The Rhythm of Our Day, Part 3

After read-aloud, we have quiet time. They can have their screen time now (1/2 hour a day. Nicholas usually watches Bob the Builder and Katie Grace usually skips it, but lately they've been watching Preschool Power or a yoga or ballet video together). I nurse the baby and rest. Getting up at 5:30 AM leaves me pretty tired!

Around 2, I get up and we have a main lesson of sorts. Right now, we're focusing on fairy tales. That is followed by an art/music/or PE time, depending on what I feel was lacking that day. I might also put out some math manipulatives to explore. Then we have a general tidy and end our school day by 3:00.

Semsi Mountain, Take Two

We had another mellow day. I actually pretty much got everything done that needed to be done, which seems like a minor miracle, especially since Dan the Man cut a tooth today. (!)

Here is Katie Grace's alternate ending to Semile Mountain (keeping in mind I already had to change it from him getting his head lopped off to him being shut up in the mountain):
...and the little brother came along for fourths and said, "Semsi Mountain, open!" And it opened. He saw the big brother and said, "If you are good and have a loving heart from now on, I will let you out." And they both lived happily ever after.

Here are her drawings--forgive the weird glare:
"M" Mountain pictureThe Jewels


And an awesome drawing she did of the 4 seasons to represent the number 4.

The Rhythm of Our Day, Part 2

So, we've had snack, the baby is fed, the children have run around in the fresh air, and I've cleaned up a bit.

Around 11, Katie Grace and I snuggle down for some language arts. We maybe do one lesson from The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, or something from First Language Lessons. We read a picture book together, or maybe do some copywork. It's pretty non-pressured, but she does know how to read, so we're just going on in little chunks.

At 11:30, if he's awake, I put Daniel down on the blanket and he and Katie Grace play together for as long as he's happy about it. Nicholas and I have have some Seasons of Joy preschool time. This is also the time that I do anything he wanted to do from his "Mama Basket." The "Mama Basket" is where he puts any books, games, or toys that he wanted me to play with him while I was working with Katie Grace.

Noon is lunch. The kids help clean up and wash the dishes. This is more an exercise in water play than in actual cleaning. I take a few minutes to pray and catch my breath, and then we have read-aloud time. Right now we are reading Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I try to read a picture book to Nicholas when we're finished.

I'll finish up our day tomorrow.

Semsi Mountain, Shut Thyself!

Today we told the tale of Simeli Mountain. To be honest, I don't know that Katie Grace is ready for some of the "heavier" fairy tales. I saw her little face when I got to the end part where it says

"Bird, have we caught thee at last! Didst thou think we had never noticed that thou hadst been in here twice? We could not catch thee then; this third time thou shalt not get out again!" Then he cried, "It was not I, it was my brother," but let him beg for his life and say what he would, they cut his head off. - -"

And I could see the look of panic on her little face, so I changed it to "and they left him shut up there forever." And she was still ticked off! I promised her that tomorrow she could dictate her alternate ending to me.

Also, we played a spontaneous game of Simon Says that was also PE. When I said "Semsi Mountain, open!" they would do an open jumping jack, and when I said "Semsi Mountain, close thyself!" they would go into a closed position. But if I said Semeli Mountain open or close, they didn't move.Ugh, Nicholas's shirt is dreadful. You can tell it was after lunch. *hides head in shame*

The Rhythm of Our Day, Part 1

I thought I would share a snapshot of how our days are shaping up thus far.

5:30 AM (!) I wake up and nurse the baby/pray. Then either he's upstairs with Daddy or asleep in the swing or bassinet and I do laundry, clean, get the kitchen in order, precook anything that needs precooked, wash dishes, pack lunches, etc while listening to NPR. I also set something out on the dining room table for the children to do.

7:00- Hop in the shower. On my way out, I wake everyone up. I supervise them getting dressed while I get dressed.

7:30- Breakfast.
Monday: Eggs
Tuesday: Hot cereal
Wednesday: Pancakes or Waffles
Thursday: Hot cereal
Friday: Eggs
Saturday: Pancakes or Waffles
Sunday: Cold cereal
The junior chef helps me cook and get drinks, the host or hostess says the blessing, and the clean-up crew takes out the recycling.

After breakfast, they go upstairs, wash their faces and brush their hair and teeth, and make sure their room is in order. Michael tidies the bathroom, Katie Grace checks the hall, and Nicholas makes sure all the lights are out. Then they come downstairs and make sure everything they need for the day is ready. They can read or work quietly at the table.

8:30- Michael goes to school and Katie Grace does what we call her "daily warm-up". It might be a word problem, a short piece of copywork, or something like that. Then we have circle. At some point, I put the baby down for a nap, but otherwise he hangs out on my lap. If he's super fussy or nursing to sleep, we read/recite nursery rhymes and poetry instead of having circle.

