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Winter Rhythms, Mother Culture, and Nature Calendar
As we close November 2023, I have a profound sense of renewal and gratitude. Just like many women, my days seem full of life.
My December routine is different from my fall routine. When harvest season ends, I spend more time reading, updating blog posts/links, and working on content for the upcoming year.
“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.” Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Daytime Routine for December: (times are approximate)
Currently, my eldest children have their own independent lives. In so many ways, I feel as though I’ve raised my older children, and now I am starting over with my youngest three.
Wake up at 5:30 am-5:45 am. I seem to wake up at this time naturally. However, it is much harder in the winter. I still love mornings-cold or not. Pray/devotions right away.
5:45 am-6:30 am Exercise (listen to music/podcasts)
6:30 am- Sit at my desk for a few minutes. Many of my social media posts are scheduled in advance (some are spur-of-the-moment messages). Briefly look at emails. Get dressed and ready for the day by 7ish.
7:00 am-Start laundry/breakfast/dinner preparations. Wake up younger children.
7:30 am- Get the young children dressed/brush their teeth/hair. Quickly clean their bedrooms, and put dirty clothes in the hamper.
8:00 am- Breakfast. I make a rotation of mostly fruit, yogurt, cream of buckwheat, eggs, homemade granola, pancakes, french toast, cornbread, smoothies, and waffles. I try to add healthy fat to whatever the children are eating to stay full longer. Unless the morning is very hectic, I read aloud while they eat. I try to find moments throughout the day to accomplish all the reading. The labour isn’t in vain. Eliza-Jane (2) has the vocabulary of a 4-year-old from listening to so many stories, so keep reading mamas!
8:30 am- 9:30 am- Assigned chores. If the children finish early, they can play outside for a few minutes while the teen boys do chores outside. It is good motivation to finish chores.
9:30 am-12:00 pm- Homeschool lessons. We can finish most of our lessons by lunchtime. It is my goal, but if we work until 1, it’s okay… it depends on how often we are interrupted.
Lunch and cleanup are between 12:00 and 1:00. Eliza-Jane(2) takes a nap around 1:00.
Between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, unless I have looming work projects to finish, I listen to podcasts quietly while I clean or do something productive with my hands.
2:30 pm and on…The house gets lively again. I work in my office and am back and forth between dinner preparations, managing household duties, and responding to messages. Younger children can play outside and help with kitchen chores.
We will take two weeks off academic work in December, and I will bake with the children and listen to old radio shows.
Mother Culture
This month, I am reading multiple books and listening to interesting podcasts. I feel satisfied when I’m learning and don’t like much passive entertainment…. well, mostly.
During the year, I don’t watch television. Truthfully, most shows bore me quickly. The only worthwhile television shows, in my opinion, are… All Creatures Great and Small, Call the Midwife, and history documentaries. Otherwise, I’d rather go to the dentist than watch television. However, I will watch a few classics with the children at Christmas and enjoy it.
I have a nature journal, so for a few days this month, I will paint or draw something that reflects the season in my journal. 
Nature Calendar
This month’s nature calendar has new ideas to explore the outdoors. As I have in the past, I’ve included ways to study nature indoors on cold days.
There are many references to The Handbook of Nature Study. The lesson on cardinals (day 23) points to a detailed reading about the everyday lives of cardinals. Interestingly, female cardinals are inundated with prospective male mates until they choose the one that sings the loudest and has the most brilliant red colors. Once chosen, female cardinals are devoted to their partner, and they will mate for life. Male cardinals are exemplary husbands. He feeds his mate and sings gloriously to her while she is in the nest. 
I hope you all enjoy learning more about winter birds this month!
Books:
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“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
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October Pictures, Books, and Nature Calendar
Charlotte Mason Book
This is our monthly shipment
A Few Books I’m Reading in October
Becoming Free Indeed– My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear (On a personal note, this book is very relatable to my own life in leaving faith rooted in legalism.)
