saint francis & a new look @ my own spirituality...

we began the new year with a look into the life of saint francis of assisi.

(patron saint of nature, ecology, all god's creatures great & small...)

i began researching saint stories for grade 2 this past summer, delving into "stories of the saints" by siegwart knijpenga, a recommended waldorf grade 2 resource. the stories are absolutely beautiful & a much more approachable introduction to spirituality & christianity than the bible or other religious doctrines that i have sought out.

they read like fairy tales...and i suppose they are, as saints are the epitome of perfection & purity, devotion & loyalty...each one with his or her own journey into holiness & yet no where have i seen anything other that love for EVERYone else.

this has long been one of my turnoffs from mainstream religion...the underlying attitude that our religion is the one & only, the "right way". accept our savior/god or thou shalt burn in hell...why?? why would that appeal to anyone?? i have never wanted to be a part of anything, religion or otherwise, that would ever be so cruel.

my own spiritual path has been quite a jumble. i attended church with one of my best friends when i was younger, but think it was more of a social outing than an actual finding of my inner spirituality. that being said, i did take various "world religion" classes in college to "find my religion". some religions really did spark an interest in me, but there was always some part of the dogma that didn't quite sit right with me.

there have been times in my life, as i am sure in most every one's, where we hit rock bottom & would really love to put our trust in a greater power, in the universe...desperately wanting to believe that there is someone looking out for me. someone loving each of us from afar & though perhaps remaining in the shadows, always making sure that we don't fall (too far) into the abyss.

though i do not go to church, i do practice a sort of spirituality in the day to day, though there is not a name or label that i can place on it. just living according to my own moral compass, treating others the way i would like to be treated, caring for mother earth & all of her creations. living a life where i acknowledge & truly try to appreciate the everyday blessings that surround our family, giving freely to other in need...in whatever capacity that may be.

in reading of saint francis, in reciting & copying his prayer into our lesson books, i found that this was something approachable, in a way that a lot of religion has not been to me in the past. this was a prayer that i could see myself repeating each night.

when we were introduced to the waldorf approach to homeschooling, which i have always considered to be more of a lifestyle than a learning style, we began doing blessings at meals. this was a first for me...i had never been one for prayer or meditation, though i had ofter wanted to be. i do, however, value gratitude...

from there we began introducing ourselves to the many waldorf festivals, though we have only really "gotten into" a few. i really love this aspect of waldorf, the festivals rooted in tradition rather that commercialism (which is where i lose faith in so many of america's holidays :(

learning of saint francis & the way that he so unorthodox-edly surrendered himself wholly unto his love for god again ignited that flame of religious curiosity...

after reading our lesson stories of saint francis, i wanted more... so, i ordered "the life lessons of saint francis: how to bring simplicity & spirituality into your daily life" from paperback swap. i read the first pages when it arrived & was immediately drawn in...he is amazing! everything he teaches/practices really resonates with me. i am only on the second chapter, but from what i have read so far, this is the path i was already, albeit unknowingly, on.

i am reading with an open mind, and am excited to see where this journey takes me...

@ any rate, i apologize for that tangent, but this is all very new & exciting to me!

as for what we did lesson wise...

these are the books that i chose as resources for our lessons, although there are MANY more...

*saint francis of assisi: a life of joy, robery f. kennedy

(this was our formal introduction to saint francis, truly a beautiful story)

*saint francis sings to brother sun: a celebration of his kinship with nature, karen pandell

(we read a page from this book each night before our bedtime story)

i have several other books on our paperback swap wish list:

*brother sun, sister moon: the life & stories of saint francis, margaret mayo

*francis: the poor man of assisi, tomie de paola

*saint francis & the wolf, richard egielski

if you have read any of the above, please let me know how your & your family liked them.

for our main lesson work...

for our copy work, we worked our way through "the prayer of saint francis", a verse a day...

day #2, we drew our portrait...

on day #3, we recalled what we had learned of saint francis & wrote our summary...

may your own journey be blessed as well...

an update...or peace rediscovered. :)

last week i posted that we were having a bit of a time lately, not only with our lessons, but with life in general.

after a long & emotional talk with my sister, who you'll remember recently moved in with us, i took some time *off* to think & breathe, to ponder & reflect...

