F is for First Snow
In honour of our first snow, I’m featuring a couple of my favourite snow books.
Fun Days & Egg Timers: Homeschooling 3 Boys
This week I have the privilege of introducing you to member Siobhan Bibb, and her wonderful family. She shares her journey with homeschooling, including how much has changed in one generation, and how many wonderful options there are for homeschooling families today. I hope you enjoy her interview as much as I do! 1. Tell us a bit about your family. We are a slightly blended family of five, with all three of the kids being boys. Tristan is our oldest boy, and is 9½ years old (going on 29½). He’s an old soul, and would rather be around adults than kids most of the time. He has already determined that he will grow up to be a firefighter, and spends quite a lot of time picking my husband’s brain about his time as a volunteer firefighter. Aiden is 8½, and is the family clown. He will do anything for a laugh. This isn’t always a good thing, as he finds more trouble than he can handle this way, but sometimes his antics are the breath of fresh air that we need in our day! Samuel is the baby of the family at not quite 2 years old. He is simply delightful for all of us to have around. The big boys are learning so much about caring for others by helping take care of their little brother, and I get to revel in the joys of having a toddler running around again! I was a single mom to Tristan and Aiden for 4 years before I met and married my husband Steve. We just celebrated our 3rd anniversary this...
An Unschooling Life with Jessica of Only Small Things
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of connecting with Jessica over at Only Small Things. An inspired blogger, she’s also an unschooler. Only Small Things is a great example of just how amazing an unschooling life can be. Enjoy her pearls of wisdom. 1. Tell us a bit about your family, and how you came to homeschooling. We are a family of three, living in Pennsylvania. Michael and I have been together since 1994. In 2000, I entered graduate school while still searching for a full-time teaching job in the public school system. I earned my M.Ed. but I also realized, I have no desire to teach in the public school system. Soon after Benjamin was born in 2004, Michael and I knew we did not want to place him in public school. We wanted his individuality, his imagination and his passion to remain intact and neither one of us felt this would happen in a public school environment. We began seeking alternatives. For some time we were sure we would enroll him in one of Pennsylvania’s public cyber charter schools. However, in 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Benjamin was to start kindergarten in 2010-2011. I was afraid I could not keep up with the stringent demands of a public cyber charter school, as I knew I had surgeries looming in the future. While I was in treatment (chemotherapy) I began reading about traditional homeschooling. Fortunately, I discovered Pennsylvania offers parents an educational alternative, the Private Tutor Law. Essentially, because I am a PA-certified instructor, I may keep Benjamin out of school as long as...
Sustainable Living with a Waldorf Influence
Here we go with our last Cowichan Valley interview. Jacquie deJong Seinin sat down with me on a beautiful sunny day, for a quick chat. She shared her inspiration, and thoughts on sustainable living. Many thanks for your insights! 1. Tell us a bit about your family We have three daughters, Hanna (13), Clara (11) and Maggie (9). We live on a small acreage, with a goat farm. We make our own yogurt, cheese etc. We chose this life because we wanted our daughters to know where their food comes from and be involved in producing their own food. Living this way teaches those skills around sustaining oneself. By doing so, we are also creating a community and sharing those values with others. We trade milk for yoga classes, for example. 2. Have you always known you wanted to homeschool? Tell us a bit about your homeschooling journey. No. It was an evolutionary process. It started off on the Sunshine Coast (BC). Our schooling centered around the Waldorf approach. Rudolf Steiner really resonated with us. For example, the concept that every third year, a change happens [in a child’s development]. When our girls turn 9, we honour this with a special “coming of age” trip. Each one has looked different, depending on the child (bicycle trip, a wilderness hike or a canoe trip). We are trying to honour those passages. Hannah started with a Waldorf-inspired school (SunHaven) and just thrived. When we heard about Sunrise (another Waldorf-inspired school), here on the island, we moved here for the school. Hannah was in Grade 2 and Clara was in their Kindercottage...
Embrace the Chaos: Homeschooling a Large Family with Jenny White
Ever wondered how homeschooling works for large families? Here is the fourth in our series on homeschooling in the Cowichan Valley, BC. Jenny White generously shares her secrets and tells us a bit about how it all works for her family of five girls. 1. Tell us a bit about your family. We are: Jenny and George White. Our children are Belle (13), Emerald (11), Lavender (9), Poppy (5) and Honey (2). We love being together, and living a rural, self-sustaining life – in a busy, chaotic life. But, we are striving towards simplicity. 2. Have you always known you wanted to homeschool? Yes. I went to school to become a teacher when Belle was 1. Originally, I wanted to run an independent school. For awhile, George and I were both in school together (we took a family studies course together!). It was fun. But, when I had Emerald, it became too much. And, I learned how much I wanted to be home. I couldn’t fathom sending my kid away full-time. We did co-op preschool with Belle, but we slowly moved our way out. None of them went to preschool after that. I want to be the one watching them reading, learning, and absorbing – not hearing about it at the end of the day. 3. What is your favorite thing about homeschooling? The family togetherness that is created. That kids aren’t separated by age, and that family can be their primary influence, not peers. 4. The hardest thing? Feeling torn in many different directions all day. I worry that the kids don’t get enough one-on-one. I would...
A Homeschool Teacher’s Perspective
Welcome!
