A Little Belated...

...alright, so maybe 3 weeks doesn't qualify as a "little belated", but you all will excuse my tardiness, won't you? We did have a great park day on the 27th of October (that one was more of a playground than a nature day), and several more since. But, that house of ours has kept me from posting the photos until now :) Hope to be back again this week with another post - this time on the importance of keeping the big picture of education in front of us. I need that post! For now, a few photos. Thanks for reading!

Our First Autumn '09 Park Day & Some Thoughts on Masterly Inactivity

Ahhh... today was brisk. I love brisk days. It was windy, too, and one of those days that just seemed to announce the arrival of autumn. Everyone slept in very late this morning (we had storms last night - let's just say not many of us slept well). So, with morning lessons basically shot anyway, I decided to wake the children up by telling them we were going on a park day.

All of the normal hustle and bustle followed and, before too long, they were running out to the van. The cool breeze had them seriously giddy. They just kept spinning around in the driveway exclaiming about how much they loved fall. "Isn't fall your favorite season, Mama? Oh, it's mine! It's such a beautiful day. Don't you love it?". It was a twenty minute drive to the arboretum and they prattled the entire way there.

I took my camera along...

























We just had a sweet time lying on a blanket in the sun, collecting acorns, enjoying the mild weather. The children played house with rocks, dirt, and sticks as their props. They jumped off of benches, climbed boulders, tried to catch grasshoppers. Lovely :)

I'm wondering if someone is going to comment on Little Dude being so near the water (he's two and a half). Charlotte Mason frequently mentions leaving children "be" when outdoors - letting them play, and pretend, and imagine on their own without constant prodding or directing from Mother. It can be difficult to keep quiet, as a mother, at first. Eventually, I think you start to find your own feet and figure out how much to "leave alone" and how much to step in. However, there do have to be some parameters. If for no other reason than just to keep the little guys out of harm's way. The children are largely allowed to play as they will on our outings, but they have already learned what the boundaries are beforehand. It's not a lawless, wild time where they get to rule the roost. Authority is always right there, lovingly watching through her sunglasses as she sits on the blanket. Ready to speak up if the need arises.

I let Punkin lie with me on the blanket for a while this morning, chit-chatting and snuggling. After a bit, though, I gently encouraged her to go enjoy the day and play with the others. We had our nice time together, but she engages in a different kind of learning without me right beside her. I wanted her to have some growing time without me, too. I'm never far away, of course :) She brings her little bouquets of flowers and interesting rocks and all that. But it's good for her to spend a while just filling acorn caps with mud and then scraping it all out again with a stick... on her own.





Miss Mason refers to this letting children alone as "Masterly Inactivity". When coupled with well-trained habits, it makes up a sort of educational double whammy. Each makes the other stronger and neither can be safely left out of the picture. This post is already too long to get into that more tonight, though, so I'll save further thoughts on Masterly Inactivity for later. To help you think through the subject some until then, I'll just leave you with this :)






By the way, in the video I'm calling Little Dude "Brother". I guess that's what you wind up being called when you're the only boy :)

Enjoy the last few days of September! My favorite month is right around the corner!!!

Long Days Outdoors

"I make a point, says a judicious mother, of sending my children out, weather permitting, for an hour in the winter, and two hours a day in the summer months. That is well; but it is not enough. In the first place, do not send them; if it is anyway possible, take them; for, although the children should be left much to themselves, there is a great deal to be done and a great deal to be prevented during these long hours in the open air. And long hours they should be; not two, but four, five, or six hours they should have on every tolerably fine day, from April till October. Impossible! Says an overwrought mother who sees her way to no more for her children than a daily hour or so on the pavements of the neighbouring London squares. Let me repeat, that I venture to suggest, not what is practicable in any household, but what seems to me absolutely best for the children; and that, in the faith that mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them. A journey of twenty minutes by rail or omnibus, and a luncheon basket, will make a day in the country possible to most town dwellers; and if one day, why not many, even every suitable day?" - Home Education pg. 44

I was that judicious mother of which Charlotte Mason writes :) I tried to get the children out for at least an hour everyday and felt like really hot stuff if I got them out for more than that. Every once in a while, we'd go to the local arboretum or walk the trails at a nature reserve, too. What a shock to me when I read this section of Home Education! I had no recollection of The Charlotte Mason Companion mentioning four to six hours outside! Had I written my reaction down it would've read something like the following: "What on earth is this nonsense all about?! Four to six hours indeed. How idle does this woman think I'm willing to be? She wants me to sit outside for five hours on a blanket!? Are there women that do this? Are there women that want to do this?"

