Small But Mighty

It has been nearly a calendar week since my last blog. So much has been going on that it has been hard to find a moment of silence where I didn't want to just stare at a spot on the wall. Right now the kids are playing a rousing game of Twister, and lunch is over in about ten minutes. Phew.

Tiny House workshop in Orlando this past weekend, with mixed results. Although I think it would have been a good place to start for someone considering a tiny house and without much research behind them, for us it didn't offer too much. This is good news in one aspect: the way we are studying at HoneyFern really works. La Petite has done such a good job researching, designing and building her model (and asking questions and making mistakes, all a part of good learning) that she has a clear understanding of what she needs to do, and so did not need much of the lecture from this past weekend.  Even in the discussion of the seven principles of good design she was clearly ahead of the curve. The other good news is that we did discover how not to run a workshop; there was no hands-on aspect, and that is a very difficult way to learn for any age. La Petite turned to me at one point and said, "I guess this is my first taste of what college will be like." Hopefully not.

In other news, we are welcoming a new student next year to HoneyFern, Max. There is no telling what he will study yet, but we are so excited to have him join us. We are still looking for another three or four students for a maximum of ten for next year. HoneyFern is putting expansion plans on hold, as it simply does not make sense to pull my time away from the students to recruit a board. I started HF to teach, and expanding the school is taking up too much of my mental energy, energy that is best directed towards the kids. So the decision is made for me: we stay small but mighty. And that's alrighty.

Finally, as Twister is about to collapse, tomorrow begins the watch for Ella's chicks to hatch. She has candled all of them and six have something in there. We are so excited for these additions, and any news of a "pip" will result in a spontaneous field trip to Ella's house.

Have a great day!