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| Washing rocks to use for math practice. |
My main reasons for switching him to homeschool were so that he could have:
1) more sleep
2) more playtime (preferably outside)
3) more food (though food is not my forte)
4) more Mom
The "more Mom" reason has surfaced as the most important. He has heard me summarize my reason for homeschooling him as "because he needs more Mom-time" and it seems as though it gave him permission to want me to be with him all the time. Which, as an introvert, isn't exactly what I had in mind. But which, as I learn more about motherhood and my power to nurture, I am at peace with. Maybe he needed me more than I realized. I finally gave him permission to be six and to need me.
When he wakes up he comes to find me (usually on the couch) and we snuggle and read some poems and stories. (Literature. Check!) I love Charlotte Mason's education philosophy, so we pause frequently and I ask Orion to narrate, or to "tell me what we just read." He's pretty good, when he feels like it. One day he "narrated" in gobledegook, faux Chinese, and alien before translating it to English. He did this every time we stopped to narrate... which is every two paragraphs!
Before we started homeschooling, Orion asked if we had to do so much history, like Lilli had. Of course we don't. But the next day he told me he wanted to learn about cavemen. Which coincides fairly well with the beginning of The Story of the World Volume 1. He built a country with train tracks and geometric blocks while I read about archaeology to him. Then with hardly any encouragement, he drew a map of his country in his sketch book. (Geography! Yay!)
We followed a few rabbit holes. One day I picked up a Magic School Bus book on bones that we started weeks ago (and have to turn in to the library soon). We only read a few chapters, but then we pulled out our How the Body Works book and looked up the chapter on bones. We read a bit there, then pulled out the playdough and some straws to make a model of the microscopic structure inside of bones. This was a good activity for Davey! I have been wanting to do preschool activities with him for months. But now, with Orion home, Davey is getting more stories and more activities.
We're also working in Copywork (handwriting), Chores, Devotional, Physical Activity, and Math. Though my math plan needs some work! I encourage him to draw pictures of the things we're learning and talking about in his sketchbook. But it hasn't caught on yet. I have tons of plans for art, but my execution needs some improvement.
Despite having more to do than can physically be done in a day, I feel exhilarated by how calm and peaceful I feel. I'm enjoying Orion more than I have in a long time. And while I don't get to pay quite as much attention to Davey during the morning like I used to, I have delightful interactions with him and am so grateful for him. I'm working on connecting with Lilli better, too (I visited with her in her CLEAN room one night last week and she brushed my hair! It was heaven!).
Now. If only the dishes would wash themselves!
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