*off* is a relative word, of course, but it is...as with many other things...the thought & the mindfulness that counts.

it began slowly, but gradually i began to shed things, little by little...to share responsibilities...to trust & to have faith. to *truly* believe that if i follow my heart, while keeping our family @ my heart's center that everything else will fall into place.

one huge 'obstacle' that i had to face was prioritizing my life & not only what i am involved in, but to what extent i am involved. because the fact is that everything i do is important to me because it involves our family & every bit is as crucial as the next. but just because something is important, doesn't mean that i have to do it on my own.

as the days passed, i tried to really assess where i am right now, where we are, what is most important & where i want our journey to lead.

we resumed our daily walks & spent time in nature...exploring, hunting & gathering, playing in puddles, etc...(& without me watching the clock to make sure that we were home "in time for lessons").

i had to realize the difference between what i want & what our family needs. what good is following the beautiful path of waldorf homeschooling (to the letter), if my family is suffering because of it.

i love waldorf, i do...i love the holistic approach of its educational philosophy. i love its base in the natural world & blessings unto mother nature. i love the stories chosen to mirror the inner growth of the child as they grow & develop each year. i love all the crafting & cooking, the wet-on-wet watercolor painting. it is all so beautiful & soulful.

however, i also realize that this method of homeschooling is extremely intensive on the part of the parent-teacher. memorizing all of the stories, coming up with imaginative ways to incorporate various themes into the math lessons, finding coordinating craft/handwork lessons to go with each, etc. all of which i did this past summer...all of our homeschooling plans for the year are done & in my planner. so, it is not a matter of finding the time to put together our lessons, it is more a matter of the lessons are being met with resistance.

what this means to me, right now, is that this is not my calling...it feels forced & it feels like the wrong path. our younger two are no longer willing to stand by as we work through our lessons, nor do they especially want to be involved as they once did. they are craving time with mama & with brother, family time...they want to be acknowledged & loved & to be front & center, no more waiting on the wayside.

this was a hard step to take...as i first, as most moms would i think, took it personally.

but this isn't about me, it is about our family.

so, i came up with a compromise...i cut out all of the "extras" of our homeschooling & stripped our lessons down to the bare-bones. reading, writing (aydin keeps a daily journal), spelling (spelling words come from his journaling), and math (i broke out a huge standard issue, north carolina, grade 2 math workbook that we had been given & began teaching to that).

we still enjoy the stories, but as a family @ rest time/bedtime...

this made a tremendous difference. and the amazing thing is that we wound up doing a lot of the other anyway. not as preplanned lessons as before, but because that is where our day led.

we made a lovely felt garland out of sweater scraps, we baked granola & other goodies.

we painted gorgeous fall pictures inspired by our walks.

we read books that had been gathering dust on the shelves, as they weren't ones used in our lessons. we began working through the math book & aydin was eating it all up!

lessons went much faster & easier. i would write his lessons on the board in list form, as before, but he began to start of them without being prodded/reminded. it was so very nice!

and we had so very much free time left for meandering...:)

on the co-op front, i have begun to take other mamas up on their offers to help out. sammi & i are still teaching the upcoming spanish class. but i have passed along the title of group contact & new member 'de-brief-er' to another mama. we are having a dia de los muertos/fall festival next tuesday to kick off our second session. we are all collaborating on a traditional potluck feast, each family bringing a dish that was a favorite of a loved one who has passed on & sammi & i are each baking one of the more traditional dishes. we are going to have craft tables set up & this past tuesday i passed out little craft kits to each family to assemble before our celebration.

it felt a bit off @ first, but in the end i think everyone appreciates being able to play a part in the festivities & i know that i won't be stressing to get it all done in time. it feels good...

so, long story short, we are well on our way. our days, our path is again peaceful...i feel that i am again doing right by our young brood & i have no qualms in letting a little bit of what i had previously thought *necessary* go.

much love to both you & your families as you discover your own life path...xoxo.

grade 2, block II fables, week IV

monday, september 20th


(heart) walk/hike with circle time


(head) main lesson:
*read on own 15 min, "patter paws the fox & other stories"
*2 pages in basic skills, grade 2 workbook
* math review, roman numbers I - XII




copy from board into main lesson book, roman number, number, and number word

*form drawing, christopherus, p. 26

reminiscent of the donkey & his load...

