The isle of kangaroos

Our first view of Remarkable Rocks

Our journey around the Great Southern Land has brought us to Kangaroo Island, off the South Australian coast, this week. 

We are camped in Flinders Chase National Park, at the Western, more rugged end of the Island. 

First explored by Frenchman Nicolas Baudin, who at once introduced pigs (now feral) and chickens, Kangaroo Island was the site of the first 'free settlement' in Southern Australia. Today there are many old stone houses dating back to that era.

This is an island of extremes in some ways - an expanding tourism effort has the main attractions set up for international visitors in tour buses while the wild, relatively untouched coastal cliffs are not far away. I'm struck, as I always am, by the irony of this necessity.

As campers we are relatively free to do as we please, go where we like an enjoy the 'free' parts of this island. And we're having a good time.

Today we visited Remarkable Rocks - granite boulders atop a lower granite outcrop jutting in the southern ocean. Rosie played hide-and-seek with her grandparents among these metamorphosed beauties. 

We've spent several hours in the national park visitors centre looking at local animal skins, learning about Australian megafauna and discovering the genetic differences of the animal species on Kangaroo Island when compared to the mainland (generally species here are smaller, if you're interested).

And oh, the discussions Rosie and I have had - about paleontology, animal extinctions, introduced species, aboriginal culture, geology and ecology. It's a veritable gold mine of educational opportunities.

More of this to come to be sure. Xx

Ian trying his luck at Remarkable Rocks

At Admiration Arch - cold and windy.

Lunch at Cape de Couedic lighthouse

One cool Mama

One cool Rosie xx

Birds of a feather

At the time of writing this post we are camped in the Grampians in Western Victoria. It's been a wet camp, with ongoing drizzle marked by patches of fog. It's the first rain here in five months we've been told.

We are at the beginning of our 100 day journey around much of Australia (#100daysaroundaustralia - is the hashtag I've made if you want to follow my photos on Instagram). It's been our dream, as a couple, to slow travel, to journey for an extended time, to find ourselves on the road with our family. And it feels lovely, just lovely, to be here now. Just us. A long road stretching ahead.

Our activities over our few days here in the Grampians have involved lots of bird watching, and a few outings in the rain to short walking tracks and waterfalls. And, if I'm honest, to fuel my caffeine addiction in Halls Gap when I could fit it in.

Rosie has been enamoured with our binoculars on and off for a number of years now, occasionally looking for birds from our home in Mount Beauty, and sometimes carrying them around 'like a real explorer'. And so they were one of the first things I packed, hoping they will form a cornerstone of our homeschooling while we travel.

With delight, this Mama has been rewarded very quickly with glimpses of the Rosie who loves to observe nature, who loves living things and who wants to involve others in her discoveries.

It's a particularly sweet reward for me because much of my childhood, as I remember it, involved watching birds, studying bird books and filling in self-created 'Bird Observation Record Sheets'.

I LOVE that Rosie shares this passion and am gently, gently encouraging this love of her's and mine.

Xx

Be the Boss

Its been a tough week here in camp homeschool. We've returned from our week away feeling relaxed, and I must admit that I expected us to get back motivated and pleased to be home. And this may have been the case for all of us, but its felt like hard work. Perhaps its the retrograde Mercury that's been affecting us this week, tampering with our technology and upsetting our learning rituals. Perhaps we were really just tired and needed a week to 'get back into the swing of things'.

Either way, there have been a lot of tears, from both small girls.

And as the homeschooling Mum who has taken responsibility for their education as well as their general health and wellbeing (I separate these three terms for the sake of understanding, but I really believe their one and the same - we are a whole are we not?), I have been feeling several emotions that have pushed me to my limits - anger, disappointment, sadness, guilt and fear - the big 5 really.

At times I've been able to look these squarely in the eye and breathe deeply and let them go. At other times this week, as they've come back again, I've been less than admirable and have yelled and judged. Not my finest qualities, but ones we all have nonetheless.

