We officially started our new school year (2nd, 4th, and gulp… 6th grade) this Monday. The girls happily jumped back in, very eager to try out some new subjects. The boy on the other hand, was a bit more reluctant… to say the least… and got off to a slow start. Gammy stopped by with a mid-morning treat and then after lunch we decided the best way to celebrate was to finish off the afternoon at the park. I also had an ulterior motive. The park I choose is home to many giant oak trees… and we were in need of some “gnome hats.” Bug finished off his work and then joined in the hunt. All in all, it was a nice start to a new year.

Of course all of this makes me think of that “first day” more than a few years ago, when the whole idea of homeschooling was soooo overwhelming. There was so much excitement and a whole lot of nerves. Could I really tackle this on my own? In the end it just felt natural, like the rest of this parenting journey. Not always easy, not always fun, but rewarding, challenging, and oh so full of warmth and love. I feel so blessed that I get to share my days with these amazing little people who are not so little any more.

For those of you who are starting this journey, or have a little one that you are adding to your school days, I would like to take a moment to share our very own Homeschool Companion guides for the early years. Be sure to check out our Harvest Time, Winter Wonderland, and Spring Bs units. I wrote them as our first step on our homeschool journey and have revisited them more than once. Our family loved the books, the crafts, the baking, and the nature studies that we completed with the Simple Seasons units.

We receive more emails with questions or thanks about our Simple Seasons units than anything else we have done at Wee Folk Art. So many families have enjoyed these units and it makes us very happy to know that we have helped so many. I will be talking more about each unit later this week. And yes, I know I keep saying I’m going to update them. I do have every intention of doing so but it seems like whenever I get started so other big project gets in the way. Use them as is for now. I will adding an updated book list though in the next couple up days. Note that the Flower Fairy Alphabet poem book is not available on its own anymore but is included in the Complete Flower Fairy book.

I would also like to invite you to share your experiences with these units in our new Wee Folk Art Community Center. We have a special forum board set up just for the Simple Seasons units. It is the perfect way to connect with other families working on the same unit. Come share weekly updates, pictures, additional activities, and get advice from others.