*tell animal intro for fable...


"the horse"

Galloping across the open plains, the stallion of a herd of wild horses stops to sniff the air for danger. Horses are able to detect smell & sound from great distance. Flicking his tail & moving forward, he signals to the others that the coast is clear. The herd races off with flying hooves.


Their bodies are lean & muscular, the necks thick & their legs long & slender. They use the sharp hooves to get at water in the earth. Most of their day is spent grazing & foraging for food.


Horses have been one of man's many helpers in years past as well. They have been seen carrying us into battle or on long journey's to explore new & unsettled lands. They have carried us along in carriages, over the cobbled streets before the invention of the motor car. Horses are proud & noble creatures, and their jobs have been as well.



"donkey"

Horses brother, donkey is both sweet and humble. He is the most simple and unselfish of animals, working long & hard days with little rest & poor forage.


He is sure footed and is one so man's best friends when their is work to be done! He will haul timber for our houses and carry heavy loads over rough and dangerous terrain. He will help a traveler reach his friend in the next village all without a single utterance of his own needs.

*tell story "the horse & the overloaded ass"

a man is headed out to market to sell his wares with his horse & his donkey.

he works hard making wooden bowls & spoons; his wife weaves beautiful cloth. they also have some extra fruit & vegetable from their garden to sell.

the man has everything in boxes & crates and has strapped all of these onto the back of his donkey.

he has loaded a small pack with his blanket, his food & a clothes onto his horse.

they set out on the long journey to the next village where the market is held. the road they travel is rough, and filled with sharp stones. the air is hot & soon the donkey grows week as his load is very heavy.

he asks brother horse for help..."please, brother horse, will you please take part of my load. your load is so very light & mine is so very heavy. i feel as though i might faint."

brother horse looks over at donkey and says, "why should i help you, what concern of it is mine if you are tired??"

upon hearing such a cruel response, the donkey collapsed. the man ran over & untied his load. he tried several times to revive his poor donkey, but alas, i was too late.

but he still had to get to market, so he loaded all of the crates & baskets that donkey had been carrying onto horse, and again they set off.

the horse was heard to murmur thoughts of regret, wishing that he had helped his fellow beast of burden in his time of need.

(hands) continue work on weaving pouch (30 min)

tuesday, september 21

co-op & play group on the island...:)

wednesday, september 22nd

(heart) walk/hike with circle

(head) main lesson

*read on own, 15 min, patter paw the fox

*2 pages in basic skills, grade 2 workbook

*math review, we ended up playing monopoly. aydin was awesome! not only did we have a ball, but he insisted on being banker & kept wanting to stop & count his money. so, we definitely got A LOT of math practice in.

*recall fable, illustrate in lesson book

(hands) baking day, blueberry muffins!

thursday, september 22nd

(heart) walk/hike with circle

(head) main lesson

*read on on own, 15 min, patter paws the fox
*2 pages from his basic skills, grade 2 workbook

*math review...

since we had no problems with the review i went ahead & introduce vertical math problems, adapting the squirrels story from christopherus', grade 2 math book (p. 16) to fit with our math gnomes.

we did a few examples on the board together, and then aydin worked one of each on his own.

*recall fable, write summary in main lesson book

(hands) continue work on weaving (30 min)

friday, septmeber 24th

(heart) walk/hike with circle

(head) main lesson

*read on own 15 min, patter paws the fox (finish)

*2 pages in basic skills, grade 2 workbook

*end of fables block...

look back through fables main lesson work...talk about fables & their animals, recall forms, read through summaries. talk about favorite stories...

