Bliss

Cedar doing what Cedar does best climbing on trees and grinning from ear to ear

apparently purses go everywhere???

hiding amongest the golden aspens!

a tiny sign of moisture on this fall day

by far the boys favorite part of our woods time, tall grass, taller then them!!

I am having one of those days where my heart is being worn on my outsides and it is ever so present. Love that is always present is now an intense feeling, something I figure almost unfathomable to others yet we all have the feeling from time to time. It feels like something I wish I could freeze, and make an always kind of feeling, but such as life that just isn't how the world works. Just an ordinary Monday but not. When I watched all 3 kids get on their bikes (yes Truthy included) and hit the dirt road hill a rushing feeling of bliss filled my body. This morning i am in the present and blessed. WOW, I am spoiled to have three kids. How did I get here? How did Jody and I get here!!?? I get to spend everyday with my family, from the playing to the dirty chores. I think this is where the heart takes over  from time ti time. Our body isn't our own, our mind isn't ours but the feeling of love is all that is left. I want to stay here forever. Mondays, just an ordinary day, yet so much more..and I truly believe the kids felt that energy as well. We just enjoyed each other all day. The kids enjoyed there sibling company and we all enjoyed our time. And so we did what we do best. We played, had lesson time, and romped in the woods.

A new week in the felt classroom! 9 kiddos came together to work with felt again. This time they made a treasure pouch.

Orien working on his pouch

Guthrie and Chase



Oriens finished treasure bag



Orien and Cedar showing off the final product.



Cedars pouch



A new block! Week1 Block 2 Math!!

It feels so good to transitioned to a new block with the first grade Enki.  We are letting the LA letters sleep for a bit and bringing the digits to the surface.  I was worried that Cedar would be bored with the numbers but the magic of blending Fairy tales with conversations of numbers has gone over smoothly.  We are shifting gears, and only reading the stories once, then enjoying  recall the next morning with dad, before diving into digit conversations about our world and the stories.

we started off the week with our Monday Journal. Cedar decided to color about our camping weekend. Here is a picture of our tent, rocks in the background he played in, the sun shining. We have been adding a word to our journals. This week he wanted pine cone wars! The kids had a blast throwing pine cones at each other!!

For our digit 1 we read a fairy tale, The Stolen Bairn and the Sidh. A story with many unique, or one involved. A baby is taken by some fairies, and the mother goes out to find him. She is helped along the way by some fishermen, and a gypsy grandmother that offers here  potion of safety and assists her in a way to her babe back. The mother must think of something unique enough that the Sidhan King will want to trade her for her babe. She makes a beautiful cloak and is able to find the King and trade for her babe. After the story Cedar and I talked about 1's in our life. He was quick to point out the sun, earth, moon, himself, his family, etc. I thought in this block 2 we would try to draw together yet without doing a led drawing to loosen up the coloring for Cedar. I drew the babe in the woods. Cedar drew the Earth, and then had to add the moon with the American flag on it! He is really interested in space, time, location, sun, moon. It will be interesting to see where that all goes!~

After we drew we wrote the number 1, the dot symbol and the geometric symbol a circle.

The next digit 2, came in the story The Luminous Pearl. A story of 2 opposite brothers. One who was a bit greedy, and impatient. The other kind, generous, calm, caring. The 2 brother went on the same adventure to meet a princess and the story would go the first man to get to her would marry her. In the story they come across a village flooding the older, greedy brother takes no time to help, but does offer that he will ask the King for a special ladle that will stop the flood. The younger brother stops in the village and helps them all day and night, nearly forgetting he is trying to get to the princess. When the 2 brothers make it to the castle and meet the King he offers a room of jewels and tells that the jewel that lights up the land will be the one the princess will want and thus marry the many who brought it. The older finds the biggest jewel and heads off. The younger forgets about the jewel and takes the ladle to help the flooding villagers. The ladle does stop the flooding and a little girl offers the brother a tiny black pearl in thanks. In the end the young brother brings a tiny pear with illuminates the seas and is married to the princess.

Cedar and I chatted about 2's, He easily say the 2 brothers, the 2 jewels. When we discussed 2's we chatted about 2 hands, 2 eyes, day/night, 2 siblings, a mother/father. The moon and sun again came out and he choose to draw about them while I drew the 2 brothers on their adventures. We then wrote our 2, dots, and the 2 parallel lines.

Orien's leaf prints!

Crafts are always requested in our house. Cedar and now Orien both enjoy any craft I offer. I had found an idea of leaf printing on another blog and thought we would give it a try. We collected leaves of different sizes and colors on our Tuesday morning walk. We then did leaf prints with our block crayons shading over. I couldn't believe how much fun the kids had! Truthy joined in for a moment! They are already asking to make more!

