Happy Friday! It is another gorgeous Missouri summer day. We have been so blessed by the weather this summer – days in the high 70’s, clear skies. While I do wish for a bit more rain to fill our water catchment barrels, I am so grateful to be living outdoors in comfortable conditions.
In fact, this morning, there was a bit of a chill in the air, and I found myself putting on long pants, wool socks, and a hat! A tiny hint of fall. And no matter how many years its been since I was last in school (not really all that long ago!), cool crisp fall-like weather always gets me thinking about school. This year, I will be doing kindergarten at home with Ella (and Everett gets to tag along). I had many good intentions to start last year, but with the move and house-building, I just never really did much.
This year I am committing to 2 sessions per week of Kindy. My general plan is to create weekly or bi-weekly themes, such as “Tomatoes”, “Apples”, “Fall Leaves”, and to center stories, songs, crafts, food, and excursions around these themes.
Our little Waldorf-inspired homeschool cooperative has not yet manifested our perfect teacher, so this weekend we parents will begin the process of planning and preparing for the year ahead. It is an exciting time, open to new possibility, and also a bit daunting – how will we successfully meet the needs of each of the 11 children, ranging in age from 15 months – 6 years? How will we busy parents find the time to coordinate and create an experience that is meaningful and rich for the children, and for ourselves?
I am a subscriber to Carrie’s blog, The Parenting Passageway, and I love the gentle wisdom and encouragement she shares. I found this post on How to Grow a Homeschool Group so helpful. Our group is just at the point that Carrie talks about – oldest child is 5 or 6 years old, and folks are antsy to get started. Our members are highly skilled in consensus decision-making and non-violent communication, and we use these tools in our meetings to get us through any challenging moments.
I look forward to sharing my progress in the coming months, and I am truly interested in hearing from you as well!
Warmly,
Teri
Hi Teri! What a lovely blog you have! It is so exciting to see your new home take shape! I have also signed up for Lisa’s planning course which is how I came across your blog. I am looking forward to learning from you and everyone else!
Warm regards,
Meling
Thank you so much Meling!
I am really looking forward to the month.