Do you have back to school (or not back to school) traditions in your family? Perhaps you prepare a special breakfast, or take a photograph of your child in their new school uniform? Do you gift your child new school supplies, or ditch the school work and head out on a celebratory field trip? Or do you have a sorting ceremony, like on the first day of Hogwarts?!
Back to School Family Traditions
Back to school family traditions are not something that I've given much thought to in the past, most likely because we home educate all year around so there isn't any obvious beginning or end. I know that, in the September that Bean could have started school, I felt very smug taking a holiday to visit family in America, just because we could!
Bean, age 4, on holiday in America, September 2015.
In subsequent years, we've simply got on with our day, in much the same way as we ordinarily would. Bean has always been oblivious to the fresh start that September offers.
Age 5, 2016 Age 6, 2017 Age 7, 2018
Last year, we did mark the beginning of the new school year unintentionally by dyeing Bean's hair pink! Obviously, that wouldn't have been allowed had she been attending mainstream school, despite it having no detrimental effect on her ability to learn.
Back to School Basket
This year, Bean has specifically asked me to put together a back to school basket for her, inspired by another of her favourite You Tuber families, J House Vlogs. This family homeschool their 5 children, age 2-11 years, in Kansas City, Missouri. At the beginning of each new school year their children are each presented with a basket containing their new school curriculum and supplies.
We don't follow a curriculum, but it wasn't too arduous for me to pull together a few of our new supplies, add in a couple of special treats and pop it all in a basket for her.
In Bean's (Not) Back to School basket I have put:
A couple of special back issues of Aquila magazine. These are half price, at £2.50 each, with free postage if you spend £10.
A Star Wars Make Your Own U-Wing book and model. This was a random TKMaxx find, and will be great to keep her hands busy while I read aloud.
Art supplies - mini canvases, a new sketchbook, watercolour pencils and some acrylic Gesso, bought very cheaply from our local Indian supermarket.
A Helix Oxford Mathematical Instruments set. Bean will be learning to use these maths tools this year to complete some of the activities in one of her creative maths books.
A pair of hand painted peg dolls, custom painted with our sweet guinea pigs faces on. These were made by the very talented Adrienn at Szobipegs, to match another peg doll custom painted with our cat.
A big bag of Starbursts, because, why not?
New School Year Traditions Emerging
This morning, after exploring the contents of her basket, Bean and I rolled some new beeswax candles and made new window stars for the doors of our homeschool room (dining room), then we headed out to celebrate a sweet friends 8th birthday in the September drizzle. Tomorrow we will take a celebratory field trip, followed by a long weekend with family and friends. On Monday, we will begin to dive into our new projects.
So, tell me, do you have any back to school family traditions? I'd love to hear about them.
With love,
Rowan x
This blog post contains affiliate links. If you do click through, Bean and I will receive a small amount of commission which will contribute to new books and resources for her home education. You can, however, find all of these resources elsewhere, including other online retailers, second hand selling pages and your local library.
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