Our little homeschool cooperative has expanded to 12 little ones, and still meets weekly on Friday mornings. In addition, we are gathering on Monday evenings to celebrate Advent with a beautiful spiral, singing, a short ritual, and a shared meal. It's very sweet, and I hope to take and share some photos in the coming weeks. Today, I will share our December circle time, which is a combination of nature-based, Christmas, and Advent songs, fingerplays, and movement. This month we have enjoyed listening to stories about St. Nicholas, The Christmas Rose, and the wonderful children's book, Holly and Ivy. Some of my favorite resources for creating our circle are the lovely CD Come Follow … [Read more...]
Gratitude :: Community Communication
This week has been a challenging one for our little homeschool cooperative. We experienced some group conflict as a result of diving forward into the new year without a clear set of guidelines for how we'd make group decisions or resolve disagreements. A seemingly simple decision over an upcoming festival turned into two meetings, then three, then phone calls and long conversations, some confusion and disagreement, and even a few hurt feelings. It's so natural for conflict to arise in groups, and particularly in a homeschool cooperative environment, where each of us is so fully invested in our children's education; discussions naturally bring out big emotions. But we were unprepared for … [Read more...]
Late Winter Waldorf Circle Songs
One of my favorite times of the week is Friday morning, when our little Waldorf homeschooling cooperative gathers together. Six parents and eight children crowd in a tiny living room to share songs, stories, snacks, and crafts. Our older children are 4-5 years old, and a few of us also have 2-3 year old children in tow. So, we're in essence creating a mixed ages kindergarten. It works remarkably well. The younger kids follow right along with their older siblings, with occasional breaks for cuddling or nursing. Each parent is responsible for a portion of the morning's activities, and I am generally the leader of the circle time, which consists of a few verses, some fingerplays, and lots … [Read more...]