Welcome to Wednesday Wonderings here on Down Home!
Wednesdays are when we highlight those wondrous moments that happen both at home and on campus. For our theme this year, Susie Theule, our Executive and Visionary Director, invited and encouraged us to join together to explore the world of wonder.
What constitute “wonders” you may ask?
“Wonders” are the awe-filled experiences, big or small, in the home or in the classroom. They are experiences that provoke us to ponder, appreciate and celebrate what we are a part of.
In the home, these can be success stories. Some examples are: breakthroughs made in a difficult subject or sudden connections that your child makes, or when our kids teach us something we didn’t know (this happens in our home way more often that I can count!).
Similarly, on campus, this can be a special project in class that a student is especially proud of, or an meaningful Socratic discussion that blows the teacher’s mind, or special times when we all come together as a school community such as History Day.
The possibilities are endless and we know they happen every day. This is where you get involved! We are eager to hear about YOUR WONDERS! Sharing these stories help encourage and connect our families, so please email us anytime throughout the school year to share yours!
To start us off this week, I (Cheryl) will share a short story that happened over the summer. Specifically, on my middle son’s Intermediate grid last year was a weekly time for Solitude Activity. At first, he started off with just 3-5 minutes of sitting alone with a journal. This is an opportunity where he can record, color, or draw any reflections, thoughts or observations he may have. It was a way to train our brains (in this very busy, fast paced world) to learn to be still, be more observant, and thus inspiring creativity. Over time, it’s gone well beyond the 5 minutes and has inspired my youngest son as well.
Quinlan, who was in Kindergarten at the time, had been watching this all year. So one day over the summer, as I was preparing lunch after a particularly “extra loud” morning, I all of a sudden noticed how quiet it was in the house. As a mom of 3 boys, it’s a scary thing when your house is quiet. For that reason, I do what I normally do – I first grab my camera before searching for my sons. As a result, I find one drawing in his room, the other playing with Legos in another room and the littlest one outside on the patio.
I asked him what he was doing and he said, “well, I thought it was the perfect time to be alone. Now, mama, shhhh…I’m observing.” 
Ah! The power of example and just a little intentionality. Creating space for solitude is challenging for many of us and no longer comes organically in our current culture. But the good news is, here at SLOCA, we are counter-cultural and we earnestly choose the road less traveled. We just saw a glimpse of what that can look like in the home, and we want to encourage you this year to seek out simple opportunities for solitude. Wonderment cannot exist without purposefully creating the space for it. Like Susie said at our orientation, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Start out with just a minute! You’ll be amazed at what you end up wondering about.
We are excited you’re joining us in our theme this year. And we can’t wait to hear your stories! Also, if you haven’t done it yet, don’t forget to enter the blog drawing for a free “i wonder” tee!
Happy wonderings!
