Today, Tuesday, August 25, 2026, was our very first day homeschooling my triplet nephews, who are four years old, and I quickly remembered that everything takes more time with younger children, especially when there are three of them. Their older brother joined us for many of the activities, my sister-in-law was here, my daughter helped throughout the day, and together we began what I know is going to be a wonderful season of learning.

Our second day homeschooling Waldorf-inspired kindergarten was just as joyful as the first, and once again I completely overplanned. I am homeschooling my triplet nephews, who are four years old, along with their 11-year-old brother. We had wet-on-wet watercolor painting planned with beautiful watercolor paper, painting boards, sponges, brushes, and the primary colors ready to go, but we never got to it. And that is perfectly okay because now everything is ready for another day.

Our third day together reminded me once again that the best kindergarten lessons grow naturally out of everyday life. We started the morning with another batch of our organic decaf cold brew coffee. There was still a little left from our previous lesson, so the triplets enjoyed a small cup before we began our first project of the day.

Our main project for the day was gardening. We used a simple tool to make newspaper seedling pots, and my 11-year-old nephew became so proficient that he made nearly 50 of them. My mother was visiting us this week and brought a bag of seeds, so everyone was able to choose what they wanted to plant. The triplets carefully filled their pots with soil, made small holes for their seeds, planted them, and watered them.

Our fourth day together centered around one of my favorite parts of kindergarten: working together in the kitchen. Every class includes some kind of cooking or baking because kindergarten is really about participating in the work of the home. Alongside those everyday tasks, we're also doing projects that strengthen fine and gross motor skills, develop the imagination, and meet the children where they are developmentally.

Today was our fourth day homeschooling my four-year-old triplet nephews in our Waldorf-inspired kindergarten, and their 11-year-old brother joined us once again. This week was especially meaningful because my mother was able to spend the day with us as well. Alongside my sister-in-law and my 15-year-old daughter, it truly became a multi-generational learning environment.

Today was our fifth day, Friday, September 4, 2026, of Waldorf-inspired kindergarten with my four-year-old triplet nephews, and our day looked a little different than usual. We typically meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but since I had Friday off this week, I invited my sister-in-law and the children over for an extra day together. We kept some of the familiar elements of our kindergarten rhythm, but shortened our schedule and allowed more time for free play.

I've been homeschooling my four-year-old triplet nephews for a few weeks now, and we're starting to establish a really solid rhythm. I'm still very much in the observation phase, learning more about the children and figuring out how much we can realistically accomplish each day. Time management continues to be one of my biggest challenges because we get so engaged in our projects. I'm realizing that two hours, twice a week, really isn't enough time for everything we want to do.

Many of our projects take several days to complete, and today we returned to the wool the children had cleaned and carded during our previous lesson. We're making wet felted wool balls, and I prepared the centers ahead of time using scraps of wool and yarn. The children wrapped their carded wool around the cores before we began felting them in warm and cold water.

We started in the kitchen with butternut squash, acorn squash, carrots, and kale. Even though we’ve been doing quite a bit with gardening and seasonal foods, all of our work has had to happen indoors because we’re currently renovating both our front and backyard. Hopefully, eventually, we’ll be able to bring more of this work outside.

Each child was supposed to transplant one seedling, but when one of the children selected a little pot containing two seedlings, everyone else wanted two as well. Once the other children had their two seedlings, the first child wanted another pot, which meant he now had three plants. Naturally, the other two children noticed immediately! Everything needs to be either the same or completely different, and they are very particular about making sure everyone has their fair share!

Gardening is such a natural part of the kindergarten experience, and even when you cannot work outside, there is so much you can do indoors. We have saved seeds from our squash and tomatoes, planted seeds from packets my mom brought while she was visiting, made our own little newspaper seedling pots, watched the seeds sprout, and now we are transplanting them into larger pots.

This is one of the reasons I love bringing cooking and baking into our kindergarten experience. These simple, meaningful activities provide so many opportunities for developing fine and gross motor skills, following directions, paying attention, practicing patience, and learning to take turns. All of these skills help establish the foundation for later academic learning.

