Hi friends!
Life is busy! Busier than we have ever experienced. With our own small business and three boys time can fly if we don’t watch it. I love living out in the country, with less distraction, because it gives me the opportunity to slow it all down and live life as quality as possible. Slow living has gotten a little harder this year as we now have two older boys with one interest each. Our oldest has resumed drama class, which will come with extra practices around the time of the play. Our middle guy plays violin going on 8 months. To be a student of Ms. Amy, one has to attend group violin lessons and private individual lessons. We are okay with this, because the group lessons are a lot of fun. Group is only every other Monday, so that works for us. Private lessons are weekly. Drama is weekly. Thankfully, both of those lessons fall on the same day, so we visit my mother, nephew and niece in between drama and violin. However, we do have to drive to two different cities to make this all happen. It is what it is. The people and teachers we need to see are where we have to drive. It’s not always convenient.
As a new mother over 10 years ago we were living in Boone, NC. I was very isolated, but kept another little boy similar to my son’s age. Close to his first birthday we moved back to KY and found out we had our second son on the way. We were definitely isolated after the birth of Little Fox. Country living was our choice. I didn’t know tons of people, even though Central KY was my hometown area. Everybody had moved, changed, had their own kids and such. Eventually, I found out about homeschooling. I had NEVER heard of homeschooling before then. I am convinced my Little Fox brought with him the spiritual energy I NEEDED to figure that path was going to be ours. I did tons of research. TOO MUCH. I fell down a few rabbit holes with my eagerness to learn. Eventually, I got out of my head and came into my body. I became Present. Then, I found Waldorf. My path was aligning with my higher purpose. I did spend time growing and learning through becoming a doula, then a death midwife for a bit and into a spiritual midwife. As time went on though I kept purification at the forefront of living. Purifying our space, our home, purifying my thoughts and intentions. Everything Always came back to me being a mama. A teacher. Our children’s first teacher.
I had a lot of doubts. Especially when the boys became school aged, around 5. Somehow I held us. I held the space. It felt more right and more like our path of peace to stay home with them, than it did to send them off. I didn’t know how hard it was going to be. I don’t think Creator intends for us to Know these things ahead of time for good reason, but to put each foot one in front of the other. This path is all about inner work. I surrender daily! I have days where I yell more than I should, because I didn’t get enough sleep. Mostly I go to sleep and wake when the kid do.
I have days where I used to doubt the fact that I needed to be home teaching our boys, but not anymore. Without a doubt, and beyond the judgement of others, I know this is where I belong. No one can teach our children better than me. I have dedicated the last 10 years of my life to becoming the teacher I am. Bit by bit.
We are 22 weeks into our school year. Math has started and Norse Myths for 4th are complete!! We have a couple more entries in the MLB (Main Lesson Book – Portfolio for each subject) to discuss, but otherwise we have heard the stories. Handwork has been woodworking and toolmaking. Little Wolf has made knives, with wood and metal blades, axes and swords. Every other Friday he goes with Papa Bear to the wood shop and learns so much. Papa still works, but Little Wolf goes out with him on calls with clients and hangs around the shop. It has been the best thing for us all.
Now, we are getting into fractions. I have enjoyed putting the lessons on the board and Little Wolf is building his confidence up around our beginning work. We are using Key To Fractions, based on a recommendation by some other Waldorf mama’s. I know it will get harder soon, and that will challenge him, but that is a part of it. We have finally reached a place in our schooling where we can look back and reflect. Little Wolf can look back at his MLB’s and see how learning is a process. Bit by bit. We must build the foundation for his future, but it is done Now. Each day. Things were difficult in the beginning, because my guy is a choleric and he’s precocious. He’s mature and immature at the same time. He is awakened in so many ways compared to his peers, but he is still 10. It became imperative that I must protect him. He’s so smart, and acts like he can handle so much, but he needs me to be his sacred container. His home. When you parent a child that is choleric (fire-y) you must be like the earth. I act as his container. I am earth and stone that exists around his fire-y spirit. I get burned. It’s hard parenting. But I hold steady and firm. He knows it too. No matter what we come up against he knows I love him unconditionally. Also, the element of water is very helpful to us. So, baths or swimming time help balance us out.
Little Wolf is coming along with reading. I had him read his latest book to me yesterday, Robin’s Country by Monica Furlong. It’s the biggest book he has read. He’s a little slow, but I think the words are big. And, we have had some learning difficulties early-on that slowed us down. BUT, that is okay. Progress is being made, day by day. Patience happens when opportunity is provided (usually by Creator!!)
