As thousands of parents and children hit the local (and virtual) stores to stock up on school supplies, we have been hanging about the house and the yard, nesting away to create a cozy and rich learning environment for our new school year. I have to admit to having a homeschool wish list worth a couple thousand, yet when it comes down to it – and when my feet touch back down onto this early September earth – there are only a few things we truly need!
For us, new pencil crayons mean freshly sharpened and arranged pencil crayons set next to a freshly mixed set of watercolor paints, brushes, three year old beeswax block crayons, and other art supplies. For children it might be a curse that quality supplies last so long – for us parents, a blessing! The only thing we really need to buy new is paper, and some beeswax stick crayons.
Along with our trusty art supplies, we picked up four drawing books to use for our Waldorf form drawings. If there was ever a beautiful and ethereal approach to writing and math, this has got to be it. I have a beeswax candle crafted by a local artisan ready to light in the mornings while we set to the work of putting these forms to paper, as well as a set of coloured chalk for drawing the forms on the chalkboard.
I am so thrilled to have found this form drawing course, as well as a grade two curriculum to pull from as we see fit – both purchases totaling much less than $100 with the sale that was running. I am not connected with Waldorf Essentials, I am just eager to be using her materials. Other than these things mentioned, we have requested easily 50 books from the library about bees, flight, saints, fall, and more. We’re ready to hit our local natural areas, visit and learn with friends and family, and dig into the richness of our community and broader world. And we’ve invested time and elbow grease into editing our home down to the essentials so we have space to think, create, share, learn, and grow together. Everything else will work itself out as need be.
Recently, a friend invited me to participate in an interview series for her online course Lazy Lady Living. If you’d like to hear more about how we homeschool, listen in on this Tierra Soul Talk Radio episode where I chat with Krista Joy Arias about child-led learning, Waldorf and Montessori, project based homeschooling, working from home, and more.
While you’re there, don’t miss checking out Tierra Soul and Krista’s amazing course Lazy Lady Living. She and her husband, David, truly bring permaculture living out of the clouds and break it down into easily digestible vignettes for course participants. Living a simple and sustainable life doesn’t have to be complicated, and Krista and David will inspire you and connect you with ways to reconnect with your food and farming, culture and community in meaningful and practical ways. Head over and check out what this course has to offer.
I am an affiliate for this program, and I have to say that I am an affiliate in just two programs – Amazon, since we love books, and Lazy Lady Living because I truly believe in what Krista and David are doing and feel it would be a huge benefit in the lives of my readers!
Please note, too, that our choice to homeschool is a personal choice and I don’t by any means think that all kids should learn at home! I respect the choices of each parent in making decisions that are best for their own family.
This post was shared as a part of Thank Goodness It’s Monday and Hip Homeschool Hop.