This time of year always feels like a time for change, I read the same on a blog this week, that it is easier to make changes to your life now than at new year when most people, try to, do. As my children grow and change I have made subtle changes every now and then but right now I am feeling a need for something a bit bigger. I have yet to decide completely what form they will take and will take things steady if I need to rather than introducing a whole load of newness all at once.
We like to have a rhythm to our week, it is important to us to do the same thing on a particular day every week, if possible. Lately with it having being summer we have dropped our rhythm some what. We have been away quite a bit, as have our friends so it feels quite natural to reintroduce this with some added extras and changes.
One friend has asked not to meet up regularly I am not sure how this will work for us trying to fit in get togethers in a less fixed way, we like to know what we are doing if it doesn't work perhaps we will have to move on make new friends. Another friend has invited us to join them for some singing every week and on another day swimming something new to add to our week.
I also feel a need to bring more structure to our time at home to see if it could work, as of this week I now have two children who are officially not attending school. I tried structure with my eldest for the first few weeks he would have been at school and he hated it perhaps I was trying the wrong kind of structure or maybe with two children (my youngest was only a few months old when my eldest reached school age) if one shows an interest the other will join in. I think I am going to start by offering something one morning a week and after a few weeks add another morning activity. This will give me a bit of time to work out what to offer and slowly introduce the change. If that doesn't work I will think again, for me this is the beauty of home education and learning it can change to suit the needs of my children when they want and need it to.
I'm a huge fan of home education, even though mine go to school. Good luck with all of your changes, I hope you quickly find a new rhythm that works for you all.
ReplyDeleteI am quite fascinated by home-ed and always wonder how different families balance routines and timetables during their days. It's always interesting to read about yours.
ReplyDeleteI feel quite hemmed in by the routine of school and after school commitments. I have one friend who likes to see me same day, same time each week and I find it claustrophobic and want to almost keep the friendship at arm's length. Isn't it funny how we all react to routines and structure so differently? x
It's funny you should say that I felt the same about routine and structure when I first started home edding. I have found over the years that having a rhythm to our week keeps us anchored and even when the children have no idea about what day of the week it is they know if they go to one friends house the next day is shopping etc. Although we have a rhythm to our week we have no routine to each day, we do not do the same thing at 10am every day or on every Tuesday. I think if someone wanted to meet me at the same time and the same day every week I too would find that claustrophobic, but each to their own.
DeleteYou are right about this time of year. September is my favourite month and even though I love the summer I find the first nip of autumn so very invigorating. Definitely the right time to refresh and rethink and begin again.
ReplyDeleteI love starting things afresh in September, it feels very much like the right time of year for change. I love the feeling of space in a schedule, so don't plan too much to happen in a week...it's all very new this year with home education starting in earnest, but I'm hoping to go with the flow of the children, rather than try and inflict anything too structured on them from the off. Still, I feel rhythm is really important to children and family as a whole. Very hard to balance, we can but try our best :) x
ReplyDeleteWe are thinking about our home education journey too bringning in more structure maybe, not sure yet but definitely a feeling of making changes x x
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