by Sarah Barrett
We all find ourselves at a point (every year at least once, I think!) when we feel like things are not going as well as we would like with our homeschooling. Somewhere along the way, we seem to have taken a wrong turn. Maybe the kids seem bored or uninterested. Maybe they are acting out or in tears. Maybe you are burned out and just don’t feel like preparing for the week’s lessons yet again. Or maybe something just hasn’t felt “warm and fuzzy” in a long time. It seems those special moments of connection with your children and with the curriculum hasn’t happened in a while, and everyone seems to be moving in a direction further and further away from connection.
The good news is that being aware that your homeschool is not where you would like for it to be allows you the opportunity to shift back into those moments of “flow”. Being in flow means having a conscious feeling of inner harmony for whatever you are doing. When you are in flow, you feel at peace. When you are in flow, you feel like you are exactly where you need to be, and from this place comes more creativity, more productivity, and more contentment.
Bringing your homeschool back to flow, starts with the homeschooling parent, of course. But once you make the shift, the kids follow your lead. It’s during these times of “flow” when the kids feel at peace with the lessons, and when they know, and you know, that the learning is meaningful and engaging.
So how do we make that shift back into flow from a place that is so far from it?
Five Things You Can Do TODAY to Bring Your Waldorf Homeschool Days Back Into “Flow”
1. Find a quiet place where you can spend 20-30 minutes uninterrupted. Take a few breaths, close your eyes, and ask yourself, “What is not working well?” Focus your mind on this question. You may come up with a list of several things that are not working well, and that is great! Take a break from all of that this week. Taking time off will bring solutions.
My family is a Waldorf homeschooling family, and we came to a place when my oldest daughter just needed a break from main lesson book pages. I had always been careful not to make the main lesson pages monotonous, but still, by the end of 5th grade, she needed a break. So we didn’t make a main lesson book for Ancient Greece. Instead, we just discussed the history and the lives of notable Greeks, and I told the Greek myths to her. Taking this break from the main lesson book resulted in what felt like a renewal.
During that block, she had so much creative energy and excitement toward the lessons. She and my son made a movie about The Twelve Tasks of Heracles. We had movie night a few times with whoever came to visit during that time. The “movie theater” was complete with snacks, tickets, program brochures, and even a souvenir shop of Heracles-related items like homemade trading cards and beeswax monsters for purchase after the movie. They drew a room-size map of Heracles travels. They made a shadow puppet show for the Trojan War, and a life size diorama of Odysseus’ adventures. It turned out to be a really fun block!
2. Once you determine what is not working, and set the intention to take a break from all of those things for a the week, take a few minutes to think of something YOU would really love to do with your kids, or something you would really like to teach them. Do that this week. Maybe it’s a new read-aloud. Maybe it’s a trip to the beach or a local hike. Kayaking, baking, gardening, movies, crafting, biking, birdwatching. Whatever it is you would really love to do, DO IT. And this can be several things, not just one
3. Finally, make a list of 10 things you are doing exceptionally well or that went exceptionally well this week. Do not stop until you reach 10. The list can be reflective of homeschool life or parenting and homelife. When you homeschool, life is a conglomeration of all its parts. Each piece affects the other, so everything counts here, even if not specific to homeschooling.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
· I hug my kids and tell them I love them every day.
· I express enthusiasm about our learning.
· They know I love to teach them.
· My son enjoyed his art classes this week.
· My daughter enjoyed her playdate on Sunday.
· We went mural hunting downtown and everyone enjoyed it.
· My daughter and I had a connected conversation on Saturday.
· Family movie night
· We biked to the river three times this week.
· I averaged 8 hours of sleep this week.
· I introduced a brand new math concept, and I thought of a great story to go with it.
This list should make you feel good, and these are things to keep doing. Maybe this list inspires new ideas.
4. By taking time this week to step back from your recent routine, it opens space to let go of what is not working and invite in new options that feel in flow. I think once we take a moment to be aware, it’s often obvious what isn’t working and what needs to be let go. It’s more of a challenge to discern what to invite in.
One thing that always helps me determine what to invite in is asking myself “What does (child’s name) need right now?” Asking this question during my walk or during a quiet time alone once a week, or once a month, has been so helpful. Our intuition as mothers is so powerful.
Sometimes “stuff” sneaks into our homeschool routine from places of comparison with other families or fear that we are not doing enough. Anything that comes from these places never turn into true opportunities for growth and learning for the kids. Be aware of why you are inviting new activities in, and make sure it comes from a place of authentic support for your child and is alignment with their needs.
Set aside time this week to think about what to invite in, but don’t feel hurried to add new activities right away. Maybe you just need to let go of things for awhile.
5. Keep in mind the old saying that “less is more”. When it comes to homeschooling, covering several subjects each day means you only have enough time to touch the surface of several topics, and they are often disjointed and hurried. When you deep-dive into one or two subjects, the learning becomes more meaningful and effective, and the learning tends to “stick” more.
I like to think in threes each day. This means there are three academic areas where we put our focus today. The first two are always main lesson and math. The third is dependent on the day of the week and my children’s interests now that they are older. Maybe once or twice a week it is music, foreign language, handwork, sports, STEM club, or art. Keep in mind, for example, that you can do handwork for a couple months and then switch to something else during that time slot. Then, over the course of the year, you have covered more than you expected, and it never felt like overwhelm or overscheduling.
As kids get older, you may consider adding more than one afternoon activity some days, but make sure it doesn’t feel like too much.
Being in “flow” while you are homeschooling is one of the best feelings in the world. This time with our children is so precious. Wishing you moments of quiet contemplation as you discern what is best for your children on your homeschooling journey.
If you would like to join an authentic Waldorf community online for support and virtual classes, check out what Lotus & Ivy has to offer. Enrollment is open at the end of each main lesson block.
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