities that simulate the metabolism, thoughts that were artificially planted in the head during the previous years are no longer there. When children jump and run around and are active in the limbs and the metabolism, all thoughts previously planted in the head simply fly away.”

Many homeschoolers have complained for years that they would take the family for a walk prior to school, and then by the time they come back, everyone uses the bathroom and has a snack, half of the morning is gone! Sometimes we have limited time and we really just need to get to work in the grades.

Section 8 discusses taking notes. Those in my generation often wrote down nearly word for word what our teachers were saying, especially in high school and college. We were fast writers! LOL. Sagarin says perhaps this isn’t the best tactic, and he often teaches without having the students take notes and then the next day he comes in and writes a very concise summary on the board that students can copy without having to listen. Think about how you want to approach this in your homeschooling, especially as you move up in the grades. Section 9 is about the value of doodling.

What do you think of this book so far? Here in the States, the school year is fast approaching, and I hope this book gives you some thoughts for your new homeschooling year.

Blessings,
Carrie

A July To Remember

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The best summer memories usually are not the big things like a flashy vacation, but instead the slow and ordinary moments that make up the days of summer. Picking blueberries and eating them off the bush or eating tomatoes off the vine. Sunrises and sunsets. Watching the fireflies.

Farm life is busy and content this time of year. We split a beehive last week, got two horses in (one is a sale horse), and are busy with summer farm life. We don’t have a garden, mainly because where I want to put it still needs trees removed, but I am hopeful to have some raised beds built in time for fall.

I used to get July Doldrums – it was so hot and miserable at times with small children with endless days of park and pool (fun, but exhausting by the end of a hot month). Now our children are almost 23, 19, and 14 so summers look different. Jobs and adult responsibilities, and farm chores and activities for our 14 year old who is still at home.

So, this July, here are the things we are celebrating:

4- Independence Day

22- Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene

25- Feast Day of St. James the Apostle

26- Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Are you thinking about summer menu planning?  I have a back post on July Menu Planning to grab! You might also love this ebook of Waldorf School recipes! https://www.waldorflibrary.org/online-library/ebooks/ebooks/a-collection-of-recipes-from-shepherd-valley-waldorf-school-ebook

I am looking forward to sunflowers, catching fireflies, and watching our adult girls show their horses. I hope you are looking forward to something as well! Also, August is so close and that is my birthday month so I am definitely looking forward to that.

Things to Do With Children:

  • Fourth of July decorating; patriotic crafts
  • Find traditional patriotic American music to listen to!
  • Go to Independence Day parades!
  • Sunflower crafts
  • Drying herbs and making things from herbs
  • Picking produce; canning and preserving
  • Earth looms and weaving could be lovely; see my summer Pinterest board for even more craft ideas

Here are a few of my favorite things for small children:

Here are a few of my favorite things for older children/teens:

  • Swimming and sliding on rocks in creeks; maybe even venturing to a water park or splash pad
  • Catching fireflies
  • Gazing at stars
  • The Magic of Boredom

Things for the Home:

  • Going through the school room or school area and cleaning out
  • Ordering art supplies and new resources for the next school year
  • Making new seasonal things for the home
  • Changing out toys if you are on a toy rotation for smaller children
  • I am going to be working in our basement this month – so much to clean up down there and I want it neat and tidy
  • We are getting new towels, which might not seem that exciting, but who doesn’t love soft and fluffy towels?

Homeschooling Fun!:

Our children are mainly finished with school. Our oldest is a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, and our middle daughter just started a business buying, training, and selling horses. She moved back to our area this past week after working and living on her own for a year out of state, so it is nice to have everyone in one area. The first night she came back we had dinner at the farm with their boyfriends and it has just been fun to have them and their friends around this week!

My main goal for our ninth grader this year is to have a strong academic year, to keep him physically fit with kickboxing and boxing (and farm work), to keep him busy building and doing things on the farm, to have him enjoy volunteering as a helper/apprentice at his former middle school boys only program and to grow into leadership, and to branch out into Sea Scouts. He thought about doing naval JROTC but wasn’t quite ready for the commitment of weekend drills and overnight drills, so he decided Sea Scouts would address some of the skills in swimming, boating, sailing, boat mechanics that he is interested in. He is also still interested in computer programming as well, and is working through some things on his own with his dad’s help and then can use dual enrollment to pursue that further in eleventh grade.