I was not impressed.

But, then I kept reading. "It would be well if we all, persons in authority, parents and all who act for parents, could make up our minds that there is no sort of knowledge to be got in these early years so valuable to children as that which they get for themselves of the world they live in. Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things." I pondered her words as I sat and watched my two year old mesmerized for a full ten minutes by one lady bug. I wasn't concerned about the laundry at that moment. Somehow, all this time outdoors was beginning to seems less ridiculous than it had seemed at the first reading.

So, I read some more. "Consider, too, what an unequalled mental training the child-naturalist is getting for any study or calling under the sun––the powers of attention, of discrimination, of patient pursuit, growing with his growth, what will they not fit him for?" I decided it was time to give Miss Mason a run for her money. I was going to take up the challenge. I would give it a shot, and just see if this four to six hours a day was even possible. I was about seven months pregnant at the time and had three small children under six years old. If I could do this, then I'd admit that Charlotte Mason wasn't being completely insane.

We tried it. First, we went to the arboretum or a local park for two to three hours at a stretch. I would often take a packed lunch along. It was autumn when we first got really serious about this plan, so the weather was often gorgeous. Soon, two hours seemed like hardly any and three and four hours were more the norm. We were regularly spending long hours outside at least four days out of the week. It was getting easier. I found I had more energy and more patience. I found the children spent their time sweetly and that their interest in nature was rapidly growing. I also found that, when we spent long hours outdoors, they napped really well that afternoon once we got home ;)

One day, while reading Home Education, I had an epiphany of sorts. I realized that Charlotte Mason did not necessarily mean that all four to six hours had to be spent in a row. What a revelation! My husband built a picnic table for my 31st birthday gift, and lunches soon went outdoors. Sometimes breakfast and dinner,too! On busier days, these outdoor meals and a nature walk after lunch would add up to two hours on their own. Couldn't an hour be spent in the yard gardening and later a little game of ball played with Daddy in the backyard? I was beginning to see how this "out of doors life" could actually be lived - and enjoyed.

We were enjoying it! So much so that we kept it up through the arrival of my son and on through the next full year (although, the dead heat of summer was trickier). Even with a newborn, we were frequently going out for what we have come to call "Park Days". I think these days were especially nice with a newborn - what a blessing to just rest and let the children play happily. Sure, sometimes it's not so easy to get out the door, but over a little time, we've worked out a system that makes things a bit easier for us. Even with the school year now in full swing, we've been able to have five hour Park Days twice a week, often taking school books along for my oldest daughter. I think narrations have been best when she's been outside ;)

There have been so many wonderful surprises coming out of "trying" this seemingly impossible way of life. For instance, when we are galavanting out in some prairie or riverside, my house is staying clean! I never would've come up with that idea! :) But, it's true! We do chores in the mornings before we leave, and when we come home for nap - it's still clean! How wonderful. Although, the children aren't ;) We've also figured out to make the most of rainy days to keep up with the house. We usually do a little extra housework and spend a bit longer on lessons on those days. We have all learned so much about nature, too, and have improved in our habits of observation and attention. Not to mention the many restful days we have spent together, enjoying our Father's creation.

All of this has been an unexpected "fringe benefit" of researching the Charlotte Mason method. I didn't know my five year old would learn to identify a sycamore tree just by playing under one. I didn't know my toddler would learn to distinguish between a Monarch and a Painted lady (without a book). I didn't know how much I would treasure moments in the grass with my six year old and my baby both lying in my lap. I didn't know I would be able to slow down this much. I love it.

I laughed out loud when Miss Mason said mothers could work wonders once they were convinced that wonders were demanded of them.

