So things are busy. Really busy. I didn’t really consider the commitment of homeschooling when booking out my Christmas card season this summer. Some days are really, really hard. I’m wearing so many hats. But God is faithful. And he’s certainly a safe place during moments of weariness.

This task that he’s nudged us to accept, what a blessing. He knew (of course he did)! Because it’s so evident. Such a peace has come and clothed this home and I am daily grateful for it. I say that as I have no idea if this is a new part of our family or if it’s temporary, but it’s recognizable and I will cling to it and give God the glory for it, because our home has become quite a special place for all of us.

So...all that to say that we are here, we have been trucking along and even finding more and more of an idea what our homeschool looks like. I’ve spent some time at the local Waldorf school as well as toured a Montessori school to really grasp what I would like to take from both methods. I came back both inspired and confident that what we are doing fits us more than either method as a whole and that was such an encouragement to me (but I did take some serious nuggets from each).

When you don’t follow a specific curriculum or if you’re not a part of a group, it’s really hard to gage the rate and quality of the track you are on. If I get in my head and tone out the voice of the Holy Spirit, it can be so easy to feel like my kids aren’t getting what they need. But he’s there always. Any time I test those feelings, I am reminded that all of this has been led by him and we will continue to be led by him. Even if that doesn’t look like what it’s “supposed” to look like.

By following the desires he has set in my heart and in my children’s heart, our school is taking on some really beautiful and tactile forms of learning. I struggled with this, originally. Somehow, we are taught that seeking beauty can be equivalent to seeking material goods or vanity. But that’s not the case. There’s always been a huge attraction and appreciation for God’s nature in my heart. I am just now learning how that appreciation is the root of creativity. And creativity is given by God.

Not until I read the book, “The Hidden Art of Homemaking” did I learn that having a well organized, clean home and seeking ways to make your family life more beautiful are actually a way to praise God. Because you’re serving your family and you’re giving them the best. You’re teaching your family to strive for the best no matter what situation. It’s not about material things, It’s about making good choices regarding what comes and stays in your home. Because you want everyone who dwells in your home to feel special and cared for and treasured like a guest.

It really encouraged me. Not only did her words remove the self-inflicted guilt of exercising creative ideas in our home, but it inspired me to do more. To create centerpieces at the table that are reflections of the current season. Cook not just for nutrition but to celebrate all the vast colors God has given us to cook with (and don’t you find it interesting that the healthier the meal, the more colorful? That’s our Creator for you!). As I progressed through this book, it was as if part of my heart’s desire finally had words to explain itself. If God created us in his image, would you not agree that he was quite artistic? The Author. The Artist. The Creator. Should we not be practicing these things with the tools we were given?

“A Christian, who realizes he has been made in the image of the Creator God and is therefore meant to be creative on a finite level, should certainly have more understanding of his responsibility to treat God's creation with sensitivity, and should develop his talents to do something to beautify his little spot on the earth's surface.” (Edith Shaeffer)

Since our school is in our home, it only makes sense that our work would reflect our aesthetic. The children have taken on this role and have become so aware of how creation and education mix.

In fact, I was having such a hard time with Everett. He really had no desire to read and didn't want to put any effort towards it (had I adopted Waldorf''s philosophy entirely, this would be just fine!). However, reading children make my job much easier, so this was something I wasn't going to let go. I just had to find a way to capture his heart. Readers and phonograms weren't working.

He's a lover of nature. I'm not sure "lover" even captures his amount of affection for creation!

So, in between his adventures on our property, we sit down with some amazing books that I had to hunt down on the internet. Nature readers! Not Clifford, not Sam and Jane. I'm talking racoons and camping trips. Deer and Goats, all while beautifully illustrated. Ever since he picked up the readers, he's been completely motivated to learn more. We've been able to use them to start up phonics in a new, fun way with use of natural, tactile materials (sources will be listed at the end of this post).

These readers are actually easy to read versus the others whose content includes words that are beyond beginning-readers' skill. He reads these to the babies and has gained so much confidence through them.

He hit his "Aha!" moment and now is reading almost anything in site.

So grateful for these. (Miss Rhonda's Readers if you can't wait for the bottom!)

“It is true that all men are created in the image of God, but Christians are supposed to be conscious of that fact, and being conscious of it should recognize the importance of living artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, as creative creatures of the Creator. If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for us”. (Edit Shaeffer)

I understand that not all Christians or people are "naturally creative", but who labeled them that? At what point in life did they take on that identity? I am learning now that even the most logical, brilliant, number-oriented people (uhum, my firstborn son) can absolutely flourish in a creative environment. But because at some time in childhood they were told they were the "smart one" or the "best reader", they assumed they weren't good at anything creative. Isn't that the case with a lot of us?

Because Carter has the technical ability and discipline to be accurate, he has produced some incredible work. Every day he blows me away. He will always be smart, learn easily, and excel in any mental task, however, had he not this time to spend with art, I can honestly say that this side of him would have never appeared to the extent that it does. It's so encouraging and he's encouraged. He told me once that he wasn't the "artistic type" but now it's his favorite thing to do!

(I caught him mid-watercolor today, this is his mosaic rock wall)

Art has integrated it's way into nearly every subject in our home.

