We have had a great start to our school year. One would think that with homeschooling, the start of the year would be smoothe. The kids aren't new, the teacher isn't new, nothing to get accustomed to, right? Well, just like in public/private school, my homeschooled kids have an adjustment period too. Every year is a new year, one more grade up, higher expectations, more distractions and that is just for the teacher. This year Noah is in eighth grade. I am not quite sure how that happened. I thought we were just last week enjoying Five in a Row together, studying Ping and dressing up with his sister like a dragon. How did he become such a wise, creative, and math savvy teenager? We are loosely following the Ambleside Online curriculum this year. I love the format and philosophy behind Ambleside Online, but I can't quite seem to master what I envision Charlotte Mason's peaceful classroom must have been like. I mean, did she have students throwing themselves on the floor as a distraction, or someone hiding under the table to avoid an assignment? I often think to myself, how would Charlotte handle this? My answer is always the same, she would have probably run away from the classroom and hidden herself in the bathroom for a ten minute break. That must be what she would do, because that is the only action that seems logical when he classroom is in chaos.
Caitlyn is in fourth grade and is learning cursive for the first time. She is motivated to write curly, swirly letters all over the board dotting her I's with little hearts. I remember the heart dotting I stage. Such a fun time to be a girl. Way before you have to worry about the stress and pressure of girl teen-hood. If she could only stay in this stage forever... She and Aiden, who is now in second grade (did I just write that?) are thoroughly enjoying Five in a Row together for another year. This curriculum truly makes me happy. The kids love it and I love it, they learn along the way and we all get to really examine and enjoy literature together. Perfection. Unfortunately after all that goodness has to end and math has to be done. Ugh, I don't like teaching math any better than learning math. Math, however, is Aiden's favorite subject. I hope I don't inadvertently squelch his love of math with my subconscious negativity. I am working really hard this year to give the kids freedom and encouragement in their areas of interest. Caitlyn loves everything art related. I find that if I work in drawing at some point in the day, she is a happy camper. One thing I find amusing with her is her competitiveness. She wants me to put a grade on EVERYTHING and wants to know if it is an A + or - and she wants to compare her grades with her brothers. Never mind the fact that they are doing completely different work at different grade levels. She loves to do good work in everything. I admire that in her. I think I am a bit like that too, except maybe when it comes to keeping my car clean. Aiden is content to sit in my lap. That is all the reward he needs. He likes to be the class clown and make people laugh, but really he just still wants to be my baby, and I am just fine with that. He has become more independent in his free time. He used to need encouragement to play or do an activity by himself, but now I see him initiating his own activities while I work with the other kids. He is progressing in his skills nicely. My challenge right now is to carve out one-on-one time for each of the kids for a really meaningful activity. I feel like we have just been slogging through each subject and not really savoring our time, like I wish we would. I haven't had time to read aloud to them, except for a little bit, and would love for reading to be the heart of our day, instead of an activity we do when we finish all the other "important" stuff. We haven't gone on nature walks to enjoy God's creation. I think we all really need that during the day. I have scheduled in tea time, but we have yet to get to it, sigh. Maybe there is a way we can flip our schedule around and put that first, so it will not be put aside at the end of the day when we are worn out.
These are the things swirling around in my head right now. Farewell for mow mon amis, I will leave you with a few pictures of my beautiful children...
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