Hello there! We are really in the heart of summer now. My oldest daughter and I almost share a birthday, so when we celebrate the Fourth of July and then our 48-hour birthday, it always feels to me that we’re at the apex of that expansive, light-filled stretch of summer that I love so much. …
Author: annieandfam
Rethinking summer
I haven’t written here in this space in several months. The Coronavirus quarantine has taken every ounce of my attention and effort. There are so many fourth grade homeschool posts I have swimming around in my head, but I find myself with very little alone time these days, and even less time to just think, …
How to spend all day at home with your children
As the novel coronavirus spreads, the United States has declared a national state of emergency today. Many parents are facing school closures and the reality of needing to spend the next couple weeks – at minimum – with children at home. I have received several texts from friends jokingly suggesting that they’ll drop their kids …
Embracing the quiet season
After what was definitely our busiest holiday season ever, I was congratulating myself for juggling all the things and pulling off a happy, connected Christmas for our family. Then, I caught the flu. We had driven to Central Oregon to attend a family Christmas party and the combination of being super burnt out, and coming …
Norse Myths
In January, my fourth grader and I spent the month on a Norse Myths block. Studying the Norse Myths is a traditional component of a Waldorf fourth grade, but I was completely unfamiliar with the stories myself. I am not using a curriculum this year, so I was quite intimidated teaching a block of stories …
Outdoor math in October
My kiddos and I spent the month of October immersed in an outdoor math block. This was the first time I planned a block that really had both my ten-year-old and six-year-old in mind, rather than planning separately for each of them. In fact, I would say the block was more geared toward my six-year-old …
Favorite books about Lewis and Clark’s expedition
As a part of our local geography block – since we live in Oregon – we have been learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition. This subject has been so engaging for my fourth grader and we have found some really fantastic books about this time in history. Today I’m sharing some of our favorites. …
September in our homeschool – 2019
Well we are halfway through October as I’m getting to writing this, but that sounds about right for what a massive commitment it takes to get a homeschool year up and running. My children run a bit wild in the summer and we are also on the go a lot, so pulling ourselves back into …
What I’m releasing and embracing this school year
This summer, I attended a yoga retreat and one evening we sat around a fire together. We were encouraged to write three things we wanted to release, let go of, on a bay leaf and burn the leaves in a fire. We also wrote an intention – just a word – on a rock and …
Planning for a Waldorf-inspired fourth grade
I have been deeply immersed in planning for the upcoming school year over the past few weeks. My oldest child will be a fourth grader this year (how did that happen!?) and for the first time I am planning without a curriculum. We have used and loved Lavender’s Blue Homeschool for first through third grades …