Having said all this, the biggest challenge this week has been an amazing learning opportunity for both Rosie and I. She has been suffering from her perception that other people create the happiness in her life - and that its other people's problem if she's not happy/motivated/inspired. And as a parent who has struggled with this herself a lot, but also come a long way with it, personal responsibility that is, this has challenged my sense of self and lead me to look deep within again.

So this week has also been a week of soul-searching - how can I help Rosie? Should I be disciplining her? Why is this happening now? Again? Really? I thought we dealt with this the other day?

And as this challenge repeatedly came up, my understanding of both Rosie and I grew. This is her greatest learning opportunity at the moment. She needs to feel her boundaries here. She needs to gain control over herself and her thoughts and actions so that she can determine her learning needs and move forward.

And so I have been surprised to find that we have been working on the most important learning of all - learning to be responsible for our own thoughts, words and actions. For authentic change in the world really only comes about by each of us taking personal responsibility for what we do, what we choose, what we think.

And so we have been talking to Rosie (and really ourselves) about the importance of being our own boss - being the boss of our thoughts, being the boss of our words and being the boss of our actions. For it is through these that we create our experiences. It is through these that we perceive our environment and decide whether we want to see it positively and with optimism, or negatively and with pessimism.

It is our hope as parents that this challenge is something Rosie remembers for the rest of her life, that it stands her in good stead and enables her to be a force for good in this world. And its our hope that we keep working on ourselves as well - delving deeper, becoming more authentic in our own ability to be personally responsible and ultimately be living role models for our children and others.

Wishing you a lovely day. xx

Allowing Advantages

Our homeschool this week has relocated to the coast near Bairnsdale. Here we have 6 days to learn from and with grandparents and a large property on which to run around, fly kites and ride bikes. And of course we're not far from the Gippsland Lakes and 90 mile beach - a treat for those of us who live inland.

Our decision to homeschool this year was certainly not made lightly and we value the need for solid literacy and numeracy instruction, but we also recognise the advantages that homeschooling allows - more camps, more excursions, more experiential learning. That's what we love and live for as parents.

Thus, it would be remiss of us to not take advantage of the freedom that homeschooling offers. We've set our lives up to be flexible with our time as much as possible, and learning while we travel is a big part of the appeal.

This week is our 'mid-term camp' to the beach - to enjoy the ending of Summer, to learn about other parts of our world , to really take experiential learning to its fullest definition.

Today we spent some time at the beach in Paynesville after some morning reading at the house. I made our 'word of the week' out of shells on the sand (our word IS shells) - to infuse some impromptu creativity into our learning and to help it stick in Rosie's mind. 

We then took the free ferry to Raymond Island, walked the 1.2 km Koala Trail and sighted 7 sleeping beauties up in the Coastal Manna Gums around the homes. I highly recommend this to everyone.

A lovely day of beachschooling had by all. Xx

A picture of our homeschool

Quite a few requests have come my way for a description of how our homeschooling looks. And I must admit that I'm curious to see our bigger picture too - for the day to day, moment to moment is where I've been for much of our first two weeks of this new learning adventure.

Of course, I have a plan - for the year, each term, and a rough plan for each season's focus and each week. And even if some of these are still in my head and some are down on paper, the intention is there for soul-filled learning.

But what it has actually looked like these last two weeks isn't quite the same as the plan (which was often the case when I was teaching in schools too).

This is a good sign, though. For the ability to adjust a learning program, to 'go with the flow' is an integral part of being a good teacher. And because so much of Rosie's (and Bethany's) formal learning is one-on-one now, a flexible approach that follows their leads and enthusiasm is both sensible and effective.

How can I tell?

Well I could set up elaborate assessment wheels, graphs of daily writing results, compare what we're doing with what school is doing right now....

But I'd only by trying to meet other's standards. And that's not what our homeschooling is about.