Cedars leaf prints

speaking of crafts. Cedar and I began our new season of knitting. He loves to finger crochet, and finger knit. It comes very easy to his fingers and he went forever on this project. We will eventually use his knitting for a autumn crown!

Cedar showing off his finger with the braid falling under!

I am so thankful for kids with such a love for all that Enki has been offering. We are enjoying all our lessons, stories, games, movements, songs, and co-op time thus far!!! 

community

Community, celebration, gathering, family. We had our first Enki camping weekend. 7 families from around Colorado all gathered in our backyard, Rocky Mountain National Park, to celebrate  the autumn breezee, Elk bugling, and the oneness of all homeschooling with the same life choices. The kids were amazing ranging from 2 year old to 6 yr old, they played made up games like: pine cone wars, elk and wolves, romped on high rocks, and wandered at dusk to watch the coyotes circle the Elk herds. These are the days where it is evident that our roots are in the natural world, the forest, nature is our home. Everyone so comfortable with, the animal noises, birds flying over head,  sleeping under the stars, playing in rivers, walking through tall grass, warming ourselves by fire. I am grateful to share in these experiences with others who see, feel, love to come together in a place like this.

Truthy and her buddy Guthrie who both sat around chatting and tending to the "pre fire" for hours!!!

Cedar, Emmett, and Finn planning, making, a rock castle in the sand at Cub Lake

A few of the kiddos all around the stream

Guthrie and hiding Orien playing in the waters seaweed.

community, the Estes mamas with more family around!

The end of our first block!!

Wow. I cant believe a month has gone by. We have officially finished our last Enki LA block. We finished off with the fairy tale ' The Golden Amulet' Cedar declared this his favorite so far. A story about a Emperor in search of his missing fifth wife. He searches after many a same dream of her in a golden tree. Cedar drew the golden tree, and then added on the husband in a rock.

To finish off the block we wrote all the letters we have learned along the fairy tale journey.

For our Thursday night nature story Jody read them a story by a Brynn a dear friend. Cedar decided to journal the Elk in the story 'song of the elk' in his Friday journal. He is really enjoying playing with the crayons as shading animals.

Now for a while this is how my driveway looks. During all our loose outdoor play time we are deeply in play as Firemen and women. Here is the newest firetruck.

And while they play I prepare our gear for the first Estes Park/ Vail Enki family celebration. On Saturday 7 families all living the enki homeschooling world will join to celebrate the fall in Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park. We are all camping, celebrating, having a group circle and campfire. And of course looking ans listening to the Elk in their season.

Orien falls in love with finger crocheting!

We ended a day, after Forest Wednesday, with a relaxing time finger crocheting. I was re-awakening this for Cedar as we are about to move onto finger knitting and then knitting by winter. After Cedar had accomplished two long braids Orien wanted to try. He was great! Patient, excited, proud. Orien is grasping the Enki K so well!!! Here is he!!

Our last week of LA block 1

It take ciaos to truly value the calm in life. I learned this first hand this past weekend. We live out in the Mountains convenient to hiking, animals, kids romping, full moons shining bright, the lack of city lights, noises other then the howl of a coyote. We truly are blessed to have  apiece of land with a garden, chicken coop, pet goats, tree house, sand, mud, dirt. This does come however with the price of ERRAND days! We have days where once we get going it doesn't make sense to come home for rest rather sleep in a car, and run from store to store filling our bellies, our animals, maintenance on cars. Need I say more. And well we ended last Friday running like crazy. Woke Saturday and ran in a different way Soccer!! The boys are in love with soccer and they both had a game on Saturday. Cedar is growing everyday with his movements, passion for rule following and yearning to get in the game. He had his first run down the field in front of everyone with the ball, shot didn't score, but he was proud. We were proud! And then we kept runnin' fall celebrations, family errands...and a busy Sunday of working on the home addition. By the end we were all a mes and I paid the price on Monday! We had a rocky day and I now more then ever understand the meaning of rhythm.

Cedar was an emotional little guy, Orien exhausted and Truthy fussy.

We did manages to follow our Monday rhythm but with some resistance. Cedar did still want to partake in his Monday journal his soccer game!

Cedar is in yellow attempting to make a goal (note the arrow telling you he was kicking it in the right direction!)

 By the time we got to our new FAIRY TALE, 'The Girl Who Laughed Lilies' things we tough. We had a hard time doing our led drawing as he kept insisting he couldn't draw as good as me. Which has Jody continues to point out in it of itself is funny as I lack drawing abilities! We did eventually find our way back to the paper and I think he did a great job re-creating the story of the girl laughing lilies.

The hidden letter was a L in one of my flowers. Here is Cedars L and l



By Tuesday we were back on track and Cedar wrote the entire verse again.

So a week later and a lesson learned. Jody will have some late nights to grab groceries and we will keep to our nice calm afternoons!