Little Fox! I can’t say how much he has grown. He is a playful and kind kit. He loves violin. He loves going to the shop with Papa. He’s doing well in school. Great penmanship, patience and a sharp mind. In fact, he is more in his mind than not. But, I have worked hard to get him movement and into his body to balance that out. He reminds me of me in many ways. Every morning he walks the baby out to feed the French Angora rabbit. He is SO good with the baby. Both big boys are good with Little Bear. They feed Ayla Bear, who is now 14 years old, and our Elder dog in case you didn’t know. Dyna the cat gets fed, then we do this all over again in the evening. I have been doing this with the boys ever since they were 5 and 3. Before that Papa bear or I did it on our own for the most part. We had chickens till last year, but they were consumed by predators. I hope to get more as soon as my husband can repair the coop. We need to rebuild the coop yard area and work to make it safer for the chickies. We had some design flaws to begin with, but it all worked for 5 years. Nature happens.
Anyway, Little Fox has completed his Language Arts – Saints and Fables. We are still talking about some of the Saints though, like Michaelmas, which is today! We had celebration around it, learned verses, wrote in our MLB’s, made recipes, and heard the St. George and the Dragon story. Even though I had told this story before it is amazing how they hear it with new ears each year. Little Fox loved fables, and so did I as a child. We are now focusing on math, and the four processes. Both boys did math review during their circle time each day when we were heavily focused on Language Arts, but now Math is our Main Lesson.
Today we did several story problems. I love that we are tackling reading and math at the same time for this. When Little Fox reviews I have him toss a bean bag with Little Wolf and they say the multiplication table. Then, Little Fox calls out division flashcards with Little Wolf for review. They actually love it. I do intend to check a book out of the library, so that we can find some more math games though. Games should be a fun way to keep the practice going. We are not worksheet people around here. I write and draw a lot on the board and the boys take the notes down in their practice books. Then, the last day of the week they translate that into their MLB’s. The lesson there is to take the notes down correctly, so I must check to see they do. Little Fox is reading pretty well. I am pleased. He read all the Bob books, and a pack of Clifford books. Now we are reading My First Little House books. Deer in the Woods now, and The County Fair next. All in right-timing with the season. We have some Little Bear books and those will come next. Little Fox is still knitting, and has to finish up a wash cloth for Grandma’s birthday soon.
Modeling beeswax has not been something we have followed through with as much. At first it was harder to manipulate, but when our body warms the wax cool things can be made. Both boys created St. George knights and other characters from our stories. I am tempted to make a batch myself, but we shall see if time allows, or if it is more conducive to buy. It is definitely expensive. I have plenty of beeswax if I can make the time though.
We are not doing much painting at the moment. Earlier in the year we did a block, about 8 weeks, based around medicinal plants. We enjoyed Herb Fairy stories and then finding the plants out in our environment. I try to point out the plants in all stages year round if possible. We have done this with the trees as well. Dover has great coloring books for trees, medicinal plants, mushrooms, birds, etc. We have several of them. In the front or back of the book there are colored examples for each plant/tree/mushroom. I also belong to plant identification, insect identification, mushroom ID, and Arachnid Facebook groups. I learn so much daily!
Geography teachings are ongoing. History teachings happen through stories in our Language Arts, but also through our books we read outside of “school,” as well as Geography. Writing lessons happen within Language Arts, not separately from our stories. When the boys hear a story they draw, then summarize it in their own words. This is where we identify nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, punctuation, contractions, compound words and so on.
Form drawing continues and has gotten harder and more complex. 4th grade knot drawings are very cool. Our most recent forms have been the serpent and crow. 2nd grade forms are running forms at the moment, and Little Fox is improving his skills. I have proved that Form Drawing has strengthened their brain and eye muscles. This year at the eye doctor we were informed my oldest is completely recovered from a convergence issue. The doctor could not tell he had any issues at all. Knitting is another remedy, but Little Wolf has had less patience for knitting. He loves drawing and other crossing midline activities though! And when given the opportunity he is not ashamed to tell others he can knit.
Waldorf is great because of the depth through which each subject is taught. This education is very dimensional. I look online at other curriculums and it all seems so boring. So flat. Without spirit. Without feeling at all really. Our education is so infused with art that feeds the soul. I know my boys do not know any other way of learning, but I sure hope they appreciate it. I know I do.
Lastly, the time came to receive a new puppy. This is something Papa Bear and I had to meditate on. For a long while after Kiva died I was going through a process where I just didn’t want any new animals. I didn’t want the responsibility, or the heartbreak. Then, one day in August I just felt it was time. Occasionally I would do an internet search. Finally, I found our potential pup. We knew it would be “right” if she was available, but not for two weeks after we found her. We were going to travel out-of-town and needed the two weeks to prepare. Thankfully, she was held for us. We had to provide pictures of our home area and living conditions, which I had never had to do before. And, it was an unusual circumstance when we picked her up, but we have slowly found over the last couple weeks that she is indeed a perfect fit for us. Eva Two Socks. That’s her name. She’s black like Ayla, but thinner like Kiva had been. She just went to the vet today and all is well. The boys have been very active with her training. We outlined our expectations beforehand. She is potty trained! She is sweet! And when we aren’t looking, her and Ayla play. Ayla is getting her chance as an Alpha after all these years.
Gratitude and Blessings to you and yours this Harvest season!
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Nurturing Spirit 