I can tell that things are going well in the way a regular Mama can tell if her child is healthy:

- I see smiles more often than before
- I see sisters building a more understanding relationship
- I see ease and grace in the way they play
- I see Rosie taking new risks - a sign of comfort and ease
- I hear her intelligent questions and see her enthusiasm for science and the natural world growing daily.

So I know.

I know with my heart, as well as my head, that its going okay. And that we're right where we need to be.

As for a picture of our homeschool....

We wake with the sun, and then doze some more

We breakfast on homemade goodies and the fruits of our garden

We use our heads in the mornings, but sometimes just get outside and pick berries

We use our hearts in the middle of the day, through art, or music, or helping others

Some days we go on an adventure somewhere - fossil-hunting, visiting a gallery, visiting a chocolate shop!

We lunch and rest and read books, and sometimes watch nature documentaries on iview

We use our hands in the afternoons - we play and cook and craft

Sometimes there is tennis, sometimes little aths, soon there will be horse riding

And as the sun goes down we share dinner, talk, play some more, read more books, clean up.

Another day is done, we wind down, time for rest.

 

Hope you enjoy the pictures. xx

Being True

        

          Suppose that life in the family is recognised as a path, a school for the soul and the spirit? What does this bring for the individual parent, for the family, for the child?

- from Lifeways by Davy and Voors

Speaking my truth is becoming more familiar for me these days. I'm practising expressing my gratitude for things in my life and speaking from the heart whenever I can.

And the truth this week, as the beginning of the school year is upon us, is that I'm feeling lost for words when asked about our decision to homeschool this year.

I clam up and freeze. I search for heartfelt words that lead to connection and understanding, but end up saying nothing, or perhaps mumbling a little about something if nothing feels too rude.

Its not what I expected I'd do for something that feels so right to me.

What am I to do? I found myself thinking.

And what I did was sit with the torment inside, rather than resisting it. I listened to what it had to say, immersing myself in its tension.

This is what I heard:
- that I'm sad to not be a part of the primary school this year
- that I'm scared of damaging Rosie's education and self esteem in some way
-that this beginning time of year is a time of great expectations for everyone
-that its okay to freeze and be unsure, for that's how I learn and question and look deeper.
-that homeschooling still feels right despite these fears and grieving.

And that we are all on the same educational journey, whether we homeschool or allow our children to attend an institution - we all want what's best for them.

We all want self-directed learners who question and seek answers. We all want joyous, happy little ones who grow in all their glorious ways, uninhibited and owning their own interests, passions and gifts. We all want our children to be true to themselves.

There is no right or wrong way when these are our goals as parents and educators. There are just different ways that feel right to us.

These words help to calm my panic. They soothe and let me take that much-needed step back. And I'm grateful for that.

Wishing you a beautiful new beginning and the blossoming of your children.

Carolyn x x

Ease and peace

We'll, it's official. Homeschooling has begun. In earnest. For a whole year.

Part of me is terrified - my mind often filled with ceaseless negative chatter (what the f@&k are you doing Carolyn? You were the most enthusiastic teacher at your school. You lectured in education. You can't possibly keep this up. What if you damage Rosie in some way? What about her friends? What about...).

And part of me, a deeper soul-filled part, feels ease and peace. Feels like things have fallen into place. And I am, quite frankly, relieved that I don't need to get psyched-up to get Rosie to school that first week back, or make lunch boxes, or tick-off readers, remember to return her library books, remember that she's mountain biking straight after school and that we need to rush....

I feel weird, it's true. And very, very vulnerable. 

But as I've written before, I think these are good signs. They're signs that I'm listening to that important inner voice that gently, but insistently, says this is what you need. And indeed, this is all I need to say to myself to feel calm descend and the chatter quieten. For vulnerability, I'm coming to realise, is how it feels when my soul is in charge. There's no certainty, or set schedule, there's no evidence or overt logic - that's where my ego excels. No, a soul-led life feels softer, more rounded and, yes, more open and vulnerable. 

