As the year draws to its close

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Welcome to the November 2009 edition of A Living Education E-zine!

A the year draws to its close, may I wish all my subscribers a peaceful and blessed season.

While I know that my American readers are headlong into Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations as well as schooling during this time, we are heading into our long summer vacation.

It’s the count down for us being in the last 2 weeks of formal learning and excitement is mounting for the long summer days, holidays away and the beaching that we will do.

Looking back on our homeschool year we have had some challenging moments. My children now span all three levels of grades and I have had to keep my wits about me more than ever to find the balance between formal schooling, character training and fun things for my littlies.

But what a glorious thing it is to look back and see how my precious children have matured in so many ways and to have them right with me as they were growing!

Charlotte Mason

The tendency to enjoy nature study, music, poetry and art appreciation in the high school years is lowered in favor of more academic pursuits. But it is my opinion that in these years when the world calls so strongly to teens this is one way to bring balance into music, fashion and social choices that they are called to make.

These things do not need to be a “subject” in the homeschool, they can simply be part of the lifestyle that you choose, mom, or things you do as a family. Every Friday evening in summer we pack a picnic and head to a spot for a sunset dinner. Sometimes we go to a paid entry beach, other times up the mountain to a dam where we also enjoy an open water swim. Just being out in those surroundings refreshes our souls and gives us many things to talk about – be it flowers, water, fish, penguins or something else.

My older children take along their cameras and in this way they nature journal by taking photos of what they see in these lovely spots.

Playing music in your home while you cook or in your car while you travel that can expand your children’s music stores is a gentle way to do music appreciation when no one is suspecting it.

When I studied poetry at University I lost my love of it for a long time. It became a dismantling subject rather than an appreciation subject. As my children grew there were many opportunities to instill in them a love for poetry without making it a tedious theory subject and as I did this, my love for poetry returned.

For example the other day when my son of 8 was jumping on his shadow I was able to share with him “I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me…” and he learnt it fairly well right there on the spot.

For my older children, who have a delicious sense of humor, we have enjoyed some silly limericks, rhyming games and short contemporary poems every day at reading time.

Art appreciation can be a wonderful frugal family thing to do by visiting art museums monthly. You can also display art print books at home, and let your children comment on them when they are ready. I like to choose a art print online and make it my desktop on my computer. One of them will always comment on it or ask a question about it.

Family and Sibling Play

I have added a new page to my website with family movie suggestions. During winter when we cannot go on our picnics, we enjoy a pizza and movie night on a Friday. These are some of our favorites.

Organizational Tips

I find that my school terms are too busy to do much organizing and sorting so the first few weeks of each school break I spend with my children sorting through one area in our home each day. I like to plan this ahead so that I know we will get to everything.

I also ask them to write a list of the things they would like to do during the break and try to incorporate as many of them into our days.

I make a list of things I want to do each day as well – things just for me. Some are simple things like taking a friend out for a cup of coffee others more complicated like hair appointments or a real treat like a morning at a spa!

Quote

"We need to maintain a proper balance in our life by allocating the time we have. There are occasions where saying no is the best time management practice there is."
Catherine Pulsifer

Living books

Here is a fun website that we found recently. My children are involved in the Kids Lit Quiz again in 2010 and Fun Trivia is a way for them to test their knowledge in books as well as learn from their mistakes.

Updates to Homeschool Curriculum for Life

I have added 3 pages of Charlotte Mason Homeschool Tips to this website this month.

About a year ago I started a third website. This website is a spin off from our pursuit of a more simple green lifestyle...it all started when I pulled up our front yard to grow vegetables!

Simple Green Living is full of helpful hints and tips on growing veggies, cooking from scratch, frugal living, eco friendly lifestyles and has a one step at a time green living ecourse that you can sign up for.

Do pop over there and see my latest enterprise.

Take care until next time,
God’s richest blessings to you as you homeschool,
Wendy

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