Good Friends, and Homeschooling

Some of you have been asking how our homeschooling has been going. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond; my head is a mess with uncertainty and indecision! There is so much that I love about home education, and every time I read a book about it, I feel inspired - indeed compelled - to carry on! What my main desire has been this year, is to secure a local community - maybe just one or two other families - who would like to join us in a homeschooling activity. It might just be Art one morning, or Science one afternoon, not much. But something. I feel that in order to sustain homeschooling, we need a bit of company, but I have found this difficult. There are lots of people out there homeschooling, but it can be hard to find the right combination of "clicking" and location. We do see friends almost every day but it's those days when all the other kids are at school and it's just the boys and me, that I find challenging sometimes. It's nice to do things in a group. So, I will continue with my quest, but in the meantime: thank goodness for our steadfast homeschooling buddies, the O'Gradys!!! We just love our Thursday mornings with you! These mornings encapsulate what I love about home education:

Fun, fun, fun!

Joy!

Breathless laughter and wonderful, easy company. Being able to choose kind friends for my children to play with

Dirt and bare feet and wet trousers

The beauty of nature

Secret cubbies, uninterrupted, heartwarming creative play, preserving childhood innocence for just a little bit longer

Enjoying the glorious weather

Learning from nature, observing at a peaceful pace

Healthy active bodies

Pottering, feeling, creating

Time for brothers to form a close, loving bond

For bigger ones to lead and care for little ones

To take risks at your own pace, to make your own decisions about what feels right

Simply sitting, relaxing, resting and taking it all in

Following your own path, the freedom to be who you truly are and can be

Being fully present in the lives of my children, spending these golden years together, witnessing those many precious moments

Learning about and respecting local creatures and habitats, loving the Earth

All ages playing together, working out their own solutions

O'Gradys, we are truly grateful for your company. I guess we'll just keep on sailing where the wind takes us! xxx