Today, we enjoyed a beautiful combination of gardening, baking, weaving, watercoloring, and free play with my four-year-old triplet nephews and their 11-year-old brother. We began our day by observing the growth of our seedlings and watering our plants. Some of our tomatoes didn't survive because we transplanted them a little too late, so my older nephew helped plant a few more seeds.

I tried introducing a smaller weaving project to the four-year-olds as well, but this was a good reminder to pay attention to developmental readiness. The process was frustrating for them, and rather than encouraging them to push through something that was simply too advanced, I decided the project needed to be reconsidered. A much larger weaving setup with bigger movements would probably have been more appropriate at this age.

For the four-year-olds, though, I realized that this particular weaving project was too advanced. They became frustrated with the process of moving the yarn in and out of the warp. If I bring weaving back at this age, I would make it much larger and simpler so the movements are easier for them. This was another reminder to pay attention to developmental readiness rather than simply focusing on the finished project.

The first thing they wanted to do was crack walnuts. I have this beautiful wooden walnut cracker, and each child took a turn cracking a walnut. We tried to keep the shells intact because I would love to turn some of them into little walnut-shell sailboats later. Even something as simple as cracking nuts becomes such satisfying work for young children.

I prepared a basket filled with fall-inspired materials. There were some wool felt leaves that I had planned to use for an embroidery project, but the children were much more interested in some of the other things tucked inside the basket, so we simply followed their curiosity. They were completely charmed by the little wet-felted pumpkin and immediately wanted to make one of their own. I have not made that project in more than 10 years, since my own children were little, so I am absolutely delighted to bring it back for my nephews.

The younger children moved into imaginative play with my 15-year-old daughter. Since we have been allowing more time for free play, our kindergarten days have stretched from about two hours to closer to three, but I think that extra time has been worthwhile. The play structure is large enough that each child can create a little space of their own, and they even have a slide tucked inside.

The children painted their own peg dolls in the colors of their choice using Lyra opaque watercolor pan paints. I actually loved that they were able to be part of making something that would become part of our seasonal activities instead of simply receiving something I had already prepared for them.

Today, Tuesday, August 25, 2026, was our very first day homeschooling my triplet nephews, who are four years old, and I quickly remembered that everything takes more time with younger children, especially when there are three of them. Their older brother joined us for many of the activities, my sister-in-law was here, my daughter helped throughout the day, and together we began what I know is going to be a wonderful season of learning.

One of the first things I am already learning is that everything takes a little longer with younger children, especially when there are three of them. I may have a full list of activities planned, but I am quickly realizing that the experience itself is more important than getting through everything on the list.

We continue with our story, The Hedgehog Leaves Home. We read just a few pages at a time, and this time the children were able to add their newly painted mushrooms into the storytelling. We also included an owl that we felted earlier in our homeschool journey. They love being part of the story rather than simply listening, and that is one of my favorite things about teaching young children. They are so bright-eyed, curious, and completely engaged.

One of our projects was painting little wooden mushrooms. I have a beautiful deck of cards showing different varieties of mushrooms, which gave us some inspiration. Most of the children were immediately drawn to the classic red mushroom with white dots, but by the end we had a lovely assortment.

My mom was visiting this week, and she arrived with a whole bag of seed packets, which made the perfect inspiration for another planting lesson. My older nephew took on the job of making newspaper seedling pots while the triplets filled them with soil. Using a simple wooden pot maker, he wrapped newspaper around the mold, pressed it into shape, and made nearly fifty little seedling pots.

Our main project for the day was gardening. We used a simple tool to make newspaper seedling pots, and my 11-year-old nephew became so proficient that he made nearly 50 of them. My mother was visiting us this week and brought a bag of seeds, so everyone was able to choose what they wanted to plant. The triplets carefully filled their pots with soil, made small holes for their seeds, planted them, and watered them.

This week we made cinnamon rolls. I had already prepared the dough ahead of time, but before the morning was over the children also made another batch of dough that we would use the following day to make homemade pizza. I love when one lesson naturally flows into the next and the children can see that the work they're doing today becomes part of tomorrow's activity.

Our fourth day together centered around one of my favorite parts of kindergarten: working together in the kitchen. Every class includes some kind of cooking or baking because kindergarten is really about participating in the work of the home. Alongside those everyday tasks, we're also doing projects that strengthen fine and gross motor skills, develop the imagination, and meet the children where they are developmentally.