My little mathematician now spends his free time skip counting on a wooden round, his timed math drills are on the math wheels he painted and created, and we've spent quite a bit of time producing some pretty stunning tessellations. I am LOVING the life and beauty that is being breathed into otherwise complex and ordinary subjects. They are too. :)

Our typical day includes a math lesson and language lesson, some reading time with Everett and some self-led spelling work by Carter. This is all done in the morning between trips outside and play with the younger children.

After lunch, the babies are put down and this is the most treasured and enriched time for all of us. It typically entails a history lesson in which I read a few excerpts from different materials (all based on Beautiful Feet's guide), beeswax candles, hot tea and homemade cookies, courtesy of Lulu.

We cover history, character, Bible, and art.

I have found myself more than once laughing with them or chatting with them as I do with friends and it shocks me! Honestly, this is humbling to admit, but I always thought that good parenting meant dropping the friendship until they were well past their "discipline years". While there's a bit of truth and fruit in that during the younger years, I am seeing friendships bud with us that I just never took the time to develop or really acknowledge, I guess. Humbled, but so grateful.

I really don't want this to be a how-to or a break down of how we do things as I am intimidated over having this come from an authoritative perspective.

But...

I do know, I've spent hours upon hours upon hours really looking for a technique that fits with our family aesthetic, one that's academically solid and most importantly, Christ-driven and it's hard to find. I would love to be some sort of help or offer a slight nugget for anyone out there doing the same.

We have eliminated all work books (except for math sheets, but I'm soon switching to plain graph paper for math problems) and stick primarily to card stock and various mediums (watercolor, beeswax crayons, lyra colored pencils, oil pastels).

The kids typically write out a rough draft of the copy work or writing that they will be doing, be it through a report of an outing, nature observation, narration, or poetry and then illustrate and write it in their best writing. Their pictures are expected to be their most beautiful work. They do better work when I am at the table with them, sketching my own. This encourages them and really becomes a social experience.

I keep three natural folders: Word work (poetry, narration, dictation, etc), History/ Geography, and Nature Studies/ Science. We laminate their work double-sided so that they are creating their own book of beautifully illustrated and informative material. I encourage them to review these at the end of the week, which they gladly do as it's always so pleasing to see your own work when you've tried your best!

There are no tests or busy work ("twaddle" is what Charlotte Mason refers to).

Just a lot of creating. :)

Here's a view of what their folders looks like:

I only had a chance to capture Everett's, but I'll get Carter's in the future (he's incredible at mapping and such a great writer, God bless his past school for that!).

Some interesting things about what I discovered.

While reviewing many different methods and curricula, I came to the point where I was heavily drawn to mostly Charlotte Mason, with touches of Classical, Waldorf, and Montessori.

We have shifted away from Classical as it was too strenuous for us; it left me exhausted and all of us rather unhappy at the end of the day. We tend to follow a lot of Waldorf principles when it comes to nature, handcrafts, aesthetic, and curriculum-building, but as soon as I dive into their curricula or forms of teaching, the anthroposophy is so deeply ingrained, it's too much to decode and separate to fit into our family. I will be changing all of my language arts to Montessori in the future, but I am hoping to get some training on that (so if anyone would like to suggest any classes or helpful books to guide me that would be fantastic, I'm having a hard time finding guidance there!).

After doing some late night research, I found a statement that allowed our eclectic mix of schooling to finally make sense to me. Charlotte Mason was a teacher, while Maria Montessori was a scientist and Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher. So I believe I am just combining the best of all of them and fitting them into how their methods work for us!

The one thing they all have in common is the intense instruction on having the children aware of the nature around them. From bird calls to tree types, sun placement to seasonal changes. Everything. Living and breathing and taking time to be aware. Also, each method encourages only natural materials and a "whole child philosophy" which I am beginning to see the fruit of (as mentioned above) in Carter.

We still have yet to incorporate technology and I don't imagine doing it anytime soon (aside from using Google images for examples). The kids have enough books to be able to find information if they need it.

We are keeping the year simple by not doing music or any more sports (they were in soccer), but next year, I will probably start Carter in some sort of music. His humming, tapping, and constant singing is enough to show he is ready!

Here are some resources that we use daily...nothing below is sponsored, but honest materials that I have researched on my own and stand by in regards to quality and effectiveness. :)

Tactile learning:

Beautiful wooden sandpaper letters here

Wooden movable alphabet (not pictured, but great for creating sentences, etc.) here

Wooden grammar symbols for parts of speech here

Gnome Forest (pictured) and other Waldorf inspired learning here

Books:

Miss Rhonda's Readers (honestly can't praise these enough) here

Blaze Series (another tool for Everett) by C.W. Anderson here

Anything Ambleside Online or Beautiful Feet offers has been welcomed by both the boys!

I've found various Nomenclature cards for the babies and Scarlett to play with while the boys work. They have surprised me by what they are learning just by playing with them! I found them all by googling free nomenclature, printing them out, and lamenating them.

I have to say that both Bethany and Kirsten, friends that I have come to know and admire via Instagram have been a huge source of inspiration as far as schooling is concerned. I've been able to capture a bit off of whatever they offer in their tiny squares and use it for inspiration in our own schooling. :)