The Saviour of the World – Vol. 3: The Kingdom of Heaven, Charlotte Mason
The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture
Celebrating Biblical Feasts: In Your Home or Church
October Nature Calendar
I’m getting so many emails about our calendars from all over the world! I’m so pleased to see and hear about libraries, school programs, and private homeschools using our calendars.
Also, my southern hemisphere friends have asked for specific calendars for their climate, and I believe I can start those in the New Year. 
This month’s calendar is slightly different than our other calendars. As we advance, The Handbook of Nature Study will have more influence on the calendars, and each calendar date will include a page number reference to use for further study (except on Fridays).
The Handbook of Nature Study is available in the Public Domain, but if possible I recommend the printed book for easier reference. The book is over 887 pages long. For the moms I talked to in Africa this week who have difficulty receiving packages in their villages, use this online version. HERE
Here’s the link to the public domain version
Here’s the link to the printed book
References this Month:
Book: Outdoor Secrets, Margaret P. Boyle. The two stories referenced in the calendar:
Outdoor Secrets in the Public Domain HERE
- The Uninvited Guest (Earthworm study)
- What the Goldenrod Did
PS: (sappy story) The story in Outdoor Secrets, The Century Plant’s Wish, made me cry the first time I read it. 
Video about crows : The American Crow
October Scientist: Benjamin Franklin
Book recommendations:
The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin: Live Wire (Heroes of History)
Nature Study Specimen for October:
Honeycomb (date: October 25th lesson: The Honeycomb)
Feathers (date: October 21st lesson: Feathers as Clothing)
Autumn 2023 -Seasonal Publication for Home Culture
Beautiful images created by Alissa Hansen. Image Credit: Stone Cottage Studio
The Autumn 2023 publication is available!
RECIPES: (curriculum)
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Vegan Moon Milk
Einkorn Pumpkin Muffins
Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother
My Favorite (Jenny) Autumnal Tonic
ARTICLES: *Habit Training in the Early Years *Nature Study When it’s Cold Outside *Establishing Quiet Time *Autumn Atmosphere in the Home
CRAFTS: *Chamomile Bath Salts *Leaf Etchings *Beeswax Cast Iron Conditioner
Once you purchase the autumn publication, all seasonal calendars and additional nature studies will be added to your dashboard throughout the season.
Need Home Management Help?
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“It was a lovely afternoon—such an afternoon as only September can produce when summer has stolen back for one more day of dream and glamour.” -L.M. Montgomery.
September always feels new. The air changes and nature begins its natural pull to go inward.
September means books (homeschooling), late-night canning/drying food from my garden, outdoor beauty, new nature studies, cleaning, decorating, and catching up on coffee dates with friends.
Random life pictures.
Nature Calendar
The September 2023 nature calendar is ready for download!
This month’s scientist we are reading more about is artist and naturalist John Audubon.
Living books I recommend for read-aloud:
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This week I’ve reflected on the simple days of homeschooling we’ve experienced through the years… we’ve learned so much from books and nature study. One of the significant benefits of homeschooling is the freedom of time. While it requires self-discipline, once you have a rhythm, learning at home is for the entire family. I learn right alongside my children. In fact, I’ve learned more as a homeschool mom than I did in college. Charlotte Mason’s philosophies changed my life.
“The child should meet wholesome plants and animals as living realities, not as pictures in books.” Charlotte Mason
If you are new to nature study, the first book I recommend and reference in my nature calendars is Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study.
Written for teachers who knew little about nature study, Comstock’s lessons speak directly to the teacher and include a “leading thought” for lesson plans.
If you’ve joined me in the effort to live seasonally and have the new summer bundle, the August nature calendar is already in your dashboard.
August Nature Calendar
For the scientist this month, we are learning more about Sir Isaac Newton.
This is the book recommendation for a read-aloud story about his life:
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We are right in the peak of summer and enjoying the produce from our garden.
Since we take the summer off (most) schoolwork and follow a seasonal schedule, I like having projects like these sheets around to work on in the afternoons.
If you already own the summer bundle, this complete set is already uploaded in your dashboard! 
No need to download anything here.
We practice art with watercolor paints or watercolor pencils.