Inner Work:

I feel like being on the farm has brought me back around to the inner work of the family life. Here is a back post that I am working off of: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/10/my-plan-for-personal-development-as-a-homemaker/

This is my current Waldorf book – have you read it? https://www.waldorflibrary.org/online-library/ebooks/ebooks/an-examination-of-children%E2%80%99s-senses,-the-damaging-effects-of-the-media-and-the-therapeutic-possibilities-of-puppetry-ebook

And this is worth a re-read every year before school starts: https://www.waldorflibrary.org/online-library/ebooks/ebooks/and-who-shall-teach-the-teachers-ebook

I hope you have a blessed July!

Warmly and with many blessings,

Carrie

Read Along With Me: “How The Future Can Save Us” – Method

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Section Three of “Growth” is about “Back To Basics” or teaching according to Steiner’s methods. It begins with a view at a main lesson. The author suggests that the beginning of a two hour main lesson is devoted to “Memory”. We remember things from yesterday’s presentation or demonstration. We talk about it in conversation. We don’t ask them to recall or retell in a classroom setting per se but lead and facilitate a discussion. We present new concepts next and involve the child’s whole being. This can take five to ten minutes for small children and no more than thirty minutes for older children. Next, is a piece called imagination. This is where we think of a main lesson illustration, but it could be working with something concrete such as for math.We work with more questions about the subject and involve their imaginations, which extends the time we are discussing a new topic by another thirty to forty five minutes. This should be active; it could be movement. In the author’s view “Don’t begin with a movement lesson; end with it, if you must.” We then close the lesson with a question to think about or a statement about what is to come tomorrow. Then the main lesson ends with a story – a story we have memorized for younger students or a story we read to the older students. Then we sleep on all of this.

Section Four is talking about “telling tales in Waldorf Schools.” Two passages from Steiner (one from the lectures in “Kingdom of Childhood” and one from the lectures in “Practical Advice to Teachers”) are compared both for and against the “recall” or “review” practice that is done in many Waldorf schools and homeschools. The author concludes from the passages the following really interesting observations:

  1. That the primary point of retelling and review is not the development of memory, but the development of speech. There is more to this idea in the book – it has to do with cultural differences and the time in which Waldorf education was founded.
  2. The author questions if Steiner really meant we should tell the same story over and over – look at your student.
  3. The first portion of a lesson, “the review” has many points of interest elucidated in “Education for Adolescents” and other places). There is no mention of circle time, a three day rhythm, or a three part lesson of “thinking, feeling, willing” mentioned.
  4. The progression Steiner outlines is on page 17 of this book.

Section Five of this talks about teaching to the top – that in a classroom setting, it is easy to “teach to the top” – the smart, motivated students who practically teach themselves. However, teachers are really needed for the students for whom the subject does not come together well. The author writes: “So please plan your classes and lessons for the “best” or “Smartest” students in your class. Keep the pace high, and introduce topics- and write quizzes and tests – in a way that makes it possible for the weaker or slower students to pass, but really challenges the smartest or fastest students. ” He also talks about giving a range of assignments from direct and easy to complex and challenging. This is really the art of teaching, isn’t it? This is what homeschool teachers develop as we go through the grades and through teaching multiple children or in a homeschooling co-op.

He also talks in Section Five about beginning the school year (again, for the grades) with a “bang”! Introduce a topic in a way that will fire your student’s interest and imagination. For this, he uses an example in precalculus at the high school level, but I think this can be true for grades 3 and up. Start with something that makes the student really feel as if they are learning something (I say grades 3 and up because students in grade 1 and 2 generally are not that self aware yet).

Section Six talks about how good teachers ask questions and WAIT for the students to answer. This is definitely trickier in the home environment as we work one on one with our student, and it can feel very aggressive. However, it is important to let students think and to make those connections. I think for older students a good way to do this is to have a new way to review information – I like giant butcher paper sized maps on the back of the school room door and math in practical life situations to think about as quick examples.

Love this section, and there is still more to go! Grab your copy of this book and follow along!

Blessings,
Carrie

Read Along With Me: “How The Future Can Save Us” – Growth

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The section of this book entitled “Growth” has three different sections to look at. The first section is entitled “Protection and Leadership” and begins with a poem from “Leaves of Grass” about how a child went forth and became the first object he looked upon….leaving author Stephen Sagarin to write that our children are being pressured to grow up too quickly. They become consumers from an early age and are being asked by advertisers to grow up faster, to buy products, and that without these products they should not be confident.

