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Katy No-Pocket {BFIAR}

What is Before Five in a Row?

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt {BFIAR}

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Blueberries for Sal {BFIAR}

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Welcome

Hi, I'm Meghann, the voice behind Rooted Childhood and mama to three littles.

I believe that every child deserves to know the deep roots of connection and that you can create opportunities to nourish your child’s head, heart, and hands without feeling rushed and overwhelmed. Read More…

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Even our unstructured days follow a rhythm that ke

Even our unstructured days follow a rhythm that keeps us grounded and focused (and maintains mama’s sanity!). Have you ever noticed how much better life seems to flow when there’s a bit of a plan? 🙌

I am not a big planner. Funny because in my previous life, people paid me big bucks to plan for them. Weddings, trade shows, corporate events. But with kids, plans don’t always work out and I learned pretty quickly that less planning makes for less stress and less disappointment. On the other end of the spectrum though, there’s an extreme where no plan leads to whining and an unfulfilled day.

So we’ve landed on a nice balance where our days flow from parent-led activities to child-led activities and back again. I try to start my two younger ones off each morning with an invitation to play or create and then before I know it, their imaginations take over and they’ll play together for what could be hours!

Whenever they start to fuss, we switch gears to something I’m involved in. We might read or bake together, play a board game, paint or do a science experiment. That little infusion of my time and attention coupled with ideas and food for the mind sets them off again into their own childhood domain.

We go through this cycle, back and forth, effortlessly shifting between their play and small bits of structure throughout each day. An outsider might think these days are masterfully planned. But in reality, I have mastered the art of going with the flow. I cannot steer the flow exactly where I want without a huge amount of effort and pushing people around. I cannot let the flow sweep me off my feet and carry me away either. It’s a delicate balance, and I am the captain of the ship helping to guide us through these days.

Just as we go through this flow in a day, we also experience this in our seasons. We’ve been enjoying a super relaxed summer and now I can tell we’re all craving a bit more of the structure to our days. So we’re spending this week in transition before we begin school, easing into a bit more of a parent-led routine, but still allowing the flow to unfold naturally.

I’d love to hear how you transition back to more structure after breaks!

Me: what kind of shirt do you want your mermaid to

Me: what kind of shirt do you want your mermaid to wear? A tank top? Purple?

My daughter: Have you ever seen a mermaid wearing a shirt?

So here she is in all her glory...glitter boobies it is! 🤪 We had some fun doing cardboard crafts including this little mermaid inspired by @littlelovelearning. I took the finished pieces and added a stick to make some cute puppets. Outdoor puppets because #glitterdoesnotbelonginthehouse. 😆

#cardboardcrafts #recycledcrafts #learningthroughplay #playislearning #playmatters #preschoolactivities #cardboardart #recycleart #recycleandplay #creativekids #playathome #cardboardcreations #earlylearning

With the first one, three seemed so big. She walke

With the first one, three seemed so big. She walked, she talked, she could sing her ABCs. There was a sense of duty to ensure that she was constantly learning, meeting more milestones, keeping up with others her age.

Have you ever tried to teach a 3 year old something she wasn’t interested in? Let me tell you, friends, it’s an exercise that can only end in defeat. But when the world tells you what you *should* be doing, there is immense pressure to at least try.

The wisdom of many years and more children has allowed this three year old to experience the preschool years in a completely different way. Three now seems so little when my oldest is in the home stretch to double digits. What’s the rush? What are we missing out on by focusing academics and our own agenda during these precious early years?

Perhaps we’d miss out on long days spent outdoors feeling the breeze on our faces and naming the shapes of the clouds in the sky. We’d miss out on endlessly reading picture books over and over (and over) again. We’d miss out on unstructured free play where time and freedom allows the imagination to flourish in the most amazing ways. We’d miss out on walking through life together, side by side doing chores, working in the kitchen, caring for our animals. We’d miss out on so much…of that I am certain.

Life is inherently about trade offs. We can only do so much. Childhood isn’t worth trading away. Not to have an early reader, not to have a 3 year old who can count to 100, not to have a “head start” on school. Let our duty no longer lie with what the world tells us to do with our little ones, but let us embrace the duty to protect these years with all of our might. Go outside, sing songs, tell stories, make memories. *That* is what childhood is all about.

