Happy October

October begins! There is always a satisfaction and a little thrill when I am able to turn the calendar page and welcome a new month. Marking the change of time and the rhythms of the year with my children is an experience that I take great joy in. 

With the older children now, they know what each month, each season brings. They know that in autumn the leaves turn from green to gold, crimson and orange and then fall from the trees. They know that we pick apples each September and that in October we pick pumpkins and drink apple cider. They can proficiently state the date each day, both numerically and in words. They are able to spell all the months, recite little poems about what each month brings and can place each family member's birthday in its correct month and day.

For the littler ones, the rails are just being laid. We begin discussing seasons and what each season brings in the way of weather, activities, clothing and animal life. They learn their birthday day and month and begin asking how many more days, weeks or months until it arrives. They begin to anticipate the holidays and feast days of the Church that come each year and perhaps may venture a guess at their proper place in the year. 

And then there are the days of the week. Oh how I wish that I had a specific day for each household chore like in Little House or some of the folk stories we read! Monday for washing, Tuesday for ironing and so on. But alas, I do not. We do however adore reading these little stories, rhymes and poems about what chores are done on each day of the week.

I suppose it the modern world we have the 'luxury' of foregoing the rhythm of these chore-days and can clean, bake, shop and mend on whichever days we feel like doing so!

Some of our favorite books for laying down a good foundation of the rhythms of the year are:

Around the Year by Elsa Beskow
A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme by Heather Thomas
A Child's Paradise of Saints by Nun Nectaria

We also keep a seasonal book basket in our living area. I used to keep a larger book crate, but found it to contain too many books. Now I choose only a few and keep them neatly displayed (with the cover showing) in a nice little basket.

Each morning we follow the Scripture readings on our Church calendar and celebrate the saints commemorated on each day. Oh, and namesdays! Each child, as well as my husband and I, have a day each year where we remember the saint we are named after and celebrate. It is just like a birthday, but even more sacred.