New Year's resolutions may have a negative connotation, but I still enjoy the practice of setting aside some time to think about the coming year and what we would like it to look like. Obviously there's so much about a year that we cannot predict or control - here's looking at you, 2020 - but a little planning and intentionality never hurt anyone.
I doubt that you care about details like "how many pages our 5 year old will advance in his math book this year" (neither do I, come to think of it), but I wanted to share a few big picture ideas that I hope to prioritize in our family life this year. And yes, I intentionally said "family life" instead of "homeschool" because they are gradually becoming one and the same. The longer we do this the more clearly I see that learning is not something that only happens when the kids are seated at the table with feet on the floor and pencils in hand; in fact, many times the opposite is true.
Big picture goals need to be few in number, otherwise a) they're overwhelming and b) I just won't remember them (hashtag mombrain). I also must think through practical ways to make them happen so that they can shift from an idea to an action. Now, these are not goals/resolutions in the sense of "a-strict-outcome-that-I-must-attain-otherwise-I-will-feel-I-have-failed." Ha! Rather, it is a direction for me to pursue, especially on those grey, wearisome Mondays when it's hard to muster up the energy to pour out the Cheerios, let alone plan some ingenious inspirational lesson to capture the attention of five energetic children. On those days (we all have them, don't we?) it helps immensely to have already decided what is important and what we want to prioritize.
So here you go: three areas for us to focus on in 2022!
(no pencils or workbooks to be seen, but this is learning too)
1. Even more time outside. We have always enjoyed time outside and going on walks or bike rides or camping trips as a family, but after reading Balanced and Barefoot, I feel that it needs to be a more intentional priority. What can I do to help us squeeze in even more outdoor time and better enjoy the time we do get? First of all, I am trying to create the habit of sending the three older boys outside everyday - if only for a short time. A little mom hack here: I've noticed that when an activity becomes a habit, when we do it every single day, the kids stop complaining about it. I'm not actually saying they never complain - they do sometimes, and they will, because they are human - but making it a habit greatly reduces the whining. An example: we do afternoon clean up time 99% of the days, so the kids know what to expect - this is just what we do! - and most days, they do not complain. I told the older boys a few weeks back that we were going to do some outside time every day, and the ones who were prone to complaining about going out have slowly stopped doing so. Winter can be hard - especially right now, when it is quite cold and we have very little snow to play with - but little nuggets of time add up, and I know that when spring rolls around it will get much easier. We could also start taking more activities outside - like parts of our school work, or reading, or meals. To encourage us towards this goal, we've printed off a 1000 Hours Outside tracking sheet. I don't really expect us to reach 1000 hours - it's another good thing that we will probably do badly - but it will encourage us to keep going, and we'll almost certainly spend more time outdoors than we did last year. Progress, not perfection! Finally, I think there are some pieces of clothing we could acquire to be more comfortable in certain weather. After all, there's no such thing as bad weather! And if you ever feel (like I sometimes do) that unstructured outdoor play is a waste of time when compared with more lofty academic pursuits, take a look at that book by Angela Hanscom. Many, many people who are wiser than me have studied and researched and written and they keep saying the same things: THE KIDS NEED TO PLAY. Just go read the book, okay? Great.
Speaking of books...
2. Lots of good books and time to read. This is less of change or improvement and more of a reminder to myself that books are an important priority in our homeschool, and we want to keep it that way. I want to keep up my own reading habit and also make it a priority to read many good picture books and chapter books to the kids. We usually read chapter books during lunch - their hands are busy and their mouths are (mostly) quiet - this works well for us, so we will continue. Picture books happen either in the morning before & after Bible story time, or in the evening before bed. Along these same lines, I want to make sure Big Brother and Middle Brother (both independent readers) have time and space for their own reading - some chosen by them, and some books that I choose. They are both old enough to start reading the Bible on their own, so we will incorporate some of that into their routine. They won't understand everything they read there, but God's word is powerful - even for children. Little Brother (5.5 years old) is on the verge of reading but it hasn't quite clicked yet. Our goal for him this year will be to keep working on phonics - consistently, patiently, with as much slow review as he needs - and I have a feeling that if we do that, he'll be reading, at least a little, by 2023. Little Sister has a tendency to get stuck listening to books above her level (the downside to having so many older siblings!) and I'd like to make more time to read picture books just for her this year.
3. Consistent piano progress. I feel a little embarrassed to admit this - as a musician and former piano teacher myself! - but during the last 2.5 years that Big Brother and Middle Brother have been taking piano lessons, they have not made as much progress as they could. Part of that has been circumstances beyond our control; the pandemic disrupted lessons for quite a while (and prevented their teacher from holding recitals) and then we took another extended break when Baby Brother was born. I have also had trouble finding time (or energy, during pregnancy) to help them practice like I should. However! It is a new year, and we recently switched piano teachers, so it feels like the perfect time for a fresh start. Music is important to us and we want our children to experience the joy of being able to play with ease and confidence. To help them succeed, I am going to put piano practice first on our schedule each day so that it doesn't get lost in the shuffle later on, and perhaps recruit Dear Husband to help them practice on the weekends. I also don't foresee any extended breaks from lessons this year so that consistency will certainly help!
That's it!
Sure, I've got other ideas and smaller goals for various school subjects, character training, our homeschool group, chores, my own health, Baby's routine, field trips, our morning devotional times, and more. We want to fit in math practice and science experiments and many other good things, and we will - but this is my big picture view to keep in mind through the days and weeks and months. On a dreary weekday when Mom is uninspired and the kids are crabby, it's easy enough to take a walk outside, read a book or two, do a little piano practice... and then be reassured that we are still headed in the right direction, no matter what else does or doesn't happen.
If we can hold to this course I believe that, come December, we'll be able to look back on a rich year filled with beauty and memories and experiences and growth. I can't wait!
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