The Plan (and Some Pre-First Day of Homeschool Excitement)

Since my last post I thought we had come to a decision regarding this coming homeschool year (we'll start the week of the fall equinox). T-Guy wanted to move into grade 8 and to use Oak Meadow, so we ordered that. J-Baby didn't want to use OM7 (we'd already covered the science and history), and while I had written that I would consider moving him into grade 8, once I looked at the OM8 assignments I thought maybe they were more work than he would be willing to do.  Not more than he was capable of, just more than I thought he'd be willing to do. I've tried to make children do more than they want to and I've never found it to work all that well. So I thought we'd piece together our own grade 7, with J-Baby joining T-Guy for the OM math and science.

Yesterday J-Baby brought up the idea of moving into grade 8 (I hadn't offered it as an option). We talked about the level of work required and I mentioned my concerns; he thinks he can do it. It's true that he is a different child than he was just a few months ago, more helpful and more willing to do work. I decided that we'll give it a month or two and if it isn't working out we'll come up with something else.

The decision takes a weight off me; I know what we will be doing academically for the first couple of months. That gives me more time to imagine and plan everything else we will be doing - the Waldorf-y parts of our days. Our festivals, crafts, handwork, cooking/baking, etc.