Lazy Genius Your Homeschool: The Poet in the World

Last week we were walking to the park and noticed a purple tree across the street. We crossed for a better look and saw that the tree was absolutely laden with plums–so much fruit that the tree looked purple! There was a sign that said to take as much as we wanted, so we ate handfuls and stuffed every bag we had with plums. We have been happily enjoying some of the best (free!) plums I’ve ever eaten.

Pots of Jam

Plums and sugar for jam

Then I saw this little video by Geoffrey Walker. He’s a 90 year old British man who reports about his garden and what he’s having for lunch and how much he utterly loves his wife, Pauline. He closes every video with, Love to all! Well, Geoffrey was making plum jam, and I knew I had to try it too!

I love the recipe he gives with just a ratio of fruit to sugar. That’s how I learned to make herbal tinctures. No measurements, just ratios. If you’re interested in a very similar recipe with a bit more guidance, this one from Ripe Food & Wine will do nicely.

Poetry as a Way of Life

Holly Wren Spaulding talks about being a poet in the world, seeking out activities that nourish and nurture our creativity even when we’re not at our desks. She says poetry is “a way of life. It’s an anchor, a rhythm, a center, a mode of being.” To my ears that sounds a lot like the expansive vision of education that Charlotte Mason conjured when she said “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.”

That’s why I followed the inspiration and boiled up a pot of jam! All winter long I’ll be able to remember that purple tree and our walk to the park and even say a prayer for Geoffrey and Pauline. Making simple things by hand anchors us to what’s most true in the world.

I want to live where poetry is the atmosphere, a discipline, a life.

I want my kids to find in their education an anchor, a rhythm, a mode of being.

Living by Principles

We’ve finished all 13 Lazy Genius principles. But really, this is simply one way that the principles might apply. That’s the beauty of a principle–it can grow and change for different seasons. These principles are a part of creating that expansive, poetic education that I want for my kids and for myself.

I’d love to hear what’s resonated with you, where you’re hitting resistance, or how your application of the principles shifts with the seasons.


Thank you for reading along! The winner of the drawing for a copy of The Lazy Genius Way is…Julie Crady! Congratulations!

2 Comments

  1. I loved the walk to the park and the beautiful purple tree. Most of all I love your desire to impart loveliness to the children. It is a gift.

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