I am realizing that I document our homeschool journey so little, which is odd because it not only takes the most time out of all that I do, but I also spend a significant amount of brain power learning, planning, deciding and executing. I am not someone who follows a boxed curriculum, so my mental energy is often in homeschool mode figuring out the who, what, when, where, why and hows about things. For our family, I believe homeschooling is a lifestyle, so we homeschool year round, each season having a different pattern, rhythm, purpose and plan.
We've been enjoying our slow starts to these spring days with read alouds with simultaneous painting/drawing and then planting/gardening the rest of the day. Adrian said: "This is just the relaxing morning that I was hoping. I can't think of anything more perfect than listening to books while painting and then doing a little big of gardening."
I love his thoughts and I also love his truck paintings and drawings (drawing/painting trucks is his favorite hobby).
I just invested in these watercolors, which I highly recommend.We just finished this book, which I highly recommend too. It's basically a nature journal/nature diary of an owl and the man who worked to rehabilitate him set between Maine and Vermont. It was written for 9-12 year olds, we read it as a family read aloud. I was as excited as the kids to get back to find out what happened.
We've all kept nature journals for years. These are different faces from Owls inspired by book, drawn by Audra.
Your homeschool days sounds just about perfect. The struggle is part of it, nothing can run smoothly all the time. When kids are relaxed, they learn better and the lessons stick.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day of learning, one and all!