Education {at home}

“Thank goodness I was never sent to schools … it would have rubbed off some of the originality.”
-Beatrix Potter

 

 

September, with its fresh crisp mornings and warm afternoons, cool evenings and painted leaf-tips, is here.

And so it begins … another chapter in our homeschooling journey … the pencils are freshly sharpened, the work books not yet creased and worn, excitement brimming as we all anticipate another lovely {and sometimes, challenging} year filled with learning new and wonderful things about this world God has created …

 

The girls have been asking to start our school year for a few weeks now, but I was not ready – there were still things to organize, lists to create (I’m not sure I ever did create those lists, except for in my head), books to arrange and supplies to be refreshed. And yet, here we are again, ready to begin. I think it is safe to say that we all love home educating here at the Gauthier home. We have never regretted the choice to school the girls (and soon, boy!) at home. That is to say it is not always easy – but it is a choice and a lifestyle we have embraced.

A few weeks ago, the girls, Abby & I worked on installing some new bookshelves and organizing the home library for our school room. Thus, the school room received a bit of a makeover. I still need to freshen up the (painted) floor (I find I have to paint it every six months or so from all the wear) but other than that, it is pretty much ready.

I located a cozy braided rug off Kijiji for the room and it just helps make everything feel more at home. We love the addition of the woodstove since we moved in nearly four years ago. It has made a world of difference in our very-chilly-old-farmhouse. My plans were to make this room as cozy and inviting as possible for little ones (and big ones), especially during the winter months when we are indoors more than the summer months.  We may not always “do school” in this room, but it is a room where we can sit and read our books, work on nature journals, listen to audio stories and just have life happen. School, that is to say, the book work and such, happen anywhere in our home – but this room does give us a designated location for our general home education.

 

Here is the room view when I last updated it

 

 

I may remove the little couch later and put a table there for the big girls for school work, crafts, etc. but we will see.our lovely new bookshelves …. where in the world did I put all these books before? We still have at least two (large-ish) bookshelves in nearly every room of the house. We LOVE books. 🙂 I working on making our home library as self sufficient as possible.

 

 

the morning together-time basket …

… little bits of nature …… a chalkboard I made to remind us of the character trait of the month (I hope to write a post on that later)….… the little girls’ writing/work space … and a handy book ledge that Abby made from a recycled pallet …It holds our library books so they do not get confused or mixed up with our regular reading material (oh, you homeschoolers know what I am talking about …)

 

little Laz checking out the lower shelves…

 

 

our nature section (one of my favorite sections in our library)…

 

 

 

of course, a basket of books and some rocking chairs by the fair is a must …

 

a selection of our audio library for cold, chilly winter afternoons of listening …and a basket of toys and puzzles for all the little ones to play with …

 

So grateful for yet another year of homeschooling about to begin!

 

(Linked up with Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth)

 

September 12, 2016 - 6:10 pm

Mia White Wow, SO lovely! I want to learn there! I have a skosh of homeschool room envy now 😉

September 7, 2016 - 5:58 am

admin Maike, yes, definitely a lot of work (I consider it a full time job in some ways) but so, so, rewarding! I was never sent to a traditional school (except for one year while my family transitioned from across the country) and I, like you, was afraid of a “public school” in many ways.
I am grateful for a smaller school setting that I was raised in (started with homeschooling and then moved into a church with other families until it grew to about 80 children or so). Home education is definitely a great option for a parent that wants to be active and involved with their child’s education or one that is concerned about what the government is teaching in the government-funded schools (here in Ontario, this is something to consider for sure!) – it does take up a lot of your time and energy but again, the benefits are wonderful. We are blessed to have this option!

September 7, 2016 - 3:21 am

Maike This looks so cozy and the little men who sneeked into almost every picture made me giggle. It must be wonderful to be homeschooled in your home…or perhaps even in general. I wished I was homeschooled – I always was afraid of going to school and it didn’t do anything good for me. With only your children or even meeting with other homeschooled natural children everyone seems to be accepted and let be the way they are and work in their speed. And when they do need help they can still ask you at a later time in the day too. It must be a lot of effort for the parent but worth it. 🙂

September 6, 2016 - 7:09 pm

Brenda (Gigi’s Mom) Gillian, these pictures make me want to go to back to school. Looks so inviting and pleasant. The girlies will enjoy the upgraded school rooms. Good renovating job!!!

September 6, 2016 - 12:39 pm

Mary Stephens Well, that is a delightful school room! 🙂 It looks like a very pleasant place to study.

September 5, 2016 - 7:21 pm

Liz Your “classroom” reminds me a bit of the “Reggio Emilia” approach. I like your natural items. I try and model my classroom after it, it just seems so natural, calm and happy.