Homeschool Rhythm in Fall

I deeply believe that homeschooling gives families the valuable opportunity to move with the rhythm of the seasons. Nature provides us a blueprint for how to live, rest, reset, and thrive. Modern inventions have, in many ways, provided avenues for us to circumvent these natural rhythms and cycles and push past what might feel natural. How can we use the time we are given in our homeschool day to flow with these rhythms?

In the Homeschool Roadmap and Intentionality Guide, I challenge families to set non-negotiables - those few things that can get accomplished that will make your day or week feel like a success - and to reevaluate those each season. I recognize not everyone lives in a place with four defined seasons but there is still a flow and a feeling as seasons change. When I lived in Florida, I prefered to homeschool during the long, hot summers. My kids did not enjoy being outside much so we took that time to focus on math, language arts, and other subjects of interest that were more deep work that could be done inside. As temperatures began to cool, I began to rethink how our day could look.

Fall was always my favorite time of year. I didn’t get to fully experience it until moving to Utah. We moved there in October and my heart was so full seeing explosive red colors on the mountains for the first time. I also started to tune into my body and understand what it needed during this time of year. It needed connection, rest, being outside, and desired preparation for the winter ahead.

For our family, fall was a time when our non-negotiables revolved more around outdoor picnics, time with friends, reading in the park, messy science experiments that could be done outside, and cozy dinners with friends and loved ones. The days were getting shorter. I wanted to honor the rest my body needed when the sun set.

During this time, I also thought about the holidays. I loved letting the kids help me plan, whether a meal or a homemade gift. For many years we took this time to be creative and really let our artistic side shine. We would create holiday cards each year from scratch. The kids would help pick out a design, plan what supplies would be needed and create the finished product. We could incorporate so much learning into this homeschool project.

Many of our lunches were spent outside, on a picnic blanket, either in our back yard or at a park with friends. We prepped simple lunches and enjoyed exploring nature. We joined a nature group during this season that met once a week. We had quiet sit spots, waited for nature to come to us, hiked, and created shelters.

Fall gave us a little rest after a busy summer of work. Homeschooling does not have to look like “school-at-home.” It does not have to follow the same rigid schedule and repetitive daily tasks. You are free to listen to your body and attune with nature. Leading in this way is such a beautiful gift we can give our children.

You’ve go this!
Warmly,

Joanna