homeschool

 Mateo and I had skool together 3 days this week and 3 days last week.  It feels grounding and intimate when we have skool.  A nice routine has developed.  After morning milking, when I’m done with the straining and washing, I head upstairs to the farm house kitchen.  Mateo is usually playing with Eli and Eammon in the house somewhere.  Mateo gently resists being interrupted from his friends, but does come and sit at the table for breakfast.  This morning he had a baked potato with loads of butter and a bit of salt, and a whole onion cooked well in butter and salt.  I sit next to him, drink tea with milk, and color with crayons.  I love coloring with crayons.  There are usually 2 to 4 kids of various ages wandering around and Laura and Jim are in and out of the kitchen.  It’s a crowded, chaotic, pleasant environment.  

     Wash some dishes then walk across the property together out to the little red cabin and up the stairs to our space in the trees.  Mateo plays with toys while I make the beds.  Today I sat in our skool space and read while he worked on a lego project.  I like him to initiate our skool time because then the experience is smooth and pleasant and it feels good knowing that he joins under his own will forces.  He came and sat next to me and the candle was lit, which has always been our routine to indicate that skool time has begun.

     Mateo goes first, sharing out loud at least 3 things that he appreciates.  Today he says, “ball, all my legos, Doug (a stuffed dragon), and Eli”.  Then it’s my turn to share what I appreciate and this feels good to go inside to stillness and bask in the abundance of my life.  Today as usual, among other things, I name Mateo and his joy, enthusiasm and willingness to explore our world.  I close with “Namaste”, open my eyes and sit peacefully.  Mateo goes to the music basket and brings back the tin whistle, recorder, and music books.  I love that I just sit there quietly and he goes to get the music supplies.  It feels good to imagine he’s doing what he wants to do, under his own power, no words required.  Seems like I’m doing a good job at this homeschool stuff if my kid is willingly participating.  I want to do a good job.  It’s all about balance.  Right now as I’m writing this at 7:30 at night, he’s on the couch watching Eli play a video game that involves machine gun fire and vehicles chasing each other.  Earlier today, after skool and lunch, Mateo and Eli and little brother Eammond were outside chasing each other, running around the property in the beautiful fall weather.  I am comfortable with the balance in his life.

Mateo plays the song he ended with yesterday, London Bridges, on the tin flute.  He has good control of the tone at times and can finger the notes well.  He switches to the recorder then for Old McDonald, this instrument being easier to make sound pleasant.  I’m just so happy that he tries and he’s learning to read and play music and we’ve had music every day as part of his skool for years now, so maybe it will be normal for him and just easy and part of his life.  For my turn I play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the recorder, which has improved since yesterday when I first tried the song.  I like him to see me learning and trying right along with him.  Learning to play the recorder is hard and pushes my boundaries and that’s what I want for him, to be able to do the thing that can be hard but so rewarding.  Hearing a familiar song come out of an instrument in my hands is amazing and I know Mateo can feel that energy.  Homeschooling is an atmosphere and I appreciate a partner like Mateo in creating such an intimate experience.  

Music stops easily, when he’s had enough.  I’m so glad he plays well, really tries a few songs, and then moves on to the next topic, movement.  I like him to stop before it gets yucky, so playing music remains fun and there’s ease in it.  For movement he hasn’t done head stands and hand stands since coming here.  Somehow we have switched to juggling, which for now just involves a lot of playing catch with his ball and the juggling balls.  In between throws to each other, we practice tossing the ball up and catching it with the opposite hand.  His toss has improved greatly going from wild and difficult to catch, to more controlled and easy.  He loves playing catch and I get bored quickly but play along because it’s nice to see him having fun and enjoying skool.  Learning to juggle is hard and he has resisted at times, but responds well to encouragement and my not giving in.  Again, I want him to push through things that are difficult, like learning to juggle, because it seems like his confidence will grow and that is so important for a nice life.  

Math is next and he eats 2 clementines while I read the Fred book, chapter 6 today.  “Life of Fred” math books are SO FUN and smart and we both love them, being in our 3rd book in the series which goes all the way into college calculus.  The books encourage kids to think, to listen, and to pay attention to details.  And they’re silly and funny and creative.  It was just a casual conversation at homeshcool gym one day back in January with a mom I was meeting for the first time and then never saw again.  She mentioned these books and what they were like and I got the first one in the series from our library.  Mateo did two chapters a day for that first book because he couldn’t get enough.  What a gift of a conversation, I’m so glad I was able to receive what she shared.  

Also this week we added a Sudoku puzzle.  I really enjoy these puzzles and it seems like Mateo can practice important skills by solving these.  Most importantly, he enjoys them a lot and I have to stop him every day so we can move on to the next topic.  I like to leave him hungry for more and keep things moving along so skool doesn’t take up too much of our day.  I always mention that he can do more on his own time, or we can do more together after the candle is blown out.  It’s important to me that we get all the topics completed before he gets tired and loses focus, and before I get tired also.  

Last there is art, which usually involves drawing.  Sometimes we paint but today for the 3rd day he’s drawing from a book on Perspective.  He’s practicing drawing 3 dimensional shapes like cubes.  Then he decorates them, which I love.  He tries hard and draws something technical, then throws in some color and a spider web.  His spirit is so gorgeous.  His mind is so sharp.  I just love spending time with him.  Today I draw an elephant and some columns behind and in front of her, copying an idea from a book on the Bhagadvad Gita.  He likes my elephant except for the eye which doesn’t look right.  I add eye lashes and he laughs at that.  We have a good time drawing together.  It was hard for me to learn to draw, to just look at a blank piece of paper and create something.  I’m glad he’s shared my energy of going beyond my comfort zone and learning to draw.  I really enjoy it now…

We come back to the candle together, share things we appreciate, and close skool for the day.  Candle blown out and smoke floating up to the ceiling.  We did it!  Another full week, 3 days in a row.  I’m doing a good job.  My child enjoys homeschool and willingly participates.  Praise the Lord.  My heart is full.