Summer is always So full of summery goodness and spontaneous trips to the lake, long hours in the garden, and last minute beach dates with friends that we are sad to see it end, but also a little bit ready for Fall and the time to exhale.
But then it arrives and I remember we homeschool. Not much changes except that we get busier. Somehow in the midst of continued (albeit much neglected) garden work, food prep, lawn mowing, laundry, friend visiting, etc. we make time to work on math, history, reading, and writing. And, we need to add in all of the regular classes beginning anew this time of year: soccer practice, homeschool coop, RE classes at the UU Church, piano lessons, and more.
Its a bit dizzying the first week or two as summer plans wrap up, including a weekend get-a-way in Bar Harbor where Rob and I competed in the Bar Harbor Half Marathon (PR for me!) That was followed by the Common Ground Fair, then a trip to NH to visit our new baby cousin. This week Rob heads to his first full marathon in Portland, and we have a wedding to attend and an all day soccer tournament the following week. Whew.
And through all of this, though we may not slow down as much as we crave, we strive for balance. We talk about the equinox and its balance of night and day, and the evenness animals and people feel as the days shorten and outdoor time and work becomes more in sync with indoor. We try to balance a desire (mine) to introduce the basics of formal education, while continuing our connection with the outdoors and free play. We work to keep harmony with the needs of three different learning styles with one available parent/teacher. Through the struggle–the sense of wanting balance, and the reality of an exceedingly busy time in our lives–I’m reminded of these words from the wise women at Crafting Connections. The see-saw photographs to which they allude have become a reassuring image for me this fall.
And so, seeking to create a bit of rhythm–though last minute and smaller than usual, we did make time to celebrate the equinox (as we have for the past 8 years!) and its balance of night and day with oreo cookies (black and white) and picnic dinner atop Mt. Batty. The weather was the prettiest we’ve had yet.
Farewell to Summer atop Mt. Batty
And, we did take in an entire day at the fair, with hill sledding, leather making, fried dough (organic!), Pie Cones, painting, hammering, husking hazelnuts, and a lovely speaker from The Farm School. Even though it meant driving 3 hours late at night afterward to get to NH for Grampy’s birthday, and to meet baby Kendall June, 1 month old and 15 lbs. Oh my.
Common Ground Fair
My newest (not so little) niece in NH
Surely if I line up all of the quiet baby holding, card playing, backyard apple picking, and family reading sessions on one side of my see-saw, opposite the minutes spent rushing to late practices, and explaining decimals while spelling hypothesis— there will be some sort of equillibrium.
This balance idea is how I approach our homeschooling these days. Some days we might do a science lab and some history, then the next day we spend all day listening to an audio book, then the following day we are out doing a nature study and playing with friends at the park, and so on. While our days may be very off balance, our lives as a whole are quite complete.
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