I am due for an update, and so this will be my Beautiful Feet History curriculum Review, but at the same time it is also going to be an open and raw look at the challenges we have faced in this season – it’s the beauty and handicap of home education – the weight of it all is on you, and sometimes rest is required in order to handle it at all.
So over the past eight weeks a bit of a lighter load was distributed and we focused on joy and good attitudes and thanking the Lord for His provisions and just breathing.
I can just hear this long, deep sigh emitting from my oldest when I look at this picture – and that is how I feel.
Term two has been rough. Outside circumstances have been unpredictable and tossed us to and fro on the waves of uncertainty and we have learned to cling to the Rock that is higher than us and stronger than our problems.
So much in these past eight weeks have been miserable and just buckling down and getting through. Yes, eight weeks. Our six week term turned in to an eight week one as we just plowed through as we were able.
Things are looking much brighter as we head into term three and no one is worse for the wear for having taken things at a much slower pace.
In fact, I would venture to say we are better off for it. 
We read some delightful books this term through our Beautiful Feet History curriculum. It is perfect timing as we head into the Thanksgiving season – we started with Pocahontas by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire. Can I convince you that these masterpieces are worth having in your collection?! The art work is beautiful and the stories are captivating. We are so enjoying reading through them and saturating ourselves in their beauty.
(See the blow dart gun in the above image? That is my life. Blow dart guns accompany many outdoor school adventures.)
From Pocahontas we moved to Jamestown,New World Adventures by James E. Knight which was another rich story (not quite the same compelling illustrations!) But written as a mother recollecting her father’s adventures and journal entries in the New World it is detailed and intriguing. 
{a game we played – one that is said to have been played by the Native Americans and taught to the Pilgrims – see how to play the bowl game here.}
And from there we went to Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey – I had never heard of this book before and, to be honest, it didn’t look like an exciting book. But wow! I was so wrong. This collection of stories about the Pilgrim’s adventures is excellent and the conclusion of each chapter had my kids asking for more and left me with a deeper appreciation and understanding over what the Pilgrims endured. It is a great book to read leading up to Thanksgiving, and one I am going to be including in our Thanksgiving basket for years to come.
The guidebook for Early American History walked us through thought provoking questions and enrichment activities – and I added a bit extra in the form of a lapbook on Jamestown just because they enjoy such activities.
Copious amounts of tea were consumed over this past term. And really, through the past eight weeks we have worked on keeping things quiet and calm, despite the raging storms around us. We may not have plowed through books as we might have liked. I may not have kept up on the blog or accomplished as much on my to-do list. But hearts were nurtured where and when it was most needed, and hopefully term three will get us back on track and in a better routine.
(I have to laugh at how these eight weeks unraveled – our habit for term two was ‘regularity’ – oh did we struggle!! but more on the habit later … so behind on all things!)
I am thankful for the Lord’s sweet provision and grace while homeschooling through hard times – we need to be faithful in our charge to educate our children and yet a thorough education is so much more than just open book learning. And the balance to be found can be hard. And maybe we leaned too much towards rest and taking things easy while homeschooling through hard times, but we can only do what we can do – and (I think!) we made it and things are looking up.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
- What do I find restful during hard seasons?
- What needs to change during my hard season to get through it, while prioritizing nurturing hearts and keeping relationships intact?
- What promises from the Lord can I cling to through this season?
