Fall has officially arrived. To mark the occasion, I bought a sensory feast at Publix for the children to enjoy first thing this morning. I told them last night there would be a surprise for them. They love the anticipation, and it's a nice way to get the school day started.
pumpkins (mini bag of 3) $3.99
acorn squash $1.07
cinnamon broom $3.99
pears (2) $1.00
The nice thing is that we'll will be able to eat much of this later. Publix also had some lovely wheat stalks for around $3, but I was afraid they'd be too fragile. Maybe next year.
The boys thoroughly enjoyed inspecting all the objects, arranging (and re-arranging) them in a bowl, lining them up, and soaking in all their sensorial delights.
The corns make very interesting instruments (both the husks and the kernels).
The cinnamon broom is VERY fragrant. A little too much for me, actually. The children didn't seem to mind. It makes my husband hungry.
The topic of blogging came up over a lunch with friends a couple years back. I made some statements that still echo in my mind. I said something like, "I don't really get this blogging thing" and "who actually reads them, anyway."
Yet, here I sit typing away at my own blog. I actually have two now. I started writing Healthy, Green and Frugal in September of 2009 and a year later I started a second one, Raccoon School.
Furthermore, I spend many an evening reading other people's blogs. I guess now I "get it". The barriers that normally divide us - time constraints, physical distance, emotional distance - don't exist in the blog world, and that's why I like spending a little time there each day.
Although I do appreciate the value of blogs - both writing and reading them - I feel compelled to examine their worth in my life. Perhaps I should be doing other things during those precious few hours a day that my children are sleeping and I am not. There's housework to do, homeschool lessons to plan and parenting books to read. Not to mention, I can always use more quality time with my husband, exercise, meditation, and sleep. The choice to work on my blog is a choice not to do these other things.
So what exactly do I get out of blogging?
Brain Exercise. Dealing with two small children all day tends to make my brain feel mushy. Working on my blog gives me the chance to practice old skills, learn new skills, and get some kind of clue about what's going on in the world of technology.
A Creative Outlet. There's a meaningful pleasure I get from writing. I know it's not Shakespeare. I make plenty of mistakes, and I'm not always proud of what I've written. Every once in a while, though, I'm able to craft a beautiful sentence using just the right words, and it makes me happy.
Therapy. Sometimes I'm dealing with a jumbled mess of emotions, and the only way I can unravel it is to write about it. Hey, it's cheaper than a therapist.
Relationships. Before I started blogging, I wrote a lot of long emails to friends and family. Blogging just seems like a more efficient way to communicate. Overall, I think blogging allows me to stay better connected with some of the people I care about (none of whom I see as much as I would like). I might be kidding myself on this one, though. I don't think the vast majority of my friends and family actually read my blog. ☺
Community. Blogging draws together like-minded people so that they can exchange information and offer encouragement. It's not always easy to accomplish this in the "real world". Especially when you are isolated at home with two children.
Learning Opportunities. The process of writing about a topic often presses me to research it more thoroughly than I might otherwise. It's hard to learn new things in a vacuum. Sometimes you need a purpose.
Income? I know a lot of other bloggers do it, but exactly how they do it remains a mystery to me. I'm always open to this possibility, and I intend to research it more. However, this is not my primary objective. If it's a choice between money and authenticity, I choose the latter.
Intention, Visualization. Reflection. Blogging helps me to focus my attention on things that are important to me. It helps me set clear intentions and goals for my life, visualize the desired end result, and reflect on my progress. I explain this idea further in this post: Creating the Life You Want: Intention, Visualization, Reflection.
Advocacy. Blogging is one small thing I can do to help further the causes I support. My intention is to to share information that helps others be more eco-friendly and live a healthier lifestyle. It's not much, but it's the best I have to offer right now.
So, I've thought of lots of good reasons to blog, and I'm convinced (for now) that it is a worthwhile way to spend some of my free time.
One question that lingers is this....