I am so glad I was wrong :)




For more posts on Long Days Outdoors, please click on the "outdoors" tag below :)

Rainy Days Clean My Toilets

Before I get going on this blog entry, let me say a few things. Firstly, I want to make it quite clear that I am definitely not in a shiny floor and dessert with dinner stage of life. All of my children are still pretty little, my house is big, and I have to be more careful than ever before to safeguard my finite energy. Secondly, everything I'm about to write is just as much to remind myself as it is to pass anything along to someone else. Lastly, I'm getting there, but I'm not there yet. My house is not perfect, but it's decent and - with God's grace and strength, I'm trying. It does me so much good to regularly remember this quote from Stepping Heavenward:

"If you could once make up your mind in the fear of God never to undertake more work of any sort than you can carry on calmly, quietly, without hurry or flurry, and the instant you feel yourself growing nervous and like one out of breath, would stop and take breath, you would find this simple common-sense rule doing for you what no prayers or tears could ever accomplish."

I've never had to pace myself like this before. I have to go slowly. I need those restful days of sitting beneath a tree every bit as much as my children need the open air and grass to run around in. I need naps. It's different for me now than it was even a couple of years ago. It's no secret, anyone with small children and no older children will tell you that although we are immeasurably blessed and would not trade any of it for all the world, this stage of motherhood is exhausting.

But, my toilets are still dirty.

My husband still needs clean underwear to wear tomorrow.

It would be good if we didn't order pizza for dinner - again.

I am just beginning to figure out a few things that help me get on top of my main responsibilities and stay there. Some of these ideas have come from precious, older moms whose advice I praise God for! :) But, honestly, I have lower standards right now than I have in the past. I'm not trying to win awards here, I'm just trying to do what the Lord has really given me for today. It does no good to stress about what I cannot get to. The Lord will give the strength and the time for His work.

Now, about the rain cleaning my toilets. Did you wonder about that one? Well, all I really mean is that I count on a few rainy days here and there to get some good cleaning in. Even more than that, I plan my week depending upon the weather and any exstenuating circumstances (doctor's appointments, service opportunity, dinner at in-laws, etc.). I do not plan out our school term all at once. For me, this is key. I do have a fairly good idea of what I want to cover in the course of the school year and, more specifically, each term. However, I do not sit and write down lesson plans or even a daily schedule or school "to do list" more than a week out. I've tried it before and I can never stick to it. Life is too variable. I do much better with short term planning and we have been able to be quite consistent with schooling this way. So, this is how planning all of my spinning plates looks on any given week:

1) I throw out any spinning plates that do not matter this week. The weeds are in check, not gardening this week, for instance.

2) I check the weather for the week.

3) I write the week's forecast in on my simple, little planner from Walmart.

4) I ask the Lord for wisdom in "ordering our days aright" and check in now and then with Hubby to see how he's feeling about my priorities.

5) Depending on the week's weather, I then write in high priority non-school, non-house commitments like my mom's birthday dinner or spending time with a friend whose husband is deployed or whatever. I work to keep these very limited - I get spent up too quickly if I do too much back to back. This week we're going to Sam's parents on Friday night because they're moving on Saturday. Sissy asked us over for dinner Saturday night, but I know Sunday is a bear for me as it is - so we picked the Friday night and turned down the Saturday night. Everyone has different limitations here. This is reality for me right now.

6) I block out the prettiest day or two for light to very light school days (depending on how much we've been able to be outside lately. A gorgeous day in January calls for *no school*, but a pretty day in June when pretty days are a dime a dozen may only be a little lighter than normal.) Sometimes, we go the Sonlight route and take school outside with us. I had the loveliest time reading lessons to SweetP at the arboretum the other day with Little Dude on my lap and Punkin and Shug romping in the leaves not too far away. Don't worry, SweetP romped both before and after the reading ;)

7) I block out at least one, better two, days a week for much less time outside and more time inside cleaning. Today and the next 3 days are forecasted for heavy rain. That's four days total of not much time outside! Yikes. But, I know ahead of time that I will have 4 solid days with a little extra cleaning. I can't go hog wild (still that exhaustion factor), but if I work solidly and purposefully, I can get a lot done.

8) I look at Ambleside Online and my own little booklist and I schedule in our schooling for the week. Somedays are very light, but no day is chock full. I just don't plan school days with so much in there that I'm going to be stressed to fit it all in. That's a recipe for one grumpy homeschool. If the work needs done, it has to be spread out. For this reason, I can't have more than one very light school day a week or two somewhat light school days a week. I don't want to be trying to jam everything in on Friday. Sometimes, if there's really no reason to sweat it, I just let us miss a lesson. Math, for instance, is on no set schedule. I don't miss often, but if I do it's not like we're behind. Reading, too, has more flex to it since both girls are reading fluidly and with comprehension.

