Our family and school routines are always changing along with the seasons. Fall and spring we crave more structure and seem to cram in as much learning as we can. Summer and winter life slows down and we spend more time having fun, together as a family. This ebb and flow of school and family life seems to happen naturally as we try to balance structure and freedom, closeness and independence, strengths and weaknesses, curriculum and natural learning, 1st grade needs and 4th grade needs, work to be done and the outdoors calling.... Each new season brings a renewed excitement for homeschooling and a welcome break from the mundane routine of the season past.
With fall on its way out, we are settling in to our winter routine. I love everything about our winter routine. Everyone slows down a bit; weekday mornings are a little lazier as we spend extra time starting the fire and making warm drinks and cuddling together while we wait for the house to warm.
In true Charlotte Mason style, our lessons become shorter and more independent, allowing for some much appreciated creative time for me, and taking less time in the day, so that our afternoons can be filled with natural learning, on the rare day that the kids are not skiing. And our nights are spent differently too, with the sky darkening earlier. Nights are spent in front of the fire, reading classics by candlelight or deeply engrossed in strategy games. There is a stillness to our home life that balances out the demand that skiing has on our schedule. I love what every season brings to our family, and winter slows us down, makes us appreciate each other and our time together, and allows us to really enjoy our everyday life at home.
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