If a woman blogs in the forest and no one is there to read it, does it make a sound?
Have you ever heard the term "sensory processing"? I certainly hadn't until a few months ago when I opened a door into an unfamiliar world full of new ways of understanding my children and their development.
Well, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological disorder in which the brain misinterprets input received through the seven senses: vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, vestibular (balance), and proprioception (awareness of body position). These misinterpretations leads to both hypo-sensitivities and hyper-sensitivities that vary from person to person in both characteristics and intensity, and can cause inappropriate motor and behavior responses.
For example, one person might be very sensitive to loud sounds, and have a more severe reaction to a noise than everyone else. Another person might seek out movement and pressure (through jumping around and crashing into things) because the vestibular and proprioceptive senses aren't registering enough input.
It seems likely to me that everyone struggles with sensory processing issues to some extent, especially young children who are still developing. However, when someone's struggles are severe enough to impact normal daily life, that person may have SPD.
A common misconception is that SPD is on the autism spectrum. Although many children with autism have SPD (perhaps as many as 85%), there are many children with SPD who do not have autism. There is actually a movement right now to get SPD recognized as a stand-alone disorder in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Here's a short cartoon that explains Sensory Processing Disorder in simple terms.
In case you're wondering about the raccoon thing, let me explain. Shortly after my oldest son turned 3 he asked me if I would call him raccoon. I'm not sure what gave him that idea, but it was such a fitting nickname for both boys (picture raccoons digging through our pantry) that it stuck and our longstanding imaginative play related to raccoons was born.
Whenever possible, we use our raccoon fun to help us manage challenging situations. For example, a raccoon nest (a pop-up tent full of blankets and pillows) helped us work through some sleep issues.
We also serve raccoon feed on a regular basis as a way to get healthy food into our picky eaters. Raccoon feed is basically a trail mix made of whatever I happen to have on hand (dry cereal, nuts, goldfish, raisins, dried bananas). We often serve it in a little metal bowl just like they do at the zoo.
My kids' interest in raccoons has waxed and waned over the months, but my recognition of their raccoon-like behavior persists. Sometimes this is a good thing. Sometimes it is not.
As our homeschooling becomes more substantial, I can't help but imagine my children as two furry creatures attending school in a rustic cabin in the middle of the forest.....curious, adorable, and a little bit wild and rascally.
Hi! My name is Rebecca. This is me, my husband, and our two raccoons (4 and 2 years old). Welcome to Raccoon School, a blog about my family's homeschool experience.
I hope you will find this blog useful (or at least entertaining). I’m certainly no expert... I’m just a mother foraging for an education that makes sense.
I also hope that you will share your ideas in the comments section or on the facebook page. I would love to hear from you! ♥
My intention is to write short, easily-digestible posts about the following topics:
Homeschooling. Let’s face it... all kids are home-schooled to some extent, right? Although there are a few issues that are unique to us full-time homeschoolers, many of the topics on this blog are relevant to all children and could apply to both a home or school environment.
Montessori. Before I had children, I taught in a typical American public elementary school. Now that I’m homeschooling, I decided I might as well learn about the teaching method I’ve always been drawn to, but never really knew much about.... Montessori. I’m currently taking an online class that will help me implement the Montessori method in a homeschool environment and I love what I’m learning!
Sensory Processing. Have you ever heard this term before? I certainly hadn’t until a few months ago when I realized my sons have a lot of symptoms associated with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Each day since then I have learned something new about the critical role the senses play in early childhood development (an idea emphasized in the Montessori method, by the way). My approach to parenting and teaching has been revolutionized. In my opinion, anyone who works with children could stand to benefit from knowing more about sensory processing.
Healthy, Green & Frugal. As with everything I do, I homeschool with the goal of being healthy, green and frugal. These just so happen to be the three main topics of my other blog, Healthy, Green & Frugal.
If these topics interest you, and you'd like to keep up-to-date with what's going on at Raccoon School, subscribe using one of these methods:
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