Our first "official" week as homeschoolers!
Miss C turned 6 this week so it marks the official beginning of our homeschooling journey. We’ve been joining groups and dabbling in school work on and off for the last year or so, but this week I have been more intentional with homeschooling being the focus of our days.
Unfortunately I got sick on Sunday so at the beginning of the week we spent more time than I would like watching TV and surviving as opposed to thriving… so it was a challenging week but we also had lots of wins.
Being sick meant no work for me, which gave us the space and time we needed to get used to our new rhythm and finding what works for Master B (age 3) while Miss C and I are focused on her school work. Miss C was so excited by her new desk and pencil case that she spent a ton of time in her room doodling, writing, fiddling with her new BrainBox and she even wrote and illustrated a book! I was so proud of her for having a go at sounding out all the words - this felt like a huge leap in her understanding of how letters form words!
Miss C started her first “product art” project (a piece where the outcome is predetermined, not just free exploration with supplies) - a silhouette self portrait. We had fun tracing her silhouette by setting up a torch in the dining room. She carefully painted the background and next week we’ll add all the bits that make up who she is - the things she likes doing, favourite foods, movies, books etc.
We had lots of movement woven into our days, both in the backyard and out in the community. So good for us all and a great reset when energy gets too big or restless.
Another moment that made my heart burst was coming out from putting Master B to bed, 7:30pm on Friday evening, to find hubby and Miss C talking about conductivity. They’d made a simple circuit on the Brain Box, but left one portion open. After collecting a few things from around the house, they tested to see which ones closed the circuit and made the bulb glow. Such a simple, spontaneous activity with big learning. The next morning I found Miss C teaching Master B what she’d learnt. A great reminder that the most memorable learning isn’t always planned, and doesn’t have to happen between 9am-3pm in a classroom.
What has this week brought up for me?
● Managing a 6 year old’s schooling, while parenting a full noise 3 year old is far more demanding than a class of 31 11-13 year olds… But it's so worth it.
● It reminded me that having a routine / rhythm for the day is amazing, especially when things get wobbly and we need to redirect the day, but not to hold on to it too tightly (aka being able to drop it all and meet the immediate needs) sets everyone/everything else up for success.
● How “in my element” I feel with my teacher hat back on after “just being Mum” for so many years.
● My gratitude and excitement for the growing heat and energy of Spring/Summer. I can’t wait to weave beach and garden time into our weeks!
● Giving myself grace for not being at my best. This is life and we adapt as needed.
