Early June carries its own feeling. The grass has grown tall, the lilacs are in bloom, and many children are already leaning gently toward summer.
 
By this point in the year, it is not unusual for attention to wander. A butterfly at the window or the sound of water nearby can feel far more compelling than one more page of arithmetic. And yet this is also a beautiful moment to pause, gather what has been learned, and bring the year to a thoughtful close.
 
Review need not come through tests or piles of worksheets. In a Waldorf home, we can look back with care and gratitude, noticing how the child has grown through thinking, feeling, and doing.
 
Whether you are finishing a first year of letters and numbers or closing a richer, more complex middle grades year, these five gentle ideas can help you review what has been learned and step into summer with a sense of completion.

Providing your child with the opportunity to grow food fosters a sense of responsibility and connection with nature.
​
At this time of year, many families are nearing the end of their school year. You may be noticing a shift, more movement, more energy, and perhaps a little less ease in your usual rhythm. This is a natural part of the season. As spring unfolds, children often feel a sense of anticipation and outward energy that can show up in their behaviour.

Rather than working against this shift, we can meet it.
​
Bringing learning outside and offering practical, hands-on work, such as gardening, digging, carrying, and building, can help ground this energy in a meaningful way. Growing food is a simple and effective place to begin. It allows children to move their bodies, engage their senses, and take part in real work that has purpose.
There are many ways to approach gardening, and you can choose what works best for your space and season.
​
Here are some easy ideas to get you started:

Spring is such a time of renewal and comes with a burst of energy. Seasonal celebrations give you a point of focus when choosing stories, crafts and activities to do as a family. Celebrations such as Easter offer a beautiful annual rhythm, something that your child looks forward to re-engaging with each year. It's a special experience to choose activities that become family traditions. ​

Daily Wonder lesson plans provide the daily, monthly and yearly rhythm of your school year.  The educational planning is done, and there is minimal preparation awaiting you, the parent.  We all know how hectic the school year can get with all the things that need to happen in one day. The Wonder Squad highly recommends taking the time now to look into your prep needs.  You will be so grateful down the road for taking the time now to get organized. Lazy summer days offer leisurely ways to check things off the "back to homeschool to-do list".

Here are our suggestions:

• It is a great practice to have your child do a daily chore. It is even more fun if that chore is on a chore wheel.  Have fun creating your own beautiful wheel that speaks to the chores needing to be done in your household.  Check out this site for instructions and ideas for appropriate chores for children by age.

​Do you remember long summer days as a kid, reading for hours in a tent as the breeze blew through the screen? Do you remember swinging in a hammock with that novel you just couldn't put down? How about reading that comic book on the couch to the family dog?

Creating space and time for free play and teaching classic childhood games we played as kids is one way we fulfill Daily Wonder's mission to Reclaim Childhood to Transform the World. ​

Play is an essential part of the healthy development of physical, social and cognitive skills. Classic childhood games help to connect us to traditional values and culture, but they also are super fun to play. No matter your age or physical prowess, there's a classic game for everyone.