He writes, “….teens are in that in-between place, that nowhere land in which they have enough freedom, power, maturity, mobility, and intelligence to make choices, but not the developed judgment to always make wise or rational decisions.”

Side Note : I was talking to a high school sophomore and just newly graduated high schooler today and I was telling them that France passed a ban that bans smartphones and tablets for kids between 3 and 15 years of age (I believe just at school). They said they wished that was the case here. “It would have to be a law though,” they both said, “Because if some people have it (phones) and some don’t, that’s when there are problems. But it’s not good for your brain.” Even teenagers know that it isn’t great for them to consume, but they feel pressure to keep up with what other teens are watching. This conversation was interesting timing, considering reading this essay!

The author goes on to point out that America’s image around the world is essentially adolescence and youth, and perhaps this points the way toward our jobs (as teachers, as parents) should be to protect children from growing up too quickly. He points out that Rudolf Steiner spoke about this in “Balance in Teaching,” mentioning protection, enthusiasm, reverence as ways to provide good teaching for children.

But protection doesn’t last forever. At some point it our job to help children go through adolescence and go on to become thoughtful, ethical, creative adults (my paraphrase). Rudolf Steiner wanted education to help develop a “free human being.” Sagarin quotes a passage from “The Spiritual Ground of Education” and talks about how adolescents need freedom of their own intelligence and how without the assistance of adults, they may not only flounder or flail, but not survive. The ages between 12 and 16 are a “vulnerability gap” – named this by famed Master Waldorf teacher and author Betty Staley. This is the time to encourage freedom but ALSO responsibility.

Section 2 of “Growth” is “Growth and Learning in Three Easy Graphs!” “When you are very young, and most of your energy or life force is going into your physical growth, you don’t have as much energy available for intellectual growth. But, as your physical growth slows, you are increasingly capable of turning your mind to whatever you choose.” The last graph neatly shows how these areas intersect. While sometimes Waldorf students are seen as “behind” in the early years or early grades due to beginning academics around age 7, they typically catch up and surpass their peers around fourth grade and accelerate their learning in adolescence, where it should be accelerated. This puts the emphasis, in my opinion, upon the health of the whole child.

What did you think about this section?

Blessings,

Carrie

Foundation of the Year: June

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June is one of my favorite months of the year! It’s a time of berry picking, summer rhythms, summer decluttering, and new projects in my head and on paper.

In the midst of scurrying around, and work, there are memories to be made this June. Some of the things we are looking forward to:

Boating on the lake

Going to the beach on the lake

Kayaking and camping

Berry picking and making jam

Planting and harvesting veggies and flowers

Experimenting with new recipes

Spending time together as a family!

This month we will be celebrating:

The Slow Summer – think lakes and pools, tubing, horseback riding, camping, spending time with family and friends. All of my favorite things in one month!  Here is a wonderful guest post by Christine Natale, Master Waldorf Teacher and author about creating the magical summer

14- Flag Day

16 – Father’s Day AND – 

Wed June 21 is Summer Solstice

24 – The Nativity of St. John the Baptist/ St. John’s Tide (see this back post for festival help!)

29- The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul

Summer Homeschooling and Development:

I am planning an entire (nearly) social-media free month in June and we are kicking off the month by going camping. Do not fear, I will still be posting here on the blog and we will be following along chapter by chapter with our new book to read, “How The Future Can Save Us- Fresh Perspective on Waldorf Education-Principles, Methods, Curriculum” by Stephen Keith Sagarin.

Also look for a few posts on self -care and how to use self- care as the bedrock foundation of your homeschooling and parenting journey.

I am running back to basics this summer – it’s been a crazy few years on the farm with a lot of changes! So I need the basics in my life back, beginning with Gratitude: Eight Facets Of A Healthy Family Culture | The Parenting Passageway and Finding Rhythm With Grades-Aged Children | The Parenting Passageway. If you have littles under the age of 7, you might like this back post: Finding Rhythm With Littles | The Parenting Passageway

Our oldest two children live on their own and have their own lives, but I am busy planning ninth grade for our youngest child. He will be attending a two day a week hybrid school, but we have some blocks and things to add in for his high school transcript. He will be volunteering one day a week at the homeschooled middle school boys outdoor/adventure program he went through and graduated from, and he has plans to start working on areas of interest throughout high school in order to be college ready, which is his goal.

Looking forward to hearing what all of you are up to!

Blessings and love,
Carrie