In just few weeks we will be starting our homeschool lessons back up. We use the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education in our home.
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The Charlotte Mason method has a heavy emphasis on the students being whole persons that need a feast of living ideas through education to grow and nurture their minds. We do this through a broad feast of rich literature, beautiful art and music, living books for science and history, and inspiring poetry.
Each year as we aproach our back to homeschool date I like to plan a little celebration. One of my favorite ways to do this is to have a back to homeschool feast.
Since our education is a feast of living ideas, it is fitting that during our first week back to homeschool we celebrate with a feast of good food as well!
Is a Back to Homeschool Feast Compilcated?
Over my 9 years of homeschooling I have done a variety of things for back to homeschool day. Some years I have planned nothing, some years we went into town and bought donuts for breakfast, some years I bought the children back to school gifts, and my favorite has bean the back to homeschhol feast.
When I say back to homeschool feast it sounds elaborate and maybe overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. It can be as simple as making a meal everyone enjoys and lighting a few candles to as elaborate as you want to make it.
How to Plan a Back to Homeschool Feast
As with anything the feast takes just a little bit of planning to make it go smoothly and be a success.
Choosing an Evening
The first step to planning this celebration it to decide what day to have it on. It does not need to be the same day you actually start school. I often like to hold it the day before or even the week or weekend before we start our lessons back up. Although I have also held it at the end of the first week of school. My preference is before we start, because I like to introduce some of our books and build a little excitement.
I also really like our back to homeschool feast as our kickoff because it is in the evening when my husband can be home and the whole family can be together.
Choosing the Food
The next step for me is always choosing the food. Somehow the food is pretty important when having a feast!
With school starting back up as fall approaches, I always gravitate towards cozy, autumn foods for our feast. Soup with sourdough rolls and a salad or veggies from the last of the garden is easy and delightful. Last year I made an old fashioned meat pie for dinner. It was delicious and hearty! Other options would be a favorite lasagna recipe, enchiladas, or a roast chicken with roasted root vegatables.
Don’t forget dessert either! A fruit pie or gallete is my favorite, but I also love a fruit crisp or cobbler and they are a bit quicker and easier to make. Even a quick pan of brownies is a favorite around here. I don’t make dessert every night so when I do it is well loved!
Pro Tip: Try to choose a meal that can mostly be preped earlier in the day so that you don’t need to be scrambling at the last minute.
Setting the Atmosphere
I like to set the mood with a little bit of decorating. I am not an elaborate decorator. Even my Christmas decorations are pretty simple, but a few little decorations can really make it special.
Tidy Up
The first thing I do is tidy up a bit because inevitably in our busy home clutter and messes have piled up somewhere throurghout the day or even week.
Set The Table
Then I like to set the table. I often use a tablecloth and cloth napkins, but a small doily or placemat in the center works well if you are afraid a tablecloth may be a disaster with little children!
You can use everday dishes and silverware or bring out the special china. Again this depends on preference and how much time or energy you have. I have done it both ways over the years.
Let The Children Help.
Flowers from the garden or few branches from the woods are wonderful to arrange in a vase in the center of the table. This is something one of my children love to do! They can also help with setting the table or other preparations.
Candlelight, Books, and Music
I also always include a few beeswax candles. Beeswax is my favorite because they are all natural and I love the honey scent and the golden glow they give off.
Some years I have hung a simple banner made from colored cardstock that says “Back to School”. I still have it somewhere, but I can’t always find it!
I get out and have nearby a few books, especially literature, poetry, some printouts of our first hymn and folksong, and a Bible.
And lastly I play some music in the background. It might be our hymn playlist, our classical composer, or even my favorite Scottish fiddle music.
What to Do During the Back to Homeschool Feast
Prayer
We open every meal with prayer, but for this evening we also pray for the new schoolyear and for each of us that will be learning(all of us!)
Read Poetry
I have a few Autumn themed poems that we like to read aloud! One of my favorite for back to school season is September by John Updike.
SEPTEMBER
by John Updike
The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel–
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Drying grass,
New books and blackboards
Chalk in class.
The bee, his hive
Well-honey, hums
While Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze.
Sing Our New Hymn and Folksong
We haven’t done this every year, but it is a fun way to introduce the new songs plus have dad involved!
We usually do the folksongs and hymns from the Ambleside Online list. If it an unfamiliar one I look up a recording to sing along with, otherwise we just sing accapella.
We Talk About the New Books
We talk about the schoolyear ahead together. We talk about the new books, remind everyone of expectaions and habits, and discuss the new timetables.
We Eat Delicious Food
Of course we don’t spend the whole evening reading poetry and philosiphizing! We eat and enjoy the feast of delicious food that has been prepared. We find joy in the tastes and textures of the meal, delight in the flickering candlelight, and feloowship in each others company.
Read Aloud
One last thing we might do if we still have time or maybe during dessert is some reading aloud. We may read aloud from the Bible, especially if I have chosen a theme verse. We also might read a chapter of a whole family read aloud.
Wrapping It Up
That brings us to the end of our back to homeschool feast. We work together to clean up. We leave full of good memories, good food, and expectations for the schoolyear ahead.
Just because we start our schoolyear with this lovely celebration it doesn’t mean every child is excited about every subject or that we will somehow have a perfect year. However it does help build a bit of excitement and set the tone as we begin.
Make Your Own Traditions
I hope you were inspired to make your own back to homeschool traditions! What other traditions do you enjoy as school starts up again? Let me know in the comments!
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