I really tried to get into preschool this year. I think the pressure of knowing that I need to actually teach something and have it get across kind of made me more content with the thought of putting that on somebody else besides me. however, my main thought was I really wanted her to expand her social circle. one of my dearest friends I met on the first day of preschool.... we were actually the only two to show up the first day... you never know who God will put in your path!
this year... i'm leaving that social expansion up to the divine hand of God (okay and a little nudging from mom to say hi to that kid) at one night a week in a new awana's class. since.... we never made it off the waiting list on the schools I tried for.
The disappointment from not making it into school was eased the day over the summer kelilah had said unprompted " mom I really miss doing activities with you!" (we had stopped all summer) so here I am, finding myself on my 3rd year of teaching kelilah. whew. how is that possible? it got real the day I started taping sight words to the furniture in the house. haha
this year my goal is to have her actually 'get' some basic stuff. at least I feel that is a good goal anyway... we can't justttttt handicraft our way through discovering the world. or can we? haha
montessori, this was the first educational style that got me excited about teaching and although i've come to appreciate bits and pieces of reggio emilia and even the beauty of waldorf without all the mystical worship mother earth stuff. last year we tried a more Charlotte Mason approach and I loved it.
the purposeful crafts, the living books that I actually LIKED reading to kelilah, the value for the outdoors...which I've been working on cultivating better in our own lives and it has been wondeful.
so, this year I didn't have the briliant work of worlds of learning to fall back on. so I had to search for a different curriculum. I found A year of Playing Skillfully and it looked like it had enough charlotte mason and the other style mash ups that I love rolled into one to inspire me to keep going, if kids do learn best through play, then this was the way I wanted to go about it. I still don't know if we will put her in TK next year but if it is my last year having her at home, I want to have as much fun as we can!
However, I still felt to prepare for school, I'll need the practicals of writing skills, and basic preschool objectives. So I am still 3 years later pulling from abcjesuslovesme for these resources that interest me, such as handwriting practice worksheets etc. I know its totally against montessori to do worksheets but that IS the fun of doing things yourself. plus, kelilah feels really like a big kid with them for some reason :)
I skipped catechism for young children this year as I totally dropped off on it last year after the first few questions. however, they still are wonderful things to memorize in my opinion, especially since never learning them growing up. My reason secondly being we have enough memorization happening at awana each week!
so back to playing...
we did go over the objective checklist from abcjlm and it was a good thing to get us going the first week and remember where she was at and how far we should aim!
so we are aiming high. like a hot air balloon in flight. I don't quite know where this year will land us but enjoying the journey along the way. how poetic that it was one of our first activities of this year from ayops to explore our city on google earth and make up stories of where the hot air balloon might take us.
somewhere along life, i NEVER wanted to homeschool. NEVER wanted to just be a stay at home mom. I still remember the day I was on my knees before God repenting for how i'd made these vows to myself without seeking His heart first. I had constant anxiety about motherhood life and real deep deep fears. God is so kind and took my heart on a journey to freedom and within months of that day on my knees, we had our first baby on the way. kelilah rinnah. victorious joyous song. because God is our deliverer and sets our mouths to sing His praise. even in the hard days - I know God goes before me... even in this time of heavily investing into my kids.
If you are homeschooling this year, working or even just playing(which I know can feel like just cleaning some days!!!) Your place is right where He's placed you, and so is mine. Set your mind on things above and through Him comes the strength to face any day, any fear, any height.
There is something beautiful about knowing a life yielded to God means we don't have to worry about what 'place' we are in. there is complete trust in knowing we are where he sets us... homeschooling, working, playing, cleaning... and where he sets us...we must grow by staying abiding in Him. Apart from Him, not pinterest, not blogs, not instagrams, not curriculums, apart from Him ... we can do nothing. Here's to another year of sowing into little lives... oh that their roots would grow down deep into the richness of who Jesus is.