9) I have to accept that things are probably going to have to be adjusted even after they're written down on Sunday night. Some weeks everything stays right where I first put it and I make my merry little check marks, knowing that I have thought through and planned for our time each day. That's so nice. But, sometimes the van needs new tires and I can't go to a park on the one dry day all week or sometimes I wake up with a whopper of a migraine (last week) and I actually have to ditch all school that day and call in reinforcements so I don't pass out on the baby. That's not so nice.

10) As far as the housework goes on the "extra" housework days, I keep in mind Elisabeth Elliot's reassuring motto: "Just do the next thing". It's not about scouring the house in one afternoon. I already admitted there's no way. I know about Flylady. I've checked out Flylady. I don't do Flylady. I think Flylady must have a very small house. I'm not mopping this kitchen floor in 15 minutes, honey. I remember asking an awesome older friend of mine (over 60) in Virginia for tips on scheduling housework. She looked at me like I had three heads. "Why do you need to schedule housework? You don't need a chart to tell you there are dishes in the sink?!" LOL, she's so sweetly blunt. I took it to heart, though. Anyway, I just have to do what needs done most and pray for the spirit to do it calmly and cheerfully - then choose to not stress about the rest. I try to get the dishes out of the sink and one load of laundry done (if I'm caught up) everyday. I'm training the girls to help out in certain things. We have a place for almost everything and try to get most things in their place each afternoon and evening. I swallow my pride and ask my husband to help me every so often. Dear sweet man. I do a little more on rainy days with a little bigger cup of coffee. No real golden nuggets of profound wisdom really, but I hope maybe a little reassuring to someone.

Charlotte Mason Distinctives: What Really Reeled Me In

What are the distinctives of a Charlotte Mason education? What makes the CM method so unique and why are so many homeschoolers choosing this route for their children?

When I first began reading about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy, I was already implementing some of her methods unknowingly. For instance, I knew I had a strong preference for using living books instead of textbooks in the areas of history, science, and literature. I had never heard the term "living book", but I knew that there were some wonderfully well written books available for children, and textbooks seemed unnecessarily dull and dry to me. I was interested when I heard there was a whole approach to homeschooling that used nothing but books likes these.

I took my first steps toward CM, and barely even knew it ;)

So, what exactly is a living book? In Miss Mason's third volume, School Education, she illustrates how a child's enjoyment of a book may be one measure of whether or not the book is living: "The children must enjoy the book. The ideas it holds must each make that sudden, delightful impact upon their minds, must cause that intellectual stir, which mark the inception of an idea" (p. 178). Here, I think, we find what we are trying to get at with living books. Impact. Ideas. Intellectual stir. There is no yawning and glum turning of page after page. These books are interesting. The thoughts that they stir up both feed and exercise the young minds of their readers. They must also be challenging, well-written, and able to be narrated. This is what is meant by a "living book".

Before I began reading Charlotte Mason, I was already beginning to see the benefit of short lessons in our home. My older two girls were learning to read early and well by means of just ten minutes a day. They were, similarly, learning to write their letters in just as little time. When I read that Charlotte Mason advocated short lessons for all of the school subjects, I was immediately intrigued. After reading more, her method made so much sense to me! With short lessons, children remain fresh, attentive, and engaged. Time is not wasted on dawdling, wandering thoughts, and discipline issues that arise from fatigue. Lessons are crisp, focused, and - short. The result is plenty of free time for playing outdoors and pursuing other interests, as well as a positive attitude about school work in general. Who wouldn't want that?

Around the same time that I was looking more carefully at CM, I was also reading Teaching the Trivium, which actually references Charlotte Mason here and there. I was initially confused when I read Laurie Bluedorn refer to Charlotte Mason as the Habitual Method. Why would she call it that? I had just started reading Home Education for the first time, and it did not take me long to find out why the CM method could easily be just what Bluedorn suggested. Charlotte Mason focuses a great deal on the importance of training our children in positive habits. In the same vein, she writes about preventing the formation of negative habits. We are all creatures of habit, she writes, everyday tracing the paths of habit more and more deeply into our minds. Habits are critical in the proper raising of children and they are foundational to a proper education. Miss Mason's advise regarding habits has been every bit as valuable to me as the best child training books on the market today. I have been continually challenged and encouraged by her writings on this topic. Habits are the backbone of the CM method in our home. As I read more of Volume One, I was beginning to really get hooked.