In keeping with Charlotte Mason’s methods, we will focus on the habit of best effort with these posters and have fun, too!
New This Week
If you are already a member of Rhythms of Home, our new 200 page Homeschool Planner is already in your dashboard 
April sent me an email this week about Rhythms of Home, ” Hello! I enjoyed this program so much. Thank you. I’m so grateful for it. It’s incredibly useful, i am not the most organized and these tools have helped me greatly. “
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You wouldn’t believe it, but I couldn’t wait for summer to be over years ago because I loved fall so much. I still love the fall season the best, but I’ve learned to live in sync with summer in a new purposeful way; now, I enjoy the heat and humidity because we need it to grow our food. Knowing the purpose of something we don’t like changes how we view it.
As I write this post, we are in the middle of a growth and production season. However, everything outside is pushing hard against dry soil and trying to grow. We are in the middle of a drought, so the growth isn’t as seamless as usual. It requires more of my attention to facilitate growth. Without rain, heat by itself is deadly.
In the spring, I worked on our new daily rhythm. With growing children and different needs, I find myself changing our routine as needed. I have a 1-year-old that has different needs every few months as she’s learning. My 6-year-old is learning to read this summer, so I have scheduled times to sit with her in the late morning. Although we don’t do formal lessons in the summer, we still have a weekly teatime, read books, and sometimes refresh math skills.
I also have a crew of 4 teenagers that are busy but fun and need to chat with me some evenings.
Being a mom and managing a household full-time is like keeping many plates spinning simultaneously. We have a constant flow to keep up with; then, new plates are added to our list. Clean clothing, meals, training children, errands, appointments, relationships, home businesses… all require us to nurture them daily.
I believe, as women, we are equipped for this kind of work. We are gifted at nurturing. But sometimes, when life gets overwhelming, we need to stop and reevaluate our goals. Sometimes we need fresh motivation.
Motivation is a big inspiration for most of us. Sometimes fresh motivation is all we need to push ourselves to a better home life.
In my Rhythms of Home course, we start with writing out our vision for our home. This is a crucial first step; it’s very difficult to work towards something if you don’t clearly see where you want to be someday.
Years ago, My dream was to manage a home with a natural flow that included healthy meals, books, work, rest, community outreach, and a place to nurture the spiritual lives of others.
Facts about our household:
- We are a small homestead. We have eight dairy goats that are milked every morning. We raise chickens/turkeys for meat and eggs and have a 10,000 Square foot garden.
- I (Jennifer) own a cottage business from my home. This requires me to work a few days/week in the evenings.
- We follow a seasonal schedule for formal school. We take the summer off most paperwork (tests and narrations) and use the time to grow food and learn through what we do outside, including goat births, animal husbandry, permaculture farming techniques, and customer service.
- We serve at our church which is close to Chicago but about an hour drive for us. I’m a Sunday School teacher using Charlotte Mason’s methods in our little Sunday School classroom. Pure joy!
Below are some random pictures from June: (We had a litter of Great Pyrenees puppies!!!!
)
- My daughter picking raspberries for breakfast in her nightgown. This side of our property is a fruit forest. This year we finally have an abundant harvest.
- I’m an herbalist and grow as much as possible in the summer to make tinctures, salves, and other useful products. I love to watch something grow from seed. It’s always a miracle, and I hope to never get over it.
- My youngest daughter was sick the first few weeks of June, so I spent many days holding her on the couch.
Our Current Routine (Monday-Friday, Summer Schedule)
I wake up earlier than the rest of the household. Usually around 5 AM, I am up and make coffee. I believe morning rituals are very settling to a soul. I’m currently reading a Puritan Prayers book called: The Valley of Vision along with other Bible reading.
After my morning devotions, I work on responding to emails and writing. Sometimes I find it difficult to write as the day drags on; my mind is most sharp in the early hours.
Around the 6:30-7 hour, I start hearing my children slowly wake up. I encourage them to take their time waking up. They make a list of what they need to accomplish for that day.
Different seasons of our life call for different routines. This season is very busy with summer production in full swing.
