School Year Review

Any mother of twins will tell you: their first year is hard. We reached the one-year milestone for our Littles during this past school year. They sleep better; therefore, Momma sleeps better and can do everything with more energy, patience, and clarity. It also helped that just a couple months after the Littles turned one, Michael ended up working from home due to the Coronavirus quarantine. Just having an extra adult around is so encouraging for me.

A typical school day this year starts at 9:00, after morning chores are done – usually  with some encouragement from me (we’re working on the habit of doing chores without being reminded, but we aren’t there yet). The Bigs get dressed, make their own breakfast, make their beds, and unload the dishwasher. I drink my coffee, feed and dress the Middles and Littles, then try to remember to make my own bed. We begin by sitting on the couch and reading a picture book that relates to the topic William is learning in kindergarten. Then, Peter moves into some independent work (handwriting, copy work, math review); William does his hundred chart and calendar page; I start the Middles on an activity like playdough or watercolors; the Littles go to their cribs to play by themselves which usually turns into a morning nap. From there, I bounce back and forth between the Bigs, doing kindergarten with William first so he can go play. Then I have more focused time to work with Peter. We break for a snack at 10:00 and finish by lunch time.

Often, our education materials connect with our life so perfectly and the lesson has even more meaning because of it. One of the poems that Peter memorized this year, “The Robin’s Secret,” was so relevant because a robin couple built a nest on the downspout right by our sweet cherry tree.  William was studying frogs precisely as we found frog eggs in our back yard – we went out every day to watch the changes from egg to tadpole to froglet and, finally, frogs.

We read lots of books – picture books for the younger ones, chapter books for the older ones. I’ve been so excited to introduce my kids to the books I’ve loved and to discover new adventures, too. Being wanna-be farmers, the story of Almanzo in Farmer Boy made a deep impression on us all. We began a tradition last Christmas that we get the illustrated version of one Harry Potter book – this year was Chamber of Secrets; also, the kids don’t watch the movie until we’ve read the book. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott was one of my favorites and I aspire to parent as well as Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer (in fact, I love the whole series, beginning with Little Women, so much that my daughter was named after Jo March). We read The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary before we discovered mice in our house in December (ick!), and I think I was able to handle the crisis better for having seen life from a mouse’s perspective.

No matter how you educate your kids, there are always lots of people helping. I need to thank a few special people in our lives. Our sweet friend Ms. Dalaine came over once a week to entertain the young ones so I could have a day to do more focused projects (like science experiments) with the Bigs. Grammy and Papa took care of horse riding lessons for the Bigs. And, Grandmoma and Colonel were always available to watch a few kids while I took one or two to an appointment.
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I’ve begun debating the merits of year-round schooling. It would give us more flexibility throughout the year to take time off when the weather is lovely (like the spring and autumn – I mean, who really wants to leave the house in July when the heat index is close to 100?) But, once we get through May, my spirit aches for some time to relax, to have space to just breathe. What do you think? Is summer break necessary for a good childhood?