#rootedchildhood

Guilty homeschool mom confession 🙈: One of the

Guilty homeschool mom confession 🙈: One of the best parts of homeschool is that school supplies can include things for HOME just as much as school. 🙌

Anyone else have throw pillows and twinkle lights on the the HOMEschool supply list?

Part of our back-to-school prep includes deep cleaning the closets, scrubbing the house from top to bottom, and finding more nooks and crannies to set up enchanted school spaces. This cozy corner is on our balcony and had become our afternoon read aloud spot...and I’m not going to lie, I LOVE it! ❤️

My husband built me this @anawhitediy daybed for my birthday and much of the rest was thrifted. But don’t judge me for how much I spent on those throw pillows. 🤪I’ve got a few more colors on the way and a whole nursery of plants growing in my bedroom until fall when it’s a bit cooler and then this space will be complete.

So far, we finished Ginger Pye, Esperanza Rising, and now we’re Thimble Summer. I foresee lots of great reads happening out here. 📚

𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙍𝙤𝙬 𝙂𝙄𝙑𝙀𝘼𝙒𝘼𝙔
🧡
Here’s 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟏 𝐨𝐟 𝟑! I think I can speak for many of us when I say I am so thankful for friendships in these spaces! The encouragement, inspiration, and beauty spurs me on! And so, I have teamed up with some friends to celebrate Stephanie over @storiesbeginathome hitting a big milestone this month, reaching 10k followers! This is the 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚!
🧡

We want to bless ONE lucky mama, as we begin our back to homeschool plans and spaces!
🧡
ONE lucky winner will receive the much talked about
𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬-𝑻𝑰𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑫 𝑹𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑻
𝔸𝕟𝕕 $𝟚𝟝 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕡 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕠:
@storiesbeginathome
@willfullyservinghischildren
@rootedchildhood
@kindergartentoolkit
🧡
HOW TO ENTER:

1. FOLLOW
@storiesbeginathome
@willfullyservinghischildren
@rootedchildhood
@sweetwaterhomeschool
@kindergartentoolkit
@anywherethatiswild
@ourwholesomeliving

2. Like and SAVE this post

3. Tag friends in the comments (one tag per comment!)

BONUS entries when you share in your stories and tag ME.
🧡
That’s it! You’re entered to win! This contest is open 7/28 to 7/30. We will announce the winner within 48 hours. This giveaway is not sponsored by IG. Must be 18 or older to win.
🧡
Happy Homeschooling & Good luck!

Are you guys tired of our ocean themed activities

Are you guys tired of our ocean themed activities yet?! My kids aren’t! I thought we were going to start school this week but my oldest begged for another few weeks of summer funschooling because there is still SO MUCH about the ocean to explore!

I put together this sensory rice setup for my littles to explore as a morning invitation this weekend…you know that 6:30am wakeup that you wish was 8! 🤪 It helps us so much to have a little something planned and already set out for the kids to enjoy by themselves while I get my sea legs under me, so to speak. 😉

I made this colored rice with vinegar but I am totally using @im_the_simon’s advice to use alcohol next time to avoid the strong smell. I set out some scoops, gemstones, and our little sea animals along with our @grimmswoodentoys nesting bowls from @thehappylark_fw. The littles loved it and the mess wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

I’ve got lots of school planning and prep happening so this is getting loads of play still- thankful for sensory play as it’s the new babysitter since we can’t have a real one. 😂

I hope your week is off to a great start, friends!

#oceantheme #sensoryplay #sensoryrice #grimmswoodentoys #playmatters #playislearning #invitationtoplay #natureplay #naturestudy #funschooling #preschoolactivities #preschoolfun

Let me tell you about my latest #momfail. My kid

Let me tell you about my latest #momfail.

My kids decided on an ocean theme for our #poetryteatime last week and insisted we needed a blue ocean cake. I indulged them and got some natural food coloring. We mixed it in the batter and it looked so fun! But when we baked it, the cake didn’t come out blue, but a revolting green gray color instead. 😕

“It’s ok mama, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it will still be yummy!” they assured me.

