As summer comes to an end, I’m preparing for our return to lessons and our homeschooling rhythm. I’ve walked in my mind through the seasons of the year, planning for the changes that will unfold in the months to come. The year of seasons forms a cycle like breathing; expansion at the summer solstice like … Continue reading
This Spring, my daughter (aged 7 1/2) pulled out the Story of the Root Children from her kinder days. I think I tried to interest her in gnome and fairy stories, as I pondered the elemental beings from Steiner’s work, but I thought it didn’t really take, back when she was 3 or 4. Now, it’s … Continue reading
I haven’t posted in almost a year — homeschool life is so full, and I feel connected in so many other ways, less in need of the online world. We started second grade material this January. And I can’t believe it! It just feels so right. Like it was meant to come to us right … Continue reading
People ask me if homeschooling is lonely. It was my main worry, too, at first. And, yes, when it was wintry dark and raining for days on end, I felt alone sometimes. But it was a chance to enjoy the solitude, recharge, and gather our energy for Spring. Actually, I felt more lonely before, trying … Continue reading
The nights are longer, the days are darker, and we love to wander through the dim and mysterious redwood forests at this time of year. We wait with excitement for the glimmer of light, growing to a flame, that comes with festivals, lighting candles, and gradually, the return of the sun! Here are some winter songs … Continue reading
We are here, four months into homeschool life, and I think our detox is coming along. Detox from some of the stresses of modern life . . . alarm clocks, the commute, traffic, daily crowds, the rush, missing home and each other . . . and it dawns on me that the children are showing signs … Continue reading
Feliz Otoño — Happy Autumn! Uhuu . . . el otoño llegó . . . Castañas y bellotas Muchas otras cosas Que cogen los niños Con mucho cariño. Uhuu . . . el otoño llegó . . . Autumn brings the last of the harvest, many fruits like manzanas, uvas, granadas, and even giant calabazas! … Continue reading
Well, we are officially homeschoolers for real! I can’t believe we ever lived any other way! No commute, no tortured good-byes. A rhythm to the day that’s right for us — simple, simple, simple! Being around less people, less activities, less sight and sound, and just plain being together, has made such a difference for … Continue reading
Summer has officially arrived, so I am finally getting around to posting the Cuento y Canto song list handout from Spring CuentoyCantoPrimavera Songs about gardening, the many colors of spring, and the alegría we felt when the sun and rain brought so much life energy, sprouting, birth and rebirth, and growth. Caterpillars turned into butterflies, … Continue reading
Mi hijo, the little Chigüiro, ambles through an urban prairie meadow, the grasses tickling his elbows. It’s green: finally, what a relief! After six years of drought, the rains have returned to California, and with them the magic of wildflowers. I feel like I can breathe again. We peek among the grasses to find the … Continue reading
Chigüiri-cosas 