Tips & tools to support your homeschooling program.

Children thrive in a predictable rhythm and routine. We see their anxiety lessen when they know what to expect. When meals and bedtime happen regularly , it anchors their day. Once established, it is helpful to find other aspects of the day that you can commit to making happen regularly. Homeschool is, of course, a source of rhythm for your child. Although these days, school can be somewhat unpredictable as well, giving us even more reasons to fill moments in your child’s day with heartfelt connection and a sense of calm.

Children are like sponges, absorbing the energy around them. It is important as the parent to be aware of the energy you are allowing into the home space. For example, if you listen to the news, know that even if it looks like your child is quietly playing in the other room, they are still absorbing the energy of the stories. Low-grade anxiety can seep into their being. As much as I did my best to protect my children from the onslaught of doomsday news when they were little, I knew I couldn’t stop it entirely. It became essential for me to hold consistent space for them each day, which instilled the values I wanted them to have. I found that the evening ritual was my best time to hold this space.

Children take in a lot of information and many experiences throughout their day that they can’t easily process. At night, when they are lying in bed, winding down, things often come to the surface. They can then share a painful experience they had in their day, a moment of confusion, or a story that happened. Setting aside this evening time for your child means that you are not in a rush to get somewhere. Your child feels your entire presence with them, and you can continue fostering a heartfelt connection. As a mother, I find that as my days are busy and I get pulled in many directions, I know that I can still give my children my attention and focus in the evenings. Whether it is for 5 minutes or 25 minutes, the point is that they have my undivided attention and can feel this and settle into it.

​When my children were young, I decided to offer them an evening verse, a verse I would say with them every evening to instill my values and build a foundation for them of spiritual knowing and trust in the unseen world that I feel is around us. I chose to refer to God because this word speaks to me of the unknown spiritual wonder around us, regardless of any one religion. I decided to use the word angel because it speaks to me of the unseen spiritual support I feel we are graced by. I made up this simple verse:  

I began saying it with my children when they were 2 and 3 years old, and today they are 14 and 15 years old, and I still say it with them each night. It brings me a sense of peace that I have offered my children a feeling of wonder for the world in a gentle and consistent way. As teenagers, out in the world, they are exposed to all kinds of contradictory views about the world. Yet, the words they hear and feel right before falling asleep are words that align with what I want them to feel about this wonderful earthly experience.  

I encourage you to consider your values and whether you have a spiritual view, you want to share with your children. What kinds of words would you like to have your child hear and feel each night while they live under your roof? Perhaps you feel comfortable writing your own verse to recite with them. Below I offer three evening verses I wrote for families with young children. Please use any of these, including the one above that I have used with my children for many years.  ​

​Settling down in my cozy bed
Thoughts are quiet in my head
The sun has set
The stars are bright
It's time to sleep now for the night

Thank you for the gifts of the day
May they shine brighter and be 
remembered more often
tomorrow

Closing the day, each evening, with your heartfelt presence and an evening verse, is a way to show up for your child consistently and to instill a sense of wonder and trust in a world that may be lacking both.  ​

- Jennifer Ross

Here are some beautiful ways to celebrate Candlemas, and the coming of spring with your children.

Candle Dipping
Candle dipping is a fun and interactive activity that brings this celebration to life. You can easily make beeswax candles in your home or prepare a candle dipping station outside. You will need some old pots, beeswax pellets, and string for the wicks. Here's some detailed instructions to make dipped candles at home.

Candle Dipping Activity
This is a lovely reverent activity you can do while dipping your candles. Set your melted beeswax at one end of a table and a pot of water at the other. Walk slowly around the table, dipping your string in the beeswax at one end of the table and then in water at the other. Continue circling the table in this way until your candles are the width you would like. As you circle the table, you can sing the following Candlemas song:​

We dip our candles in the big old tin,
And we wait a little bit for it to drip drop in.
We make enough to last the year,
To bring us joy and bring us cheer.
Around and around and around and around...

Recite Candlemas Verses
Here are a few verses you can say with your children as you light your candles.

A farmer should, on Candlemas Day,
Have half his corn and half his hay.
On Candlemas Day if the thorns hang adrop,
You can be sure of a good pea crop.
____________________________________

When Candlemas Day is bright with sun;
Then Winter’s power has just begun – 
But when Candlemas Day is dark with rain 
Then Winter’s power is on the wane!
____________________________________

This is a verse that relates Candlemas to Groundhog Day:

Badger peeps out on Candlemas Day,
and if he finds snow, he walks away.
But if the sun is shining down,
Badger returns to his hole in the ground.