This is where I go now - I listen rather than plan. I ask for guidance rather than analyse. I love rather than just live.

And I'm happy.

Wishing you all vulnerable, soul-led days,

Carolyn x x

A new year, a new education

Hi there lovely Mamas,

It's a new year, and despite it's quiet beginnings there is definitely a shift in energy and the impetus for change is firmly in our court.

In our household we've embraced the ideas of 2013 and are putting them into firm action. First off is our further commitment to homeschooling.

We've officially registered Rosie for homeschooling in Victoria and are in the process of negotiating 3 days a week of formal schooling for her at our lovely local school.

As I've written before, this is not a common approach in our neighbourhood, nor do I know anyone else who does this, but it feels right to me. And despite pushing those feelings aside for quite a while now, this passion to school my girls at home still knocks at my heart and I can ignore it no longer.

Thus....we have begun lessons for the year, starting today, with a look at our yearly calendar. It's part planning-part learning about the yearly cycles we live by, but either way an important way of looking at the world as both a natural cycle and a period of time during which we can manifest our desires. With a yearly plan on the wall (see photo below) I can help Rosie, and all of us, to look ahead with increased clarity and balance.

This was a fun learning experience together and I'm looking forward to further learning adventures next week.

Peace Mamas...

Our 'new' homeschooling space with Great Nan's old table

The yearly calendar - days, weeks, months, seasons, solstices and equinoxes, birthdays and holidays all on show.

Writing practice on the new kitchen table - so lovely to be working on wood.

Voices of love and fear

Its been a while since I've graced this blog with my presence, though it hasn't been far from my mind in all that time. I could say that as a Mama I've been very busy, which would be true, or I could say that there are a lot of things up in the air, which is also true, and that this Mama has been a little lost in it all.
Truth be told I've been feeling like something is changing, something not-quite-tangible and not-too-sure but exciting nonetheless. And I just haven't felt that I've had anything to write or anything that I've needed to 'nut out' in order to make sense of things. I've been existing in a kind of shell where my antidepressants protect me from undue anxiety and low moods, but where they perhaps also prevent me from really feeling passion for things as well.
So life has been okay - not fantastic or inspiring and not really bad or too low either. Just a kind of limbo.
But, in that time, there has also been a growing sense of unease - why am I not writing? Why am I not wanting to make decisions? What is it that I want to do? And, ultimately, why do I have depression? For this mama is sure that everything happens for awesome reasons. And I feel like this awesome reason is starting to make itself known.

And that's really awesome.

And a little scary too.

You see, what this Mama has wanted for a few years now is to homeschool her children. To travelschool. To gardenschool. To adventureschool. To worldschool. Its such a big dream - so amazing and yet so very scary.

What if I get it wrong? What if they hate me for it later? What will other parents say? What will Rosie's school say? What judgements will be passed upon our family for my choice?

The list of fears in this Mama's head is very long.

And yet in spite of these my heart remains firm. This passion has not diminished in several years and the growing of my girls. When I look into my heart it swells with gratitude for the opportunities I already have to provide education, learning and love for them. I find myself drawn to other's homeschooling stories. I read blogs about homeschooling and travelschooling families (Soulemama, Ben Hewitt, Soultravelers3). And when I look at my bookshelves and the pile of reading material next to my bed, I see a collection of ideas about what I could do with my girls at home.

The evidence is all there.

And yet still I waver. Those voices of fear are strong and prevalent. And somehow related to my depression too. Surely, this mama thinks, depression is the body's reaction to not following your passions. It's a stillness of emotions - a nothingness in which passion is lost, given up on perhaps, and a sadness pervades. And so the antidote to this must be re-igniting that passion, listening once again to the messages the heart gives and, with help and support and time, following where those messages lead, so that true healing can begin.

And so that depression can turn to expression.