Rookie Book Learning

Lately I keep reading about children and young people born in hard times or hard places: third world countries or the inner city in a time of war. And the more I read these people's life stories, the more appalled I am with myself: the ease & comfort with which I choose to live and allow my children to grow accustomed to living. My conscience smitten, it's making me want new patterns, new habits of working hard, delaying gratification in small ways. Facing childhood fears sooner rather than later: fear of the water, fear of dogs, fear of riding bikes downhill on forest paths. It's a joy to see them have the self-control when things get scary to still trust and obey, to sleep when it's dark, to eat at the table when mama calls, to be thankful for the abundance of food, to complain less, to stop compulsive snacking...

August came to an abrupt halt, the parents who send their kids to school were asking questions that made me panic! When the gentlest friend I know wrote to me from the far reaches of the PNW, I could (at last) sit & write out what Clinch Academy has meant so far to the 4 & 3 year olds we keep to ourselves. We're on our own, but with a few structures in place each morning. 

I've been listening to the Read Aloud Revival podcast, so we're at the library a lot. Various book lists exist, I'm blazing through Five In A Row (borrowed) as the boys' appetite for stories is so crazy & varied. E listens to audio books at quiet time in my room while O still takes a proper afternoon nap. We're on week 4 of an app called New City Catechism, which is exactly 52 Q&A so one per week for a year. It's a great (free) resource to connect our Fam devotions with Songs for Saplings style teaching about God, way less intimidating than the full Heidelberg & Os paced. I snagged a copy of Ordinary Parent's Guide & am borrowing some Bob books to review phonics & really teach E to read this year. He's gotten used to physical work/challenge (2-3 mile hikes or bike rides, in humid conditions or learning to swim, etc) & is ready for mental work as the weather gets rainy & cool. We also have a pocket sized New England Primer for practicing phonics sounds in the car. (I learned to read using Sing Spell Read and Write, but that curriculum is so expensive that I'm just singing everything I remember from it.) It's 10-15 min at a time, 3x a week at least, very repetitive but he really wants to read so I'm trying to keep up my end of the deal.

We're also working on the Kodaly Music foundations, with Curwin Hand signs & rhythm sticks (this pin board is my brain these days.) I want our boys to embrace their God-given voice as their first instrument, with technique & strong music theory foundations. If they move on to piano or violin, that's wonderful... But very few people discipline their voice as a tool of powerful personal praise. It's an insecurity among many many men that need not sow seeds in their sons.

We're just barely hitting our rhythm these days, & def do lessons in between walks to the dog park. But another great resource I snagged is Cleaning House for two reasons: homeschooling means the house can get crazy & the boys need a work ethic that extends beyond academics. In terms of prepping for the potential bickering of being together all.the.time, I also am starting The Peacemaker after my sis-in-law said their team is going through it as adults & with their kids before heading to India this winter.

Is this helpful? I'm not systems-based by a long shot, & am trying not to spend needless $$ or scatter myself in too many directions or drive Nic crazy. I would love to keep up this way, & I love the forethought that writing allows. This stream of consciousness may continue.

Forest Nursery Homeschool

Mama's Goals for Winter Contentment

• Continue learning a healthy way to feed our family, one that nourishes our bodies & brains
• Include the boys in small bits of food prep & clean-up daily

• Read books on education & solidify our educational philosophy

• Spend 3-5 hrs outdoors with the boys daily, in fields & forests whenever possible

• Keep a nature journal(s)

• Practice the art of story-telling & let the boys narrate back to me uninterrupted

• Learn/refresh a foreign language

• Further acquire a taste for poetry

• Brush up on rusty skills & create something beautiful (watercolor pencils in stockings this year?)

• Memorize Scripture together & some nursery rhymes

"educational" items

The alphabet made out of animals! Animals made out of letters! World map made out of moustaches!

stream of consciousness

image via Etsy

To follow up that last post... we just set up the last payment on my undergrad school loan, a mere four years after graduation. As I clicked the mouse, a feeling of triumph rose & settled into doldrums as I considered how quickly our boys will grow into "school-aged" children. Am I prepared to love my kids by taking responsibility for their education, regardless of what format(s) we choose? Not a teacher by vocation, this reality intimidates the moby-wrap right off of me.


