Renewal

I finally feel like I have a grip on schooling again! I've done a lot of reading lately on different educational theories trying to find the right fit for us. I have felt very overwhelmed lately with what the kids have been doing. And I have just wanted to find the right nitch. The hard part is that I find things I like about most all the theories.
Today I attended a Charlotte Mason seminar, which has me feeling like this is exactly what I've been trying to accomplish. I loved that the speaker was so honest about working things out with in a large family. I also loved that she talked about working other philosophies into what your doing.
Now I have always been interested in Charlotte Mason but there always seemed like so much to read before diving in. It was so wonderful to have a speaker lay it all out there for you. It was also great that she was so normal and human, not some super mom who gets tons of great books read to her 4 children of all different levels. I finally feel comfortable going back to teaching the same general things to everyone, just tailoring certain things so they are appropriate to each child. Because I can't complain enough how doing three separate curriculum's has killed me this year! I have been suffering from some serious burn out.
My favorite things that I got out of today were the nature journals and the art appreciation. The nature journals were remarkable. It is something I know my kids would love to do and it seems so communal with nature and their environment. The art appreciation has been very lacking around here lately. I love the suggestion of breaking it up with poets and musicians as well. I can't wait to get started!