The twins are still cooking! It’s just insane to me that they haven’t shown any signs of coming sooner! But, Friday is eviction day, and we are more than ready. It feels like staring at the toaster waiting for it to pop up… like it’s just taking FOREVER and you want to just pop up the toast yourself and be done with it!
M’s “school” year is going fabulously. I’m feeling so ecstatic about our choice to take her out of school. She is truly thriving without the constraints of the classroom, being physically told to hold still and also the lack of nature. She loves being in the real world, learning about what is in front of her. Her first week of “school” went like this:
Tuesday: Afternoon at the ranch, where she took a hike into the hills, picked cucumbers and ate them, and did crafts… came home with her shoes soaked in mud. Sign of a good day! (And a sign that she needs waterproof hiking boots for this program.)
Wednesday: Group planning with her “class” for the week, and then spent the day at the library… interacting with the librarians, checking out books to keep in the school van, playing school with her friends, sitting around reading with everyone, and creating an obstacle course outside.
Thursday: Went to a farm where she stalked the peacocks and collected their feathers, watched one-day old baby chicks (she’s obsessed with baby chicks), met a real live Blacksmith who helped her create an “S” hook out of clay, rode an old-fashioned train, learned about morse code and train engines, etc!
Friday: Spent the day at Pump It Up, celebrating their first week as a group for the year, having a blast!
So how does that sound for “school”, eh? I’m beyond jealous, because I think she’s one of the luckiest kids in the world! I wish all children had a chance to learn so much from the real world, and have fun while doing it. M says to me, “Mom, it’s not really even like school, it’s just having fun!”
Mondays are open for M, but quickly filling up, as she has play therapy in the morning, and we’re checking out a local art class for 5-8 year olds in the afternoon. She’s also still doing horseback riding on Thursdays after “school”! With all of the things there are to do and learn, who has time for school???
And M’s reading continues to blossom, without any formal help. Every night she asks me if she can read her “Learning Dynamic” series books, and she’s making her way through them nicely. She always begs to read more and I say no because it’s late and I’m tired! I’m still amazed that kids learn to read so organically, without formal instruction. But there you have it!
Our big girl, L, is also settling into the school year nicely, after initial resistance. For reasons I don’t go into in public, we need to keep her enrolled in a formal school. But the K-8 Montessori where M went up until now is a kind, loving place. I do wish L had more outside time and more freedom, but all things considered, it’s leaps and bounds above public schools (no grades, children decide which activities they do first, etc), and L enjoys her friends and teachers. She has community there and it’s like a family. She started off a bit resistant to going to school at all, but within a week that wore off and she’s ready and willing to go to school every day, which is a great sign.
Well, the countdown continues. Babies in T minus 4 days!
Mother of All Things 