Next, we tried to stack the two round cakes on top of each other. They wobbled a bit so I thought I’d try to cut off the rounded top of the bottom cake like I’ve seen on TV cake shows. Yes, that seemed to be the trick…until it fell apart in my hands.😩

“It’s ok mama, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it will still be yummy!” they assured me.

You might remember that this has totally happened to me before and back in November I pieced my daughter’s cake back together with icing. So I tried that. We only had enough icing for about 3/4 of the cake and not enough food coloring left to make the icing visibly blue. ☹️

“It’s ok mama, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it will still be yummy!” they assured me.

So after a defeating afternoon, we there some natural blue sprinkles on our wobbly, crumbly, partially frosted cake. We went ahead and used the whole bottle. The occasion seemed to deserve that. And then threw some ocean toys on it. I did actually remember to wash these first. 😉

In the end, it didn’t matter what the cake looked like, it was still yummy. And my sweet kids lifted me up and cheered me on in a way I can only hope to do for them when the going gets tough.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Parenting doesn’t always go as planned. Homeschool doesn’t always go as planned. But gosh, a positive attitude (and a bit of sugar) can go a long way. ❤️

#realmotherhood #motherhoodunplugged #positiveparenting #conciousparenting #parentinglife #motherhoodinspired #motherhoodmoments #homeschoollife #homeschoolfun #homeschoolmama #homeschoolfamily #oceantheme

Do you pre-read your kids’ school books? 📚

Do you pre-read your kids’ school books? 📚

Up until this year, I haven’t felt like I needed to. I either had read the books before or was familiar enough with the topic to skim it the night before and get by.

But this year, with my oldest doing fourth grade work and it being my first year having two students doing formal lessons, pre-reading is a must! I mean…I couldn’t even pretend to know anything at all about the history of Rome or Norse mythology (unless you count what I learned from The Last Kingdom 😂).

One of my dilemma’s with two students in different forms (CM speak for different levels of work that can’t easily be combined), is how I can simultaneously guide my daughter’s independent subjects while still needing to be hands on with my younger two. My 8yo is a great reader, but reluctant to read lesson books independently and with so many foreign names and locations, I don’t blame her.

So…I came up with what I think is a pretty genius solution to pre-reading and helping my daughter get through her lessons. I am reading aloud the material and recording it for her to listen to as she follows along with the book!

I may not need to use my audio recordings for every lesson, but it feels nice to have a backup in case I get pulled away to tend to someone else so that my daughter can continue on with the lessons.

My friend Crystal @simple.and.free_ shared how she pre-reads her kids’ books, and I admit her method sounds pretty lovely. ❤️ Now, I’d love to hear how YOU pre-read too!

#charlottemason #homeschoolmom #livingbooks #homeschoolcurriculum #raisingreaders #charlottemasoneducation #homeschoolcollective #backtoschool #homeschoolplanning

Wishing we were still at the beach! Homemade pla

Wishing we were still at the beach!

Homemade play dough is always a hit over here!

We’ve tried so many recipes but my favorite basic recipe is:

* 2 cups flour
* 3/4 cup salt
* 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 2 cups warm water
* 2 tablespoons oil

Stir constantly in a large pot over medium heat until the dough comes together and forms into a ball. Add food coloring once it cools slightly and knead through.

One batch made a little jar of each color for my 3 kiddos here so it makes a lot! Add in some nature treasures or little trinkets from around the house and you’ve basically got yourself a babysitter. 😂 We play with ours on our craft boards by @treasuresfromjennifer to contain (most of) the mess. ✨

I am going to make some little play dough kits for my preschooler to use during our lessons (whenever I can get an IKEA order in for the little containers!). What are some of your favorite themes or loose parts to use with play dough???

#playdough #preschoolfun #sensoryplay #natureplay #playdoughkits #sensoryplayideas #playislearning #playmatters #sharingeverydayplay #natureinspired #childhoodwonders #childhoodeveryday #preschoolplay #preschoolactivities #preschoolathome

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