Around 7 we go outside to finish chores together. Our outside chores are: Weeding the garden, milking the goats, feeding the chickens/turkeys, harvesting whatever is ready, fermenting animal feed for the next day, and filling water for animals. Water chores are a large part of the morning for my boys.
Around 8, I come back inside and get breakfast going- I usually stick to breakfasts that include eggs/oatmeal/yogurt/organic berries. I don’t buy cereal or hardly any processed food.
8:30- Breakfast and morning time in the dining room. Morning prayers.
After breakfast, we all complete our morning chores in the house. That is explained more in the Rhythms of Home
course.
Mid-morning, we go outside again or do something recreational. I try to limit my errands to one day per week during our school schedule. During the summer, I try to schedule most of our doctor/dentist/eye exams to be completed before fall. Summer Bundle
My home is decorated and purposely planned with books and beauty in every room. We watch very little television and aim to live as producers rather than consumers.
Lunch is simple here. Since we mostly eat out of our garden, freezers, and pantry meals are usually fruit/cheese/bread/salads/or something I’ve made with goat milk.
After lunch, we all clean up our designated area for chores and then have quiet time. The whole house gets quiet for a while. I rest with my littlest one. Some children fall asleep, some read, and some play but they must be quiet.
That is a typical morning for us during the weekday.
The weekend is different. Saturday is a day of outside work and getting ready for the Sabbath.
Your home is a place of possibilities. The culture of home is something lost in our world today, but I write to inspire you to reach for more. Envision more. A home is a place of education, health, spiritual growth, friendship, and rest. As we look forward to a new school season in the fall, let us remember the importance of the culture in our home and embrace the beauty waiting for us.
With love,
Jenny
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For some reason, July always seems to spin by so quickly. It’s the month of heat, fireworks, celebrations, and long days of sunlight.
We spend our days early in the garden and completing chores before it gets too hot. Since I was little, my mom taught me to finish my very laborious chores before late morning in the summer. I still like to wake up early and clean my house and garden. I love homemaking and creating my own culture in my home.
If you already are in Rhythms of Home, I am working in July on a new module dedicated to helping you create a culture within your home. It doesn’t matter how big or small your home is; every home has an influence on those that live there and the community around you.
Handbook of Nature Study
This month’s nature calendar has a few directions to include readings from Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study.
I can’t begin to account for the many times I’ve used the Handbook of Nature Study. My copy is annotated, highlighted, and dog-eared.
Written for teachers who knew little about nature study, Comstock’s lessons speak directly to the teacher and include a “leading thought” for lesson plans.
If you’ve joined me in the effort to live seasonally and have the new summer bundle, the JULY nature calendar is already in your dashboard.
The Summer Living Bundle includes:
- Chore charts
- Cleaning lists
- Nature studies
- Table Manners teatime– 7 weeks of lessons focused on establishing good habits at the table
- Household Binder
This week in our Facebook community, Lauren said:” My daughter actually loves mopping and cleaning the toilets!! 
I have noticed her confidence build as her responsibilities have. Your program has been a life changer!”
Get the Summer Bundle HERE
July Nature Calendar
For the scientist this month, we are learning about Albert Einstein.
This is the book recommendation for a read-aloud story about his life:
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Every year summer seems to fly by. It’s here so quickly then gone. In my effort to live intentionally and seasonally, I make every effort to savor the season.
Some of the things we do to live in sync with summer are:
- grow food
- work with the daylight by being productive ( chores )
- soak in the sunlight and get the vitamin D we all need
- Teatime (here is the table manners we are working on this summer
- serve in our community in some capacity. I aim to complete service projects with my children in the summer at least once.
- Study nature. In the summer, everything is active and growing. Summer is my favorite time to study animals and plants because we can observe so much. (Summer nature studies are here)
This Tomato nature study pack is available in the SUMMER BUNDLE
Summer Printables
I created five free worksheets to work on this summer to enjoy the moments summer brings us. NOTE: If you purchased the summer bundle, these PDFs are already in your dashboard!
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Welcome, summer!