After circle, we have "Jesus Time" (Christian Ed). We have a couple projects going. We're making a prayer book, and we also have a saint main lesson book. It doesn't go into detail, but if we're celebrating a saint's day she might draw a picture or write a quote. We're also working on a Bible timeline to hang on the wall, beginning with Creation. Again, nothing deep, but it's part of the Great Story and it's one more way to help make sure she knows it.

Then we have math. We're using Miquon Math this year, but jazzing it up with Waldorf. Gnomes live among our Cuisenaire Rods and find lots of treasure. We're also working on a "qualities of numbers" book. We write the numeral, draw a picture, and maybe copy a short rhyme or verse.

By now it's generally 10:00 and we take an hour off. We have a snack and maybe do some baking. This is also cleaning time. I encourage Katie Grace and Nicholas to go outside and burn off some energy.

Coming soon... part 2 :D

Where We're At,...

I think we're slowly wandering out of the strictly Waldorf aisle of homeschooling and into the eclectic section. This is really a difficult thing for me to admit. I love the beauty of Waldorf, as well the pedagogy and even some of the spirituality. I am not, however, married to a strict interpretation of the curriculum sequence.

The problem is, I see so much beauty and truth in many different approaches. I love the orderliness of Montessori, and I love the nature-centeredness of Charlotte Mason. I love the freedom to follow a child's interests found in the Project Approach and Emergent Curriculum, and I went to grad school when Developmentally Appropriate Practice standards were being developed. I love the short lessons in The Well-Trained Mind, as well as the respect for the fact that if a child wants to learn, they can and should learn. Waldorf probably resonates with me most strongly, but I don't feel like following a strict Waldorf path--at least as interpreted by some of the "Steiner-Says"-gurus of today--works for our family.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not rushing out to buy workbooks for every subject or a computer curriculum or anything. But I'm giving myself permission to follow the lead of my children and to, as I tell mamas at La Leche League meetings, take what we can use and leave the rest.

That said, we had a lovely first week. We're getting back into a rhythm, and I've managed to work in time for everything I wanted except a nature walk each day. I suspect that's going to be something that is catch as catch can. Maybe one day we'll walk to the corner grocery to pick something up and notice that Mother Earth has changed her clothes, maybe another day we'll walk to pick up Big Brother from school and see an interesting flower. Whatever we do, I am sure we'll find a way to make it work for us!

Back to School!

We're back into a school rhythm. I can't believe Katie Grace is in first grade! And Nicholas desperately wants to do "preschool," which sounds entirely too academic for my taste, but he has been resistant to my attempts to call our special time "nursery time."

I hope to have more pictures, details, etc later. I actually meant to have them up Monday, but it just hasn't happened. It's a good sign, I suppose, that we're so busy actually doing school that I don't have time to write about it.

Natural Childhood Newsletter for the Week of June 9

*reposted from my mailing list, found here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Natural_Childhood/

A Note from Me to You
Oh, it feels so good to be writing to this list again! Looking at the archives, I realize that I've been writing this ever since my first little guy, Michael, was a baby. He's a big eight-year-old guy now! It's hard to believe. I haven't always been faithful in writing to this list, but I do notice than when I write, it helps to center and ground our routine. Thanks for sticking with me! And remember, when the list has dry spells, there's always the archives, found here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Natural_Childhood/messages

I'm going to start off slow this week!

Circle Time Fun
We've planted our garden, but we seem to be plagued with cabbage-eating bunnies. Katie Grace, however, is fearless, and we often hear her out in the yard yelling at the rabbits to move on. In honor of her, we've been having a summer garden/bunny munching story time. Some elements of this circle include:

Oh, John the Rabbit--a call and response song
Oh, John the Rabbit! (Oh yes!)
Oh, John the Rabbit! (Oh yes!)
You have a mighty bad habbit (Oh yes!)
Of jumping in my garden (Oh yes!)
And eating all my cabbage. (Oh yes!)
You ate my potatoes (Oh yes!)
And sweet potatoes (Oh yes!)
And if I live (Oh yes!)
To see next fall (Oh yes!)
I won't plant (Oh yes!)
A garden at all. (Oh yes!)

Bunny, Bunny
Bunny, white bunny
With ears so tall.
Place pointer fingers beside head.
And your two pink eyes
And a mouth so small.
Make a small O with mouth.
Wiggle goes one ear,
Wiggle one finger.
Wiggle goes the other.
Wiggle the other finger.
Hop, hop, hop, hop
Home to your mother!
Hop away in four hops.