Then, with my interest peaked by living books, habit training, and short lessons, I read Miss Mason's thoughts on the out of doors life for my children. I know it sounds dramatic, but every page I read left me so joyful, so thankful that I had found this woman so early on in our home education! Miss Mason writes in Volume One, "The chief function of the child- his business in the world during the first six or seven years of his life- is to find out all he can, about whatever comes under his notice, by means of his five senses; that he has an insatiable appetite for knowledge got in this way; and that, therefore, the endeavor of his parents should be to put him in the way of making acquaintance freely with Nature and natural objects" (p. 96). I cannot tell you how much these words resonated with me. In my heart of hearts I knew that true education in the early years could not be divorced from the natural world, and here was Charlotte Mason encouraging me to let long hours in nature be a purposeful component in the education of my children! "Never," she writes, "be indoors when you can rightly be without."

Hooray!

Now, before you think that I was ready to just read a living book for fifteen minutes a day and then go run around in the woods all afternoon, let me assure you - there is a final distinctive that really drew me to a Charlotte Mason education. Charlotte Mason's method is academically rigorous. If anyone doubts that statement, one look at the average PNEU curriculum puts all concern to rest. Second graders read Pilgrim's Progress, fourth graders read Shakespeare and Tennyson, and sixth grade children are delving into Don Quixote! Unabridged! There is poetry, nature study, classical music and composer study, challenging history accounts, and more. This is no slacker curriculum. In fact, for some mothers, it can be rather intimidating. I am so thankful for the wonderful women who have collaborated and put together the free CM curriculum resources at Ambleside Online. They have taken so much of the potential stress and confusion out of applying Charlotte Mason's methods in the 21st century. What a tremendous blessing!

There are, of course, many other wonderful aspects of Charlotte Mason's approach. I have left out narration, copywork, dictation, drawing, handicrafts, and foreign languages. This entry is long already, though, and I couldn't possibly touch on all of them. If you have more interest in learning about these and other distinctives of the CM method, please click on the buttons in the sidebars of my homepage. I hope to be continually adding to my store of posts on these subjects.

I hope you have been blessed by something you have read here :)

The North Wind Doth Blow

It's beginning to get trickier to get outside for long hours at a time. Up to this point, we've been able to have two park days a week during the school term, often having another long day outside on Saturday. With getting our school work and house work done, it's been difficult to do more; although, we have had one or two weeks that were so incredibly beautiful that we took school with us and went to parks for three or more days out of the week. Schedules like that have been more the exception than the rule.

Charlotte Mason urged parents to take the children out for long days in the country on "every suitable day" between the months of April and October. She lived in England's Lake District, which may have a very different climate from our own homes. Being in Ohio, our weather is not so terribly different than that of London, but we are, generally, about ten to fifteen degrees warmer and less rainy. One day in July, when the temperatures in Ohio were pressing 100 degrees with high humidity, I checked the London weather online. It was in the mid-70s. Armed with this bit of pertinent information, I decided that July and August were generally miserable months in my neck of the woods, and I would trade them in for March and November, instead.

So, November is here. Can we really try for more than 4 hours outside on two days this week? On Monday, we had a shorter park day, 2 hours, but it's been our only one so far this week. Looking at our 10 day forecast, all of next week is going to be rainy, rainy, rainy. We have today and tomorrow before all that rain comes. I'm wondering, though, if 45 degrees at noon (wind chill 40) and 49 degrees at 3pm (wind chill 44)is too cold with Little Dude. I guess we'll bundle up and find out! The worst that can happen is that we'll come home after an hour or so. Even then, we will have had an hour outdoors.