June is the month of growth. Living in sync with the seasons has given our family such peace as we look forward to what each season and month brings.
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
In the Northern Hemisphere, we will have Summer Solstice this month and it will officially be summer. We have noticed, we naturally have more energy in the summer when daylight is longer. Our family grows much of our own food so seasonal eating is part of our plan to live in tune with nature.
Our Spring Seasonal Bundle is here
Years ago, I was a totally different mom. Stressed out and overwhelmed. It took a lot of realizations, books, my relationship with God, and self-discipline to bring me to a place of peace.
In the course, Rhythms of Home, I talk more about ordering your day around homemaking and homeschooling. There is currently a $10 OFF coupon for the course. USE CODE: 10OFF
This month’s nature calendar is full of ideas to get outside and enjoy nature.
Summer Nature Study Tips:
- If you live in a place that gets very hot, go outside in the early morning hours. Morning air is so good for everyone.
- Nature journaling is a learned habit. Keep your child’s nature journal in a central location in your home. (along with pencils and supplies)
- Each season, create a nature table in your home that reflects the season. Decorate your nature table with items you find outside. ( I will show you mine this week on Instagram!)
- In the summer all the insects are active. That includes ticks-we always do a tick check after we come inside. Tall rubber boots seem to help tremendously I recommend these and have used them for years:
As I always say…try your best to keep your home life simple. Don’t make your schedule too complicated. With small children, our days revolve around meals, chores, books, outside time, and small errands.
For this month’s Scientist Spotlight, we choose, Edwin Hubble.
Here is my book recommendation for a read-aloud about Edwin Hubble. The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Stars: A Life of Edwin Hubble
Nature Calendar
Each month I encourage you somewhere in the calendar to eat a meal outside. I believe it’s so good for adults and children to share a meal outdoors. Of course, our scheduled day may not work for your family. The goal is to plan one day to eat outside. Enjoy, June!
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April! You are here!! After such a long winter, I am thankful for the spring rhythm.
I always say my house gets cleaner when spring arrives because my little ones spend so much more time playing outside than they do indoors, it’s true. Since we follow a seasonal rhythm, spring is for planting and preparing. That requires a lot of work outdoors. This is what initially led me to a seasonal homeschool/homestead lifestyle.
I’ve learned ( and embraced) a lifestyle that integrates food, chores, books, writing, livestock care, and a home business by living through the seasons as intended. We have a curriculum coming out to support that lifestyle- I’m so excited- stay tuned! Get the Spring Collection HERE Available Now
Our April calendar has a few different features. This month our “Scientist Spotlight” is: Marie Curie
She was an amazing female scientist and was the first woman to win the Noble Prize for her pioneering research on radioactivity.
For younger children I recommend this book as a read-aloud: Who Was Marie Curie?
For older children and to look through pictures the book DK Biography: Marie Curie is filled with archival photographs.
April Calendar also includes a 1-page bird log
This month, those in the Northern Hemisphere will be excited to see new birds as they arrive and build nests and sing songs.
This is one of our favorite books for bird-watching:
Learning to live more simple and with the seasons has been a breath of fresh air for me. I no longer feel the stress of the typical American “dream”.
Because for me…
- growing our food in a slow unrushed way
- watching my children learn sometime new
- hanging clothes to dry in the sun
- Collecting eggs from our own hens
- Having time for meals together
- Making our own home culture to learn together…
is priceless!
My first few years of homeschooling were stressful. I’m being honest. Those that have heard my story and how I tried to make our home into a public school… ugh.
It wasn’t until I discovered Charlotte Mason AND seasonal living that I relaxed and understood-
While life isn’t perfect, it is so much more relaxing, and true learning is happening on our little homestead.
Nature and books will be the best tools you have for home education. Nature study has taught my children to truly stop and see… and living books, of course, should be the backbone of your homeschool.
These monthly nature calendars are a way to slowly start embracing a seasonal rhythm for your homeschool and home.
April is full of new ideas and you can download it totally free ( FOR 3 days only) HERE
PS: If you already are in the Spring Bundle– There is no need to download, it is already in your dashboard!