(hands) painting day!

inspired by brunhild muller's verse,

"blue has a birthday party

& unto the party sped,

2 new friends yellow & red.

they gave, as is on birthdays due

their special presents for blue

they give a cloak & then a rig,

to wrap up blue all warm & snug."

grade 2, block II fables, week 3

(wildflowers from our garden :)

monday, september 13

(heart) walk/hike with circle time

(head) main lesson:

*read aloud 15 min with mama, frog and toad all year

*read through spelling words on board & copy into main lesson book *recall story, "the lion & the four bulls"

*write summary

(hands) handwork, continue weaving pouch

tuesday, september 14th

our first day of co-op!

wednesday, september 15th

(heart) garden day! 1 hour of weeding, mulching, bug hunting, & other wise exploring...:)

these little mantises are EVERYwhere right now!

i love how mother nature has gifted them with camouflage...so cool!

(head) main lesson:

*read aloud with mama for 15 min, frog & toad all year

*alphabetize spelling words, together on board, then copy into main lesson book

*form drawing, basic of own design, mirror image form to go along with story... (hare hopping)

*tell animal intros for today's fable, "the tortoise & the hare"

recall hare, and tell of tortoise

"tortoise"

the tortoise is very slow. he walks across the grass, through the woods...one step at a time, he makes no sound.

his neck is thin, with loose skin. he peers out at the world through his tiny eyes & sniff with his small nostrils/ if he hears you coming, then quickly, he pulls his head into his shell & firmly closes his legs against his shell.

if you site very quietly, he'll poke his head our again and slowly move his hind legs out & resume his walk.

once he reaches the pond or lake, he plops down into the water, he swims about, quickly & gracefully & seems very much more at home in the water than on land. after swimming, he looks for a rock on to which he can climb. he loves to bask in the warmth of the sun!

*tell story, "the tortoise & the hare"

(hands) baking, trail mix cookies! (from our lovely friend christina, @blog moment to moment)

these are so amazingly good & filling!

i don't even know how this sweet little kitty got there, but i am guessing he was framed by someone with very little hands...;)


thursday, september 16th

(heart) walk/hike with circle

(head) main lesson
*read aloud with mama for 15 min, finish frog & toad all year
*read through spelling words, spell out with bananagram tiles (from memory)

(i was planning on writing them on the walk with sidewalk chalk/in the dirt, but aydin insisted on using the tiles again :)

*check spelling & write those missed in book, 2x each



this is aydin's "victory face" @ having only misspelled 2 words...i told him it looks more like a war cry...;)

*recall story, & illustrate in main lesson book
(hands) handwork, continue with weaving
for some reason i have no pictures of his weaving this week :(...he works on handwork for about 30 min/session (unless he is really feeling it, i certainly don't limit it). i think with the weaving, it is very slow going, maybe a 1/2" done per 30 min session...

friday, september 17th

(heart) walk/hike w/circle

(head) main lesson
*workbook, 2 pages in math workbook
just your standard basic skills math book. aydin loves workbooks & i feel like anything that we might miss will be covered here...a win, win situation
*read aloud with mama 15 min, patter-paws the fox & other stories (W)
*spelling 'test'., pull words from hat & spell
aydin got all but one right, so i had him make a collage of the work withs letters from magazines, he 'wrote' the word 2x...

*recall story, write summary on board & copy into main lesson book

(hands) painting day...a moving picture for "the tortoise & the hare" (christopherus' "animal legends", p.16)

step 1) paint one, uncut piece of painting paper blue (or another color)...this will be your frame

step 2) paint another piece, cut about a 1" smaller (1/2" on each side) & edges rounded with a simple forest scene

step 3) draw/color a small hare & a small tortoise on another piece of painting paper/stock card

step 4) attach these animals to strips to serve as 'handles' for moving them along for the race

step 5) cut slits for the race in your forest scene, obviously the tortoise's slit should go from the race beginning to the finish line, while the hare's should stop a bit short...

step 6) attach forest to frame & insert character ins in their respective slits...

this was fun, though i need to think a bit on the best way to attach the lower portion of the forest picture...it has to be open for the animals to more, but our animal 'puppets' kept trying to fall through...any ideas??

on another note, ehren was up early with me at 7am, and he was really wanting to paint...& so we got him set up...

there is something truly magical about watching a young 'unschooled' child paint...i love listening to him narrate his paintings...and oooh & aaahhh over the colors as they mix & meld & blend & otherwise dance on the page...

he came back to paint with us for our lesson as well...