How on earth am I supposed to do this? How do I say goodbye to the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with? How do I close the book on our story and move on with my story while our story seems so heartbreakingly incomplete? How do I stay strong … Continue reading “The day after the end of the world”
Author: eilonwy902
Death is the Elephant in the Room
Death is a big piece of so many of the contradictions that are inherent in the experience of being human. Death is the only thing that any of us are absolutely guaranteed, and yet somehow it manages to take us by surprise. We live our lives and make decisions according to our own values hierarchy. … Continue reading “Death is the Elephant in the Room”
What is Grief?
My life thus far has been a lot of things. Complex and beautiful and painful and messy and joyous. So much learning. And yet, with all I experienced and all that I learned, I’m coming now to realize that I never actually understood anything about grief. I thought I understood it. It’s an emotion, I … Continue reading “What is Grief?”
Boundaries, Continued
Responding to Boundary Violations Our rule about boundaries is not an easy one for the kids to learn. This is not one of those lessons that you teach once and move on to the next thing. It is confusing. It seems contradictory. Figuring out the nuances takes a lot of work. Maya is having … Continue reading “Boundaries, Continued”
We Begin with Boundaries
When other kids encounter the way our family works, they sometimes get the impression that our family has absolutely no rules. And compared to traditional education and discipline practices, it’s kinda true. The kids do have an unprecedented amount of freedom. But no rules? Not exactly. We do have one rule. A big one. And it … Continue reading “We Begin with Boundaries”
Onward at School: Playing with Paper
Our space unit went really, really well. The kids had a blast, and learned a few things. Initially I assumed that when our enthusiasm for space wound down, we would choose another topic and do the same thing again. But in retrospect, I decided that a few things would need to change for our next … Continue reading “Onward at School: Playing with Paper”
Spacefaring Sam: The Sun
Today was cold, so we started by building a fire. We decided to have circle time near the fire in the interest of keeping warm. I had begun to get ready for circle time when I realized that my animals were hungry, so I delayed in order to give them feed and water. I decided … Continue reading “Spacefaring Sam: The Sun”
Spacefaring Sam: Phases of the Moon
Quick overall reflection: We’re now three weeks into our ‘space’ unit – 6 days total, usually 4-6 hours of school each day. During this time, we’ve talked about gravity, the vacuum of space, rocket ships, and the moon. We’ve followed the plan I initially laid out fairly closely, except that we’re definitely going through it … Continue reading “Spacefaring Sam: Phases of the Moon”
Spacefaring Sam: To the Moon
Circle time as usual – fidgets, stories and songs. I am really liking this part of our school day – it’s simple, and more or less the same each time we do it. I believe that that small bit of consistency is helpful to both me and the kids. Then, Sam told the kids excitedly … Continue reading “Spacefaring Sam: To the Moon”
Spacefaring Sam: Overcoming the Vacuum
Space unit day 4: What Sam Needs is a Spacesuit We tried using playdough instead of fidgets today to keep their hands busy during story time. This worked very well. They stayed focused on the stories, and we ended up reading twice as many books as usual. After circle time, I pulled out the vacuum … Continue reading “Spacefaring Sam: Overcoming the Vacuum”