After cleaning up the wool, we moved on to our cooking project for the day: homemade pizza using the dough the children prepared the day before. Each child received a piece of parchment paper, a little flour, and their own portion of dough. They flattened the dough with their hands before adding sauce and toppings.

We began our morning with play before heading into the kitchen for some practical work. Our first project was preparing raw wool for wet felting. Before we can turn the wool into felted balls, it needs to be cleaned and carded. The children carefully picked through the raw wool, removing all the little bits of debris before using small bamboo carding brushes to prepare the fibers.

Today we continued a project we started last week when the children cleaned and carded raw wool. We're using that wool to make wet felted balls. I prepared the cores ahead of time using leftover pieces of felt and yarn, and then the children wrapped their carded wool around them.

I've done this project with children of different ages, and I've learned that demonstrating is much more effective than giving a lot of verbal instructions. I also found that if I get each child's project started and make sure the wool is beginning to hold together, they can continue quite successfully on their own.

I had actually prepared a watercolor activity for them, but they were playing so beautifully that we decided not to interrupt them. My 15-year-old daughter brought out some of the dress-up clothes my own children played with when they were younger, along with some pirate money, and she kept them engaged for quite a long time.

Our seventh day homeschooling my four-year-old triplet nephews began in our kindergarten room, which is really starting to come together. I recently finished building a little shelf and have been filling the space with things from our homeschool room along with a few things I've purchased specifically for the children. We meet twice a week for two hours, although I'm quickly realizing that two hours never feels like enough time.

With the triplets, I am not concerned with bringing academics too early. At this age, we are building the foundations they will need for later academic work through movement, fine and gross motor skills, practical work, imaginative play, stories, poems, verses, and beautiful language. Literacy is already present through the rich vocabulary and rhythms they hear throughout the day.

Each child was supposed to transplant one seedling, but when one of the children selected a little pot containing two seedlings, everyone else wanted two as well. Once the other children had their two seedlings, the first child wanted another pot, which meant he now had three plants. Naturally, the other two children noticed immediately! Everything needs to be either the same or completely different, and they are very particular about making sure everyone has their fair share!

Today was only their second wet-on-wet watercolor experience, and we introduced the color red. During our first painting session, we worked exclusively with yellow, and now we are allowing the children to experience red on its own. My 11-year-old nephew also participated in the same single-color painting activity, although he approached his work a little differently.

Another beloved kindergarten tradition is baking! Today, my 15-year-old daughter led the children in making a delicious apple crumble with cinnamon. I love incorporating seasonal recipes into our homeschool days, especially during the fall when the beautiful aromas of apples and warm spices fill our home. Our sense of smell is strongly connected to memory, and I hope these familiar scents will become part of the beautiful childhood memories the children carry with them as they grow.

Each class continues to remind me that kindergarten does not need to be filled with complicated projects. There is so much development happening through practical work, sensory experiences, storytelling, gardening, cooking, handwork, and most importantly, time for meaningful imaginative play.

We returned to our weaving project. I demonstrated how to work over and under the warp threads, showing the children how the pattern alternates as they move across the weaving. We began with our hands before introducing a needle, giving them time to understand the movement and rhythm first.

The first thing they wanted to do was crack walnuts. I have this beautiful wooden walnut cracker, and each child took a turn cracking a walnut. We tried to keep the shells intact because I would love to turn some of them into little walnut-shell sailboats later. Even something as simple as cracking nuts becomes such satisfying work for young children.

We start into the kindergarten room where we are beginning to establish a really lovely rhythm for the start of our day. We begin with our weather gnomes so the children can observe what the weather is like, and we also use our calendar gnomes to find the day of the week and the season. I love having these simple little rituals at the beginning of class because they create such a gentle transition into the rest of our morning.

After pizza and blueberries, we moved on to our walnut sailboats. The children chose pieces of 100% wool felt for their sails, and we used small twigs for the masts. Next time we go on a nature walk, I want them to collect their own twigs because I already know this is an activity they are going to want to repeat.

The children used Lyra opaque watercolors to paint the base coat of their peg dolls. They are becoming so comfortable with using their paintbrushes, washing them, drying them, and moving between colors independently. Once their base coats were finished, I added the finer details, including a little leaf on the front, and they chose the color of wool felt they wanted for their hats.

