week #15, winter #3 wrap-up

I'm a day late with my weekly summary, but I figure this one doesn't need to be on time, because we're "on holiday" this coming week. Now if I can just remember what it was that we actually DID last week! In my attempt to keep everything calm and flowing well for the kids, I sort of ran myself ragged. Next year I'll know better what to expect and it should take less effort on my part.

We started the week by missing the last of our Intersession Homeschool Classes due to yet another ice storm. I couldn't even open the door to the van to start it and warm it up, so we went nowhere that day. Instead, we made a very nice paper chain to hang on our cute little tree.

Monday night, we took the kids up to see Bright Nights in Forest Park. Needless to say, they LOVED it! I enjoyed the more "laid back" homeschooling feel this week -- we did not do a formal circle (although we incorporated a lot of the seasonal movement activities in our daily lives this week), and that gave me the confidence to try shaking up that circle routine we've gotten into a bit. I'll post about the finished product when I'm done thinking it through, but I'm just about there.

We went to the museum twice this week, on Tuesday J had a class about Holidays Around the World, and on Thursday he learned all about Animals in Winter. Both days Zoo Boy (2nd from the right in a red shirt) enjoyed romping with other kids in the exhibits ("They're all my friends, you know," he confided in me), and visiting with his animal and staff friends in the animal room.

Wednesday evening we took the kids to visit with Santa at his workshop in Wickam Park. Here's a picture of them sitting in the sleigh he obviously arrived in from the North Pole. Zoo Boy enjoyed pretending he was driving the reindeer. (He said they must have been up on the roof, since we didn't see any sign of them.) On Thursday, prior to J's museum class, we met up with other homeschoolers at an Open Gym day, where the kids got to run around and expend some energy, MUCH appreciated since it's been too icy to play outdoors.

But the highlight of our week was our Curriculum Story and Winter Solstice celebration. The story was an Enki original, "Mid-Winter's Journey", told in three chapters, one each night by the fire. On the 4th night (the Long Night of the Winter Solstice), we used hand-made lanterns (that we made that afternoon) and took a walk up the street, singing the song from the story. Then we lit a bonfire and read "A Solstice Story" by Ellen Jackson, and sang a few more songs before heading back indoors. The wrap-up to the week came on Saturday, when we decorated a Yule Log and held our Yule celebration while it burned.

A lovely, lovely week, one of my favorites thus far. We didn't have much opportunity for Family Story Time this week in the way we've been doing it, but we did read these seasonal favorites of ours: Christmas Trolls, by Jan Brett; Night Tree, by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ted Rand (our very favorite holiday story!!!); and the absolutely gorgeous The Animal's Christmas Carol, by Helen Ward.