Summer Begins.....NOW!

 

Oh how wonderful it was to be back to being a homeschool family! It took us a little bit to find out groove again (as homeschooling high school is a different vibe) but once we did it was as if we never took that two year break from it! The girls had an amazing year and grew so much as learners and as people. We saw their confidence return (especially Emma's) and the color come back to their learning and their days. While Parker definitely served its purpose (and Grace made some incredible friends) on the whole it just was not the right place for either of these sweet souls. It has been such a joy to see them return to being the learners that they were pre-Parker and I cannot wait to see what next year brings (though I am really not ready for it to be Grace's senior year either! Gracious, these years went by fast)! xo  

A Perfect Pen for Her Parzival Block

Grace's final block this lesson year is about Parzival. In Waldorf schools the Parzival block is a hallmark of the junior year of high school and as such we made sure to plan for it for this year for Grace (and next year for Emma). Grace has wanted a  glass pen for  awhile now and seeing how she's creating an illuminated letter for a project for this block it seemed like the perfect excuse to surprise her with the much wished for pen. I found this set on Etsy from a local maker in NY. It arrived quickly, was packaged gorgeous and I hear it writes beautifully. Somehow have a feeling this won't be here only glass pen! xo 

A Splendid September

 

September brought with it Grace at Old Sturbridge Village for Mustar Day, setting up for a new Sunday School year (in which we introduce FCC to the prayground) and a return to life as a homeschool family! Many thanks to the McCarry family for the sweet musbroom house mugs to welcome the girls back to life as homeschoolers! Grace worked at the famr and Emma worked at the orchard this month. I just love that they both chose jobs where they work outside and are connected to nature and the land. xo

On Eighth Grade Graduation Day!

 

Today we gathered together to celebrate the eighth grade class of Seasons of Seven! Not only was this a special day for the eighth graders but it was also a special day for our family as it was the first time that we have seen either set of grandparents since February 2020! And while the weather was unseasonably cold and rainy (a whopping 44 degrees for the high) the day was absolutely spectacular! We all gathered on Zoom where pictures of the class as babies/toddlers/younger grade students, in addition to present day pictures of each, as well as their art work was shared. Where speeches were given, first by Ms Jaia, then by each of the eighth graders (as is the tradition at Waldorf eighth grade graduations) and then by all three of the directors, followed by well wishes from all the parents before certificates were given out. This ceremony was probably the best ever and it was such a wonderful way to come together as a family and as a school community to celebrate this extraordinary year, this incredible class and to send them on their way with love and good wishes for high school (wherever it may take each one of them)! We are looking forward to celebrating Emma this same way next year! Thank you Melisa, Nicole and Melanie for making this dream of yours a reality last summer, and thank you Ms. Jaia for the most incredible eighth grade year for Grace! We watched her grow in ways we never imagined and we are so grateful for your love, support and encouragement for Grace (and Emma too)! We are grateful you took on class seven in addition to class eight and are so very thrilled we get one more year with you! Many wishes for a wonderful summer to all! We look forward to all that Seasons of Seven high school has in store for Grace (and all that Seasons of Seven class eight has in in store for Emma) next year! xo 

Catapult!

 

In which Emma builds a catapult as part of her simple machines block! xo

Impressionist Inspiration

 

In which Grace creates her version of one of Degas' ballerina paintings during the eighth grade class' study of the impressionists. xo

A Work In Progress

The artistic abilities of our girls never cease to amaze me. Of course, it really is all thanks to them growing up Waldorf! The arts, especially the fine arts, really are so beautifully integrated into all aspects of their learning and it has made for a very rich experience for our girls (and for us)! Super impressed with Emma as drawing is something that she has often says is hard or that she's not good at. She has worked so very hard and I would say that her hard work and determination are really paying off! xo

 

A Page Out Of Emma's Main Lesson Book

 

In which Emma creates this beautiful page during her main lesson today. Her class is studying the renaissance and Reformation, and with today's lesson focusing on the Tudor family. xo 

Waldorf Kids In Spring

 

I loved capturing this sweet moment of the girls today working on their nature paintings for their art lesson this week. I just love that they love being outside and that they will often choose to do their lessons out there, or attend their class Zoom calls outside. They truly are Waldorf kids through and through! xo

A Peek Inside Grace's Main Lesson Book

 Since it's been awhile since I last shared what the girls are doing for lessons I thought now would be a good time to do just that!

Let's start with Grace's main lesson book from her anatomy block. 

As with most things, Waldorf teaches things so beautifully. From the way the material is brought to the children, to how the children interact with it, to the way art is brought in we just stand in awe. Honestly, I often think if I had learned material this way I would have enjoyed it so much more (and probably would have retained it better). 

On more than one occasion I told Grace "When I was in school we would have been given a worksheet and told to label it."

This drawing especially blew me away. Goodness, it's like textbook quality! 

Along with the gorgeous drawings she did wonderful descriptions of the various parts of the body that she had drawn. I didn't include those only because it would make this post even longer, but mostly because I was just really impressed with how beautifully her drawings came out! xo