September 29, 2019
For even the wisest can learn incalculably much from children.”
― How to Know Higher Worlds
A guest post today – from LifeWays Early Childhood graduate Emary Williams:
“I am so excited to homeschool this girl. I want to jump right in and learn with and teach her everything, but I have to just pace myself. I have to give her the space and time to be a free little bird and learn about her world through feeling and experience before I bring formal academics.
I was so eager at the beginning of August, I felt the days getting shorter and it brought me back to my “life rhythm” of starting school in Autumn. So, I got some stuff together for a unit study. I did one week of “school” and saw how it sucked the life out of everything for my daughter. She’d never say so, and she participated in everything I asked of her and listened to the books, but I could see that by studying honeybees in a scientific way, I was stealing the magic. She was no longer watching in wonder, but thinking about the things, and this led to her losing interest in the bees around the farm.
I want to let the magic live for as long as possible. The wonder and nature. I don’t want to steal the joy of exploration, and I think by giving too much information I was starting to do that. I learned in my LifeWays training that this can happen if we start school too soon. We can pull them down to earth from their dreamy state and make learning drudgery, but I was too excited to remember.
I’m grateful for the ability to reflect on my mistakes and make the necessary changes. Sometimes you just have to try stuff and see how it works […] I’m grateful for the guidance that has led me back to the path; the dreamy path filled with wonder and joy. And I’ll keep on dreaming about our homeschool journey while we lean in to this gentle beginning.”
Nurturing Care
“Love and Let Go, Sweet Mama”
Love…
Love deeply, fiercely, completely,
And then…
Let go.
Our babies are not ours.
Know they are carried on their own angels’ wings.
Their lives are their own.
Their mission and journey, not ours.
Not ours to judge or correct.
Ours simply to love and support
and get out of their way.
So, love with all your heart,
Sweet Mama.
Then step back
and watch in wonder
as your child blossoms perfectly,
beyond your wildest imagination
into his own being,
whether it bears any resemblance
to your vision or not.
Trust, know, and allow
All is as it is meant to be.
Poem by Barb Klein, 111 Invitations: Step into the Full Richness of Life
Back by popular demand! Two great online courses starting next month
Discipline with Loving Awareness, with Cynthia Aldinger
Starts October 23rd!
Learning to Observe Young Children, with Mary O’Connell
Starts October 30th!
This two-week online course explores LifeWays’ powerful observation and assessment tool that has already been approved for use in early childhood programs in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Learn now to observe children from infancy to age five in a way that helps you know the child and understand how to support their next steps. Once you begin using this tool, you may even want to apply for approval to use it in your own state!
Click here to learn more about our upcoming online courses!