I was the "scout child" for what sort of education would fit our family best. Kindergarten was in public school, travel by bus. Significant bullying & an uncooperative elementary principal changed mum's mind to homeschool the next two years (my younger brother & I). Third grade was a private school, which was intimidating, but I learned to thrive in a social learning environment. In April,  3/4 through the school year already, we moved to another city & attended a new private school, to which I did not adapt fast enough. Everyone had their "best friend" picked already, the curriculum was a different enough pace that I was bored in math but confused in history & science. So fourth & fifth grades mum taught us & found a rather extensive social network of home-educated families in order to help us feel the new town was home. Knowing me well, mum chose the Sonlight curriculum which is a literature-rich, liberal arts, Christian worldview approach. With my parents as my primary educators & the clear expectation that I would manage my own studies, I flourished. School work was completed according to my own motivation level. Because the material was interesting, I loved to read & retained content that dinner conversations could be about the books themselves.


My brother, however, has to move in order to think; thus homeschool frustrated him & he rushed through the work in order to get outside & play. To this day, he is more socially-oriented (I am task-oriented), doesn't enjoy reading & relies on authority to process/summarize information for him. Seeing the discrepancy, my parents sent us to private school after we moved again. From grades 6-12 we continued talking about making a change but never pulled the trigger. We waded through relatively unscathed; I was considered a "good student." All this means is that I learned to discern what each teacher wanted & "worked the system" to earn mostly As, convincing adults that I could handle myself & should be left alone. By the time I got a driver's license, my decision-making process was rather unilateral, not relying on my parents or even my peers very often. Being a college prep structure, our school pushed "gifted" students toward electives in math & science so I took everything through Calculus. But my junior year, I stubbornly chose the responsibility of yearbook editor in order to learn Photoshop & have an extra "free period" without wasting time in study hall. Having an affinity for both photography & creative writing, I not only continued that through senior year but also opted for Studio Art over Physics. Teachers, parents, etc. tried to talk me out of taking art. But I'm so glad to have gone with that gut feeling.


She was the first instructor, Mrs. Guntharp, who had not only an ungrad degree but two MFAs (from The University of the Arts) & who encouraged me to use my brain to communicate visually. As soon as I stepped into the studio, I felt remorse that I hadn't begun sooner. There was a huge learning curve. I couldn't draw realism worth beans. But it didn't matter. I didn't want to leave, unless I could take the work with me. The exercises helped start training my eye to see what it used to see when I was little, in all the play-pretend & story-telling & craft-constructing. It was nauseating to realize at 17 that I had almost been educated out of creativity. Shame on me, for letting it happen. Shame on them, for implying that art was for dumb/lazy kids. She asked if I was applying to any art schools & convinced me to drum up a portfolio for VCU (where I ended up) & Pratt Institute. I even made a trip to Queens to interview, small-town girl though I was. Invaluable lessons through observations made during that trip.


Conclusions: In order to make art & write, both loved, I can study in a non-traditional environment. Fine arts majors aren't my only option. A degree is meaningless if I don't cultivate & become excellent in something I love to continuously do & be. Thankfully, these convictions helped in wading through university prerequisites until I settled on studying under Bridget Camden & stopped trying to pick a minor. That let me explore creative writing courses, art education service-learning projects & fine art photography at the university level... instead of wearing myself out in an arbitrary direction.


Looking at my current life, at home with babies & not even desiring NY or LA, I see why this changeable path was best. Perhaps initially driven by anti-establishment sentiments yet an addiction to pleasing/impressing others (esp. authority), I have the piece of paper everyone told me I needed to be a valid adult. Did I really need it? No clue. Just glad I own my education & hope to help our kids make informed decisions about theirs.

stuff i forget to say

image via CaptainCat

Sometimes people, mostly mums, ask if it takes lots of time to make a cute blog. I think this one is pretty average, definitely low-maintenance, which is why it's staying fun & feasible to keep up. But full disclosure: this is fun because it's what I did before our first pregnancy (only then it was for money). My degree is in Creative Advertising, which means I took university level courses to hone skill sets like: photography, brand strategy, graphic & web design, copywriting, art education, creative writing, public relations, etc. These skills & interests are now applied to what used to be deigned "domestic arts" & occasional freelance client work.

Similarly, I make things for our house & cook complicated dishes because the process of making stuff is so fun. If it wasn't, I wouldn't do it often. Thankfully, while Nic appreciates & enjoys the results, there is no pressure from him to keep fresh-baked bread each week or handmake every solution to household clutter. These interests don't make me a better wife or mama; they were a part of 15-yr-old Megan before I stepped into any role other than daughter or student. [Maybe some administrative or accounting skills would make for a better wife; alas, we look elsewhere in this house.] I do these projects from a weird fascination with visual problem solving, with objects being simple-beautiful-useful, with "stuff" blessing us & not mastering us.