Day 1 of homeschooling my triplet nephews for Kindergarten. My sister-in-law is the best! She’s on board with all the plans, even when I over plan we don’t get to everything. She’s perfectly supportive and honors my enthusiasm beautifully! Even when I make mistakes, she’s relaxed about the outcome which is such a relief as I navigate these truly fun years all over again. I have to say I’m equally excited about my 11-year-old nephew joining as well. Some of the most engaging projects are with him. I just don’t know how to split my time because we keep running out of time!

Welcome to our Thursday, August 27, 2026 Homeschool day! Today I am are working with my four year-old triplet nephews for our TK/kindergarten experience. We still have a lot of preparation to do like building our bookcase which I’m doing with my 10 year-old nephew and organizing and decorating our school space. Today we have a lot of “wet” activities and painting activities planned. We’re doing wet on a wet water coloring, a pumpkin. There’s a tutorial on my YouTube channel from years ago.

Welcome to our Tuesday, September 1, 2026 Homeschool day! Today is a kindergarten day! I am homeschooling my triplet nephews who are four years old twice a week for two hours a day and I have to tell you it is not enough time! They are truly amazing students as they follow directions well, wait patiently for their return or tools and are fully engaged in our projects.

This is the reality of my homeschool: I'm prepared in some ways and not prepared in other ways. How would I have been prepared for this story time? I would have memorized the story, practiced it ahead of time and had all the props ready. The reality? I didn't even open the book before reading it to the children for the first time; thankfully it turned out to be the perfect seasonal book for the fall.

One of the things I love most about Waldorf kindergarten is that it simply reflects real life. There is no better place to experience that than in the home, surrounded by multiple generations working together. My four-year-old triplet nephews join me a few days each week for our Waldorf-inspired kindergarten, along with their 11-year-old brother. This week my mother is visiting, so she was able to join us as well.

Today we continued a project we started last week when the children cleaned and carded raw wool. We're using that wool to make wet felted balls. I prepared the cores ahead of time using leftover pieces of felt and yarn, and then the children wrapped their carded wool around them.

Welcome to Day 6, September 9, 2026, of homeschooling my triplet nephews, who are four years old, using a Waldorf inspired kindergarten approach! We meet twice a week for two hours, and today we are working with wool to make wet felted balls.

Welcome to Day 7, September 10, 2026 of homeschooling my triplet nephews, who are four years old, using a Waldorf inspired kindergarten approach! Our little kindergarten space is coming together so beautifully. I have transformed our unused dining room into a cozy space where the children can play, explore, and participate in our daily activities.

Today we’re continuing some of the work we’ve started over the last few weeks. We saved seeds from our butternut and acorn squash, and I printed out drawings of the different vegetables for the children to watercolor. We’re also collecting more cherry tomato seeds and transplanting the seedlings they planted a few weeks ago, which have been growing so well. Since our front and backyard are being landscaped right now, we’re moving them into larger pots until we can eventually get them outside.

We are continuing with our gardening projects, even though our backyard is currently being landscaped and we do not have an outdoor space available for planting. Instead, we are bringing our gardening activities indoors and working together at the kitchen table. I love that these experiences remind us that you do not need a backyard or a large garden to introduce young children to gardening.

Our kitchen activity today was making a delicious apple crumble! My 15-year-old daughter led the children through this fall baking project, giving each child an opportunity to add ingredients, stir, and participate in preparing our snack. I love incorporating seasonal recipes into our homeschool days, especially the beautiful aromas of apples and warm spices that fill our kitchen during the fall.

The weaving was simply too advanced for the younger children at this scale. They were very intent on doing it correctly, and whenever they noticed a mistake, they became frustrated. The interesting thing is that the mistakes really would not have mattered. Their bags still could have turned out beautifully. But at four years old, following the over-under pattern on such a small loom required quite a bit of visual tracking, coordination, and concentration.

Our Waldorf-inspired kindergarten is beginning to feel so beautifully seasonal. I’m homeschooling my four-year-old triplet nephews, and one of the things I have been enjoying most is bringing out materials and projects that I haven’t used in so many years.