Sing a song of sunny hours,
Dreaming with the bees and flowers.
Sing a song of babbling brooks
Dancing on by shady nooks.
Sing a song of softest breeze,
Blowing gently through the trees.
Sing a song of joyous light,
Making all the world so bright.
Sing a song of happy praise,
Thanking God for sunny days!
from the Wynstone Press Summer book

Also some of the gardening songs found in Mary Thienes-Schunemann's This Is the Way We Wash-a-Day.

What Can You Do with a Fairy Tale?
Not exactly a fairy tale, but we've been keeping with the summer bunny theme by reading the Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit stories. You can see some of her earlier sketches here:
http://www.peterrabbit.com/beatrixpotter/beatrixpotter1b.cfm

Make a pom pom rabbit with directions here (just add bigger ears and a different tail):
http://www.peterrabbit.com/images/POMPOM.jpg

Make felt bunny ears for dress-up play.

Learning Together
Since we finally have beautiful weather, we've been going on lots of neighborhood walks. This has led both Katie Grace and Nicholas to try to re-create our neighborhood in various ways--through dramatic play and dress-ups, by drawing "maps," creating various landmarks with blocks and other building materials. We take the time to stop and visit and chat with the various community helpers. Visiting with the corner store owner led to several days of playing "shopkeeper;" chatting with the mail carrier has caused the children to write or draw letters for one another and deliver them to each other's bedrooms, always a great surprise.

We might try a TREASURE HUNT!
On index cards, draw freehand, glue pictures from a magazine, or print computer-generated pictures of things in your home. Make about a half a dozen for youngest players and a dozen for kids ages five or older. Draw on each clue a directional arrow to indicate on top of, under, beside, etc. Wrap up the first card to give to your child as the first clue. Hide the second clue near the item pictured on the first card. Hide the third clue near the item pictured on the second card, and so on, until all the clues are hidden. Make sure to hide a treasure (a gift, a coin, small toy, food treat, etc.) near the final item. Send your child on the hunt with the first clue! You may need to help a young or first-time hunter "read" the clues and follow the directions, but soon, she or he will become an expert.

Arts, Crafts, and Handwork

Stir Up Some Sidewalk Chalk

It's easy to make your own sidewalk chalk in a rainbow of colors.

Ages: 3-10

Time Required: Less than 1 hour to make; overnight to dry.

You'll need:

· Several empty toilet paper rolls

· Aluminum foil

· Plaster of Paris mix

· Dry tempera paint

· A small disposable container that will hold about a pint (such as an empty plastic margarine tub)

Making the Chalk

1. First, take several empty toilet paper rolls and tightly cover one end of each roll with aluminum foil.

2. In a small disposable container (such as an empty tub of margarine) mix one cup Plaster of Paris with one cup of water and several spoonfuls of dry tempera paint.

3. Carefully pour the mixture into the open end of the toilet paper roll. Let the mixture sit undisturbed overnight.

4. When the mixture is completely dry, peel off the cardboard and use as sidewalk chalk.

TIP: Save clean up time (as well as eliminating the risk of a clogged drain) by just throwing away the container used to mix the chalk.

Cooking Up Some Fun
Make a summer salad!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	2 tablespoons olive oil
	1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
	1/4 cup chopped cilantro
	1/4 teaspoon salt
	1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
	2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 5 ears)
	1 1/2 cups diced avocado (1/2-inch pieces)
	1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
	1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

2. Add the corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6. Tips: Choose ears of corn with bright green husks that are tightly closed. The ends of the corn silk should be golden brown, not pale -- an indication that the corn was picked too early.

To easily remove corn silk from the kernels, hold the ear in one hand and rub downward with a wet paper towel.

To remove corn kernels for a salad or salsa, stand an uncooked ear in a shallow bowl and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife. For chowder, add another step: reverse the knife and run the dull side down the ear to press out the rest of the corn and its milk.

Summer Nature Table

We have a fussy baby

Daniel is seriously not all that pleased to be earthside. Oddly enough, it's generally not a big deal. It's not that he's colicky. Katie Grace was colicky, and she was just a very prickly personality. But he sometimes seems so sad and desperate and bewildered by the great big world. He's happiest when he's in the sling or swaddled. He even seems to like it if he's in the swing and we turn it on to the high speed. I took the obnoxious light-and-sound-making toy bar off. I feel guilty enough using a swing! But he just seems to be having a very difficult time getting organized.

I am so glad we try to follow Waldorf recommendations (although to us, they just seem to be common sense!) for our babies. Hold them tight, protect their senses, rock them, sing to them, give them all the rhythm we can. Because honestly, if he was in a world filled with big loud noises and bold patterns and bright colors and flashing lights, I think he would tweak. Either that, or he would just shut down completely.

On a happier note, Katie Grace learned this poem today, and it just tickled her:
I never saw a purple cow.
I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow
I'd rather see than be one.