How we started back to school

We started back to school with a new tradition in our TRIBAL Academy. A fun little "School Supplies Scavenger Hunt" (borrowed idea from a fellow hs blogger and her lovely Treasure Hunt for first day of school - sorry can't remember who). We use Enki Education and the supplies list is delicious - I just can't think of a better word.

the clues and riddles (written on the backs)

But first, the scavenger hunt. I had been planning and writing the riddles for days. Last night I shared a couple with Kelly and he thought I was nuts. "too hard" "too abstract" he said. Well, I almost nixed the whole thing. I mean really, I was trying to share the adventure with him and he pooped all over my party. Ok, well not literally, but you know what I mean. Here's a couple - what do you think?

"Rise with the sun
No need to run
For the Ride I bestow
where'er you wish to go" = Bike

"Truth and Trust
 For us it's a must
 Join in brother to brother
 And soon you'll discover
Gifts and treasures
Beyond mere measure"

Anyhoo...so I'm not a poet - A for effort - right?!?!

So this morning after dad's off to work I decided to go forward with my little plan. The boys LOVED it and so did I!!!

And their answers to the riddles, while not spot on, were precious and profound!! I actually stared aghast at Ryder's really intelligent and out of the box answers. Making me a proud mommy/teacher!

The boys are now using their new bees wax clay (YUM!) to create their first stories and then they will share them with me. We like this Enki Education a lot!

Photos will speak

Two new games - Mountaineering and Snowstorm from second grade supply list/ Dax will enjoy too
Bees Wax Clay
Block Crayons
Stick Crayons
Cuisenaire Rods
A couple of other special items that pertain to my philosophy of life - hmmm not sure if I'm brave enough to post them - Herbs and herbal notebook/journal and essential oils, dowsing tools, gems

How a day can evolve spontaneously or why I love "home schooling"

Today, day 2 in our slowly grooving back in to our rhythm of deep learning. I brought out a favorite author and we read her delightful books. Her creativity is soothing and inspiring. Dax, the artist took in the details of the materials used to make "RRRalph".

Ryder was intrigued with "Leaf Man" so much that when we completed our reading time he disappeared outside only to come running in a few minutes later to share with us his discoveries.

His very own Leaf Men.


 For the next hour or so we explored with our new eyes - what use to be whirly birds we now know are actually maple seeds. And as we look around the base of the tree we see hundreds of tiny trees sprouting up from the ground. Oh how magnificent.

We moved from their to Dax's suggestion of "let's go on an exploration adventure".
Dax found bark and I found a small wooden ball and we made a marble run. Dax found a branch he made into a crown and a staff to became Gandolf the Grey.

We played and met new friends.

I was able to sit in the warm sun with the cool breeze, stroll around the park, pick up litter (perhaps a habit that will rub off on all the children and parents who observed me doing this), photographing the beautiful bees and the amazing sky.

And then to sit down and continue my Enki study preparations for Ryder. Perfection.

Such a wonderful day for teacher health and child hood well being.

Grooving back in - gently

This week we will restore a more structured day. Slowing down on the regular swimming and summer play dates as well as the abundant electronic media.

Because I will begin Dax officially with the Enki Kindergarten I am introducing the 3 fold process with our stories starting this week.

The wolf and the seven kids was the first story. It was interesting to note the first response as I told the story. Dax came closer used a sense of funny that he uses to lesson "fear" for the kids. I see that that is how he processes much - his lightness and sense of humor is a great friend to him. I will enjoy this evolution in him as we do the 2nd day and re tells the story and we paint.

We are reading Frances books for general fun reading.

Ryder will officially start next week. I have to complete the preliminary work for his first unit. Second grade in Enki is so rich I am thrilled to dive into this sage and tricksters time of his life. He's teaming with his sage-ness and trickery!

Planning and preparing for the "treasure hunt" to launch the boys off on this journey!

One thing I will note here now - Kelly leaves for Amsterdam this weekend. I was going to do our treasure hunt on Monday since I knew he would be home but I believe I will up it to Friday so he can be part of  it and enjoy the experience with them.

When he returns from Amsterdam we shall see if we will make the move this year.

A crayon is not a crayon...

In the past we've gone in to the big chain stores  and bought the cheap crayons plus the coloring books to go with them. Many have a memory of the big box of crayons and various coloring pages through their child hood.  Frankly I remember coloring but I can't remember the specific books. My fondest memory of "coloring" involved no fixed coloring book. It involved studying mountain ranges and I drew and colored the mountain ranges of the world as my project.

Last year I took a short class on block crayon use. What I thought of as a crayon was a big bin of miscellaneous shaped, peeled crayons that felt innocuous to the touch. After the class, I felt an understanding of crayon as a warmth colorful expressive extension of myself. Something I could blend and hold in various ways to explore my own creative yearning and inspired vitality in a more organic way. This year - out goes the coloring books with the rigid lines and in come the big blank sheets and the block and stick crayons made from natural beeswax. For each season can be explored through integrated color and blends with every page telling a vibrant story of season, harvest, life and love.

Cedar Ring Mama is a  is a terrific resource for buying Waldorf and natural materials such as the bees wax block and stick crayons that will be used for many years and cherished as extensions of organic creativity.

We use http://stores.cedarringcircle.com/-strse-6221/Beeswax-Block-%26-Stick/Detail.bok

A Well Organized Brain?

 

As I work with the boys and fully understand how each develops and learns (body and brain are so interconnected!) I am discovering my own poor sensory processing and underdeveloped lower centers of the brain. 

The affect this has on learning, focus, coordination, and social interactions is significant and we can see some of those effects in our children, but you may have seem them in yourself.  Just because we are adults doesn't mean we can't develop this part of the brain and have a well organized brain.

So much of our lives today are sitting in front of the TV, where we don't need to get up and down to change the channels, on computers, driving in the car, sitting at the table to eat.  We've lost even more development in our body and brain. This correlation is important and we need to look into it.

Here is a tremendous resource for workable tools for immediate use. BRAIN HIGHWAYS

 

A picture is worth thousands of words

No question about it - when I saw the series of photos we took yesterday I realized just who my little guys are.

Ryder - the trickster, the sage, the saint...

Dax - the artist with endless imagination, the thespian, the lover...