I am sitting in my living room, sipping a warm mug of half-caf coffee, feeling baby boy dance inside my belly, and listening to one of my very favorite sounds - silence. Yes, there are still four children in this house, but one is sleeping and the other three are having their quiet rest time. If you've never tried Quiet Rest Time For No-Longer-Napping Children, you should, and you also have my great respect because I do not know how you have survived without it.
But: summer is here! We are still doing bits of school here and there when the mood strikes or when the rain falls (which, sadly is not very often - our gardens are suffering!). Big Brother and Middle Brother have been doing some math practice, all three boys are slowly working through a Safety Unit Study from The Good and The Beautiful with me, and we are reading Farmer Boy at lunch together. And of course, because of their current obsession, they are spending many hours each week drawing and tracing and labeling maps with their countries and flags.
As a side note, this is our second time going through this safety study, and I'd highly recommend it! It's the sort of information that (can be) vitally important but is too easy to overlook during the busy-ness of everyday life. It has sparked many good conversations, and we plan to keep doing it once a year, most likely in the summers.
Besides these "school" moments, we have been playing outside, visiting the zoo, caring for our gardens, trying to raise tadpoles but killing them all, reading good books, practicing bike riding, starting some house projects, and visiting the library. We have met new friends at the playground, visited a nature center, cooked & eaten lots of good food, celebrated our country's birthday, and yes, watched plenty of shows on the computer - because Mom is pregnant and tired and that's reason enough. I am thankful for the different seasons and that we can have a time where we are "freed" from our normal schedule of schoolwork! Sometimes the routine of checklists and school books feels comforting and invigorating, while other times we enjoy the spontaneity of being able to take each day as it comes and pick our adventures. Both are good!
Looking ahead, the rest of our summer will be full with Vacation Bible School, a cabin trip with family, and a couple visits from friends & family. Right now I am planning to start up a school routine again in early August and I am already looking forward to it. We would be more willing to wait a bit longer if I were not having a baby in October; but I know we will take some time off then, so I would like to get a jump-start on our year and have a good chunk done before we are engrossed with our newest family member. I've said it before, but I love the flexibility that comes with homeschooling and how we can plan and adjust our schedule to perfectly suit our family's needs!
I have also spent some of our slower summer time in planning for next year, looking at curriculum and reading good books. Here's a few that I've enjoyed recently - you might like them too!
The Smartest Kids In the World by Amanda Ripley
This book has little to do with homeschooling in particular but everything to do with education, and even though the entire discussion was about public schools, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a fascinating and well-written narrative following three American foreign exchange students who studied in three countries that scored very well on a recent international test for teens measuring critical thinking skills - a test on which American teens did rather poorly. She compares and contrasts the public schools in those countries with our own, and comes to some interesting conclusions about what we could be doing better.
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
This book mostly concerns colleges, and the "three great untruths" that the authors have observed on campuses in recent years. It's an eye-opening explanation of how these (very bad) ideas have penetrated our country and the negative effects they are having on young people, with many practical applications for anyone who has kids or is interested in education.
Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt
The subtitle of this book is "adventure, boredom, innocence, and other gifts children need," and I found myself saying AMEN to every one of them. It's a good reminder of the beauty and importance of childhood.
Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto
I sometimes find it's an interesting thought experiment to read a book whose views are much more radical than my own - and this is one such book. As you can tell from the title, he is not a fan of public schools - in any way, shape or form - and it was interesting to read his reasons why. I don't agree completely, but he also made some memorable and thought-provoking points to consider.
Happy summer to you all! Try to squeeze in some reading for yourself, as well as your kids - I promise it's worth it.
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