Homeschooling has begun. Ed's been doing math, physics  and spelling and I've been doing Earth Science and Poetry. We're not on a full schedule yet, because we're still very busy with the CSA, but next week will be the last week of CSA and after that homeschooling will be our main focus.

I've done some research on curricula for Sena and Aiyana's grade levels, with particular attention to the Mansfield school curriculum. I like to make sure that we're studying at least at the same level as the local schools. In any case, I put together a plan about a month ago, containing all the major topics we want to study this year and a daily schedule to go along. But, before we even started, I changed it on sudden inspiration, and instead of studying a little bit of each subject each week, I decided to do an intensive session of about three weeks covering only two subjects at a time. Part of the beauty of homeschooling is that you can be flexible like this, and go with what seems most appropriate and most fun for everyone.

So our two topics of intensive study these past few weeks have been Earth Science and Poetry. I am very excited about how well things are going. In Earth Science, we learned about how the earth formed, the processes and natural cycles that have shaped our world and what drives them - stuff like earthquakes, volcanoes, and some introductory geology. All fascinating. The girls want more. They are asking for books on tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes.

The other topic of study, Poetry, was also embraced, to my relief and delight. When I was a child in Romania, we had to memorize classical poems, and although I didn't appreciate it at the time, now I am often comforted and inspired by those poems and their beauty. I thought that it would be nice to have Sena and Aiyana memorize beautiful poetry, so they too can carry it with them always. I was very happy when they took to it right away. We fell into a routine, where we read poems together, which I select, we study them, and then they chose the ones they want to memorize. Their memory is amazing at this age, and they love to recite to Ed or I whenever we want to listen. They've been reciting to their grandparents too for a treat.

Two weekends ago, a couple that is part of our CSA offered to bring their telescope to our farm so we could watch the sky. This just happened to  fit in perfectly with our Earth studies. They came on a beautiful, calm Saturday evening just after sundown, and we set the telescope up in our field. It was an 8 inch diameter telescope, with lenses that magnified 40, 100 and 200 times. We were able to see the moon, with beautiful detail of the craters, as well as Saturn with its rings and one of its moons, and Jupiter. We also saw Andromeda galaxy. The whole thing was awe-inspiring, and made a great impression on all of us. I went to bed that night feeling more connected to the vastness out there, and it was all very helpful as a reminder for putting our lives in perspective.

Aiyana turned 9 on Sunday. She had a party on Saturday, with her friends and grandparents and us. I made pizza from scratch, which Aiyana requested and it was a hit. I also served my home-made feta and other appetizers and a winter squash soup. My sister and Ed's parents brought food as well. My sister made icecream cake, which was a huge success. Ed's mom made deviled eggs, always a hit. It was a nice party for everyone, and on Sunday we celebrated just the four of us. I can't believe she's nine! The old cliche that they grow up so fast is so true. It's scary. The only cure is to be present, and that is my focus.

Peace