You know you are doing something you really love when every single day you think to yourself "This day was the absolute best, this was my favorite!" and then the following day is just as amazing! Thats how I feel about how things have been going with our production!
FAMILY WORK
It is so interesting to see the many different things that different families incorporate into their lives and home schools. This morning we were able to join some homeschooled teens as they help take care of their garden and collect eggs from the family chickens, it was wonderful! after the morning family work, all of the children came together in their schoolroom to enjoy a variety of lessons together. I thought it was fantastic to see the things they do, very inspiring for me as a homeschool mom and wonderful to capture for the documentary. There was sign language for the Pledge of Allegiance, "Simon says" to learn skeletal system, one-on-one instruction and discussion, not to mention the gorgeous embroidered constellations on the wall! One of the things I love most about homeschooling is the freedom- freedom of schedule, freedom to choose your approach/method/curriculum, freedom to choose where you spend your time, etc. For this family having a specifically set aside school room works for them, other families learn together at the kitchen table or on the couch, and others enjoy their time learning outdoors. I am so grateful that there is no one right answer, and this family was such a great example of that.
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
We were very happy to be able to set up an interview with a member of the State Board of Education, it was a different side of the story that we wanted to include. It ended up being by far the longest interview we have filmed. She was full of amazing insights and even a beautiful analogy of how children are uniquely shaped stones, not bricks. She fully believed that parents were qualified to be their children's educators, and she definitely encouraged how important it is for homeschoolers to stay informed in government happenings so that we can make sure to protect our rights and freedoms.
FOOD, LIBRARY, AND SCIENCE
We got to spend the afternoon out and about with a family learning in their everyday interactions in the community. Seriously, it was so beautiful, i loved it all so much!!! Our first stop was grocery shopping and learning about weight, and how to figure out the price of produce. After that we stopped at the library where their oldest daughter chose some books, they read picture books as a family, and mom checked out books to go along with the science experiment they would do later at home. Once at home we got to capture a fantastic lesson about the weather cycle using dry ice! There were so many wonderful moments with them throughout the day, the youngest son kept the whole crew laughing so hard with his funny comments and crazy energy- gathering every single picture book he could see until it was far too heavy to carry, trying to lick the dry ice, and being very curious and hands-on with all the film equipment we brought with us! You can tell that he definitely has a love of learning about everything and everyone around him! My favorite moment though had to be the sweet interaction of mother and daughter playing guitar together and singing. There is no doubt that this family loves to be together and that the very different personalities of their three children get to shine and grow in the beautiful learning environment that their mother so purposely surrounds them with- in the home, and out in the world!
YOGA TOGETHER
Another wonderful family we got to spend time with loves to do yoga together, so we met them at the park and they did yoga among the trees. It is always the small unplanned moments that end up shining through as the most beautiful though, and at this shoot the family was just so comfortable and playful. in between other things they started playing a Philippine jumping game and the laughter was adorably contagious! Definitely a great example of family bonding and love! After they read for a while while playing in the water, we headed over to their home for an evening S'more roast at their fire pit where they listened to the dad tell funny stories about his childhood. The kids were soaking everything in through every single activity we did and it is so wonderful to me how the greatest teaching moments in life are usually not in the lessons and bookwork, but in the connections and relationships, in sharing personal histories orally and finding your place in your part of the world. Children are always learning and life has so much to offer them in its natural state.
