Doing or Being ? What has that question got to do with the title? Well sometimes life can seem a little out of balance when we place emphasis on doing either to much or do to little.
A time for everything right !
I've come to realise that in this season of my life when my children are small I have to concentrate on the
being part a little more than I realised. Which is strange when you consider how many practical needs, small children have.
And Preschoolers love to
do it's true. Whether it be rolling down a grassy hill, trying to pull out all the cd's in the rack or raid Mummy's makeup bag ;0)
...They like to keep busy.
However I'm kind of coming to see that whether homeschooling or not, kids, especially young kids are too over scheduled these days. There is so much pressure to organise activities for them, get them enrolled in different programs or simply make them fit into a ciriculum.
I remember as a child it was the small, intimate moments, the pauses, stillnesses and happy interactions with other's that made memories special.
A plant needs space to grow, and children do too.
An Inspiring Home for Learning, #6And I also remember I used to feel so guilty that my children were missing out because our pace of life was so much less active than other's. Less well, um, organized anyhows ~ smile :).
This was due mainly to 3 pregnancies in a row, ill health, on my part and no car for half the time. Yet God had a purpose.
I like to over organize, it's a part of who I am, it makes me feel in control of life lol ~ (as if :) Yet I was forced to oversimplify. Forced to let go and totally deconstruct my routine. And I realised that I over valued some parts of my life such as keeping an ultra tidy house and I was missing out on the most important things. What immediately springs to mind as I write this is the washing of the outside of the cup instead of the inside :) I will always consider it a blessing that I had to go through what I did through that time to be given that gift.
As time has worn on a little, our life has pretty much kept to this new way of
being first, doing second). As a family we tend to take plenty of rests. We also tend to keep programed activities to a minimum ( my daughter takes piano lessons and goes to a drama group during the holidays, While the little ones go to a playgroup one morning, once every two weeks) Apart from that there are no other programmes.
We also do many of our activities together as a family. Things such as painting, crafts, music time, taking walks, reading, reading the bible and praying. Through this we have shard some very special moments together.
My four year old has started to read and write yet there has been no special program or great endeavor on our part. We simply read aloud a lot as a family and take a lot of trips to the library. Plus we have a very worn book shelf located, maybe unwisely for the books but definatly wisely for the kids, in the children's main bedroom. Many a night I have found all three of the older children asleep with books still open in their clasped hands :) A natural love of books has developed, well...
naturally, I think.
Saying that our two year old barley speaks! Well she does, quite a lot actually only it's all her own language heehee:) But that is, I suppose that's the point. Each little plant grows a little differently. Needs a different soil, different climate, different handling. To be honest I don't worry about milestones, children will only talk and walk and read when they are ready.
One idea that has really worked it's way into our world is growing our own vegetables. This started out as a practical solution for trying to feed healthy, organic "ethical" veggies to the girls. Yet it has become a real learning opportunity for the girls, who absolutely love to watch the plants grow. They really tuck into produce they've actually sown themselves from seed too.
The same with sewing. I' have the oldest, most beat up sewing machine ever. But the girls love to watch me sew on it and by watching have picked up so much themselves with little structured effort on my part.
As for developing their imaginations, well a lot of it has been down to unstructured play. Being outside, letting them explore the natural world on walks in woodlands, parks meadows, fields.
Making tents, dens and the like.
I also have a big cake tin full of its and bobs, paper, tin foil, wool, bubble wrap, wrapping paper, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, fuzzy balls, felt, fabric and lollipop sticks and I just let them loose with a pile of card and lot's of glue in the kitchen ( washable surfaces)
Also, have you noticed how babies love to play with lot's of random mismatched clutter. Well I have a clutter box filled with varied things such as building blocks, Lego, play mirrors, bouncy balls, small dolls, cups, saucers, spoons, homemade rattles and such which keeps the baby busy for ages and ages.
See I love to keep order, yet order, a peaceful baby does not always make, lol:)
Another thing that comes to mind actually is cooking. I have always involved the kids in food preparation. My ten year old happily makes meals by herself ( with a little supervision of course) While the four year old can fix herself a sandwich, and the two year old can chop up soft fruit such as ripe pear halves and bananas for a fruit salad with her small blunt kid's knife. All this has helped them take an interest in all kinds of different food. Although as with all kids they'll never turn down a plate of fish n' chips or a bowl of ice cream lol!
Bible time is very important to us too. The girls often make a little alter on our fireplace with candles, holy cards and flowers. It makes them feel like they are really involved. My oldest also often chooses a reading which is special. We also try to include hymns which the youngest ones really enjoy :)
Lastly one of our very favourite things ( and by the way I recommend it for all families, it can end up so fun and silly)is probably music time. My husband plays guitar, the babies grab various shakers, rattles, tambourines, drums, etc, and Emmy sings. It's such fun! A little noisy, but fun. It is also an activity which involves both the youngest and the eldest members of the family. Which is a big bonus for me as I have a big age gap between daughters 1 and 2.
Left to my own devices our family life would have evolved differently. There would have been more structure, planning and scheduled activity. I would have taken control lol! Arming myself with a thousand perfectly bound binders full to the brim with lists, and lists of lists probably heehee:)
Yet I was, (and am) forced to be still. And listen. Just wait. Just be. And life kind of grows naturally out of that quiet place. Our garden is less of a formal garden and more of a country garden I guess. It's beautiful in a way and I could never have cultivated with all the plans and ideas and instructions in the world.
And It's beautiful mainly cause the gardener wasn't me ~ smile.
Mmmmmm, so while I'm on the subject of schooling, simple livin' and the like. I'll just post a few links to some great posts on the subject. There are some great ideas here, Take a little time to visit.
Blessings xxx
The Fadiman Way of Raising a Reader...
An Inspiring Home for Learning, #7
An Inspiring Home for Learning, #6
One Piece Life
Seven Daily Rungs,
http://www.tn-heart-and-hearth.com/Keep_a_Quiet_Heart.pdf : Elisabeth Elliot
A stellar Parenting resource
pICTURE of bluebell AT THE TOP by my daughter Emmy
Deeeelicious!!!