Reconnecting and Reviving the Ordinary

There are times when it serves me well to remember what we’re doing and why. Life can get so busy that we can start to become disconnected or bogged down with monotonous tasks. Recently, I had begun to feel like our days had lost their sparkle. As wonderful as the summer is, I realised we had spent less time together and more time ferrying people here, there and everywhere. As the autumn arrived, I longed for us to reconnect over simple things we’ve always loved to do.

I decided to be more intentional about bringing curiosity back into our days by paying attention to the things that naturally draw us together. A new book left on the table. A nature walk suggested on a whim. An interesting question followed down a rabbit hole. Small invitations.

Unschooling doesn’t require me to manufacture interest, just to create space for it!

A Real Day At Home

Just by being a little more intentional, I soon found that we were inspired and motivated again. Sharing the kind of moments that matter to us the most.

7am – With one daughter out doing her paper round and the other two getting ready for the day, I began by completing a few light, house chores and then making a batter for homemade waffles. Next, I took myself off into the garden for a few minutes peace to drink some hot lemon water and look up at the early morning sky.

8am – Once all the girls were home and ready we lit our candles and cosied up on the sofa with hot waffles and Charlotte’s Web. We talked about what a runt in a litter is and thought about how we would feel about the situations occurring. Afterwards, the girls watched Newsround together and then they wanted to practice languages on Duo Lingo. My youngest decided upon Reading Eggs as she’s really enjoying that right now.

9:30am – We piled into the van and headed to a local country park. I had playfully suggested to the girls that we go on a “mission” to spot signs of Autumn. With the older girls perfecting their photography skills, taking photos on their phones, my youngest hunted for as many autumnal nature items as she could find. We all admired the colourful, changing leaves and were grateful for the fresh air.

11am – Back home for hot chocolates! The girls each planned how they were going to present their findings, while I made carrot and coriander soup for lunch and prepped the evening dinner.

12pm – The girls worked on their projects. My eldest wanted to compare her photos with and without filters and after making adjustments to contrast and exposure, she settled on a minimalistic and effective collage. My middle girl chose one of her photographs to sketch and research. She printed her favourites, which were the ones she had practised specific focus skills on. My youngest girl got the hot glue gun out and created a nature picture/collage.

1pm – We all snuggled up together to watch The Wild Robot which none of us had seen before but turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to our “nature” themed day.

3pm – I took some time to chat with my eldest daughter where we talked about all sorts of things! We always do and end up going off down many different rabbit holes. I showed her a picture of Kelvin Helmholtz clouds that I had taken a few days ago at sunset. I hadn’t known what they were called. I told her how I’d found out that they were particularly rare.

We’d previously been looking at money and investments and I had found out the answers to a few questions she’d had, so I discussed these with her.

We also talked about potential college courses for her next year and she has decided to sign up to do an online diploma in one area to help her application and accompany her existing exam results.

5pm – Scouts for my youngest, where she learned about water filters and created a simple one of her own. Then dinner.

6pm – Shoe shop play! My feet have been measured and manipulated to within an inch of their life! My youngest girl practised using the measuring tape and made her own notes using centimetres and inches.

7pm – Scouts for my middle girl, where she learnt about internet safety.

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