Toning down and No more curricula?

Maybe.  The second half of October puts my mind at ease a little bit.  It's half as busy somehow.  Could be that the last soccer game is Saturday. 

I'm really seeing the wisdom of decluttering my house and my schedule.  I'm seeing the importance and necessity of staying home (with my kids).  I'm starting to yearn for those snow days...cough cough cough...ok, maybe not snow days, but days of doing all sorts of learning at home together instead of running off somewhere. 

I'm rethinking "curriculum".  I've recently acquired some amazing books.  "The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls", "My Book House", and 2 sets of Childcraft encyclopedias, one from 1947, one from 1960.  All are so different and yet the same.  They are written for children and include amazing "true" translation (well, at least closer to the original) of poems, Mother Goose, Fairy tales and other stories, biographies, information on art, music, science and so much more!  I want to read these treasures with my children, and find myself stuck in curriculum mode.  I'm starting to relax more, though, wondering how I can tweak my "guided" curriculum and add these gems that are so age appropriate and treasures of classics for my chidren. 

I'm also excited because since I have four volume sets, I have one to pass down to each of my children.  I'm in love with old books, especially as they become more rare and as we enter the digital age.  I would love a Nook or an iPad, but it's hard to replace a real to goodness, heart warming, good book read in your comfy chair. 

I'm really hoping that our Horton Prestige Academy figures out how to incorporate this into our school quickly and soon. 

We are also working on having a specific day a week for Girl/Cub scouts.  Not only does it help them earn badges but it teaches them so much and it's fun.  I want to add a little bit more art (projects) and music (history).  I'm also trying to listen and guide my children in the things they are interested in learning about.  I keep thinking, I like to learn about what I'm interested in; they probably do too.  As long as we've got this reading/writing/rithmetic thing going fine, why not venture out and learn what they want?  I've got a guide, I tell myself, and it's ok to branch out.  I mean, I want to play more games!!  We definitely need more games (today they played "dice" and Jon was amazing at adding lots of numbers! and fast!) 

Maybe I could do all this with no problem if we'd just quit going on field trips!  Haha!  But we LOVE field trips!  Yesterday we went to a farm and learned about corn and soybeans and went through a corn maze and picked pumpkins.  Then we played at a park for a few hours.  It was beautiful weather and such a great time.  Yes, that is the clincher.  We go on tons of field trips.  At least one a week.  Sometimes more.  Tomorrow we are going to Grant's Farm since we have to go to the city anyway.   I'm sure we'll do some school on the drive.  We always do.  Yes, we are often "car-schoolers". 

In the meantime, at home, I've got good stuff I'm doing and for the most part pleased.  I guess it's just always a work in progress as we change and grow.  And maybe a need to tone it down a bit more.  We'll see.