I'll take what I can get :)


Oh, and by the way, yes, my birthday is tomorrow, Esther :)



UPDATE:

Well, we got out there :) This morning we went to a metropark and walked through a one mile wooded trail. It was cold, but the trees blocked much of the wind and it seemed warmer once we were deeper into the woods. We were all bundled up, besides :) The children were running so much, they barely noticed the cold. We were there for an hour and a half (part of the time on the trail I had them walk slowly and quietly "like Indians" and this took a bit longer). Then we drove back toward our house, picked up some food for lunch, and headed on to the arboretum. We spent 2 and a half hours there. The sun was out for most of it and, again, the trees helped block the chilly wind. Little Dude was probably warmer than he needed to be. All you could see was his little face :) I'm not sure how high it actually got today, but I'd say the actual temp was probably near 50 degrees. Without the wind, not too bad. In the windier parts, we needed mittens. Brrrrr. Baby was toasty all day, though. That's encouraging!

A Child Gets Knowledge By Means Of His Senses

"Watch a child standing at gaze at some sight new to him––a plough at work, for instance––and you will see he is as naturally occupied as is a babe at the breast; he is, in fact, taking in the intellectual food which the working faculty of his brain at this period requires. In his early years the child is all eyes; he observes, or, more truly, he perceives, calling sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing to his aid, that he may learn all that is discoverable by him about every new thing that comes under his notice. Everybody knows how a baby fumbles over with soft little fingers, and carries to his mouth, and bangs that it may produce what sound there is in it, the spoon or doll which supercilious grown-up people give him to 'keep him quiet.' The child is at his lessons, and is learning all about it at a rate utterly surprising to the physiologist, who considers how much is implied in the act of 'seeing,' for instance: that to the infant, as to the blind adult restored to sight, there is at first no difference between a flat picture and a solid body,––that the ideas of form and solidity are not obtained by sight at all, but are the judgments of experience.


"Then, think of the vague passes in the air the little fist makes before it lays hold of the object of desire, and you see how he learns the whereabouts of things, having as yet no idea of direction. And why does he cry for the moon? Why does he crave equally, a horse or a house-fly as an appropriate plaything? Because far and near, large and small, are ideas he has yet to grasp. The child has truly a great deal to do before he is in a condition to 'believe his own eyes'; but Nature teaches so gently, so gradually, so persistently, that he is never overdone, but goes on gathering little stores of knowledge about whatever comes before him.

"And this is the process the child should continue for the first few years of his life. Now is the storing time which should be spent in laying up images of things familiar. By-and-by he will have to conceive of things he has never seen: how can he do it except by comparison with things he has seen and knows? By-and-by he will be called upon to reflect, understand, reason; what material will he have, unless he has a magazine of facts to go upon? The child who has been made to observe how high in the heavens the sun is at noon on a summer's day, how low at noon on a day in mid-winter, is able to conceive of the great heat of the tropics under a vertical sun, and to understand the climate of a place depends greatly upon the mean height the sun reaches above the horizon."

The Weekly Nature Walk

I know. Four to six hours a day outside sounds absolutely NUTSO to some of my dear blogging pals. That's okay :) You know what, though? I'm not going to go on and on about multiple hours outside tonight. I'm going to talk about one little half hour. Thirty minutes that comes around just once a week. A weekly nature walk. Educational. Fun. Outside.

For a weekly nature walk, you don't need an old quilt or a half dozen bottles of water. You don't need a 90 acre park nor do you need a travel potty (well, usually not). You may need a little sunscreen or herbal bug spray before you leave, but all you really cannot do without is - a slow pace and nature eyes. "Nature eyes" simply means eyes that are ready to see anything - to really observe it - and to see it with great attention.

The goal is to walk slowly around your own neighborhood for 30 minutes one day a week.

Look up and down, listen carefully. You may want to let each child take a brown paper bag along to collect natural treasures they find along the way. If your children turn out to be voracious little naturalists, you may want to buy a small plastic bin lined with a paper towel or a cardbox for them to empty their bags into after you return home. If your child picks up an acorn, take a moment and gently help him really see the acorn. Examine it. If you pop the top off, what does it look like? What part do you think a squirrel eats? What tree did it fall from? One acorn can easily lead to ten full minutes of observation and play beneath the oak tree. We learned late this summer that each type of oak produces an acorn with a characteristic shape. A red oak acorn looks differently than a burr oak acorn, for instance. SweetP has made a little game of learning to identify them. Shug and Punkin just knock them around with sticks :)

The key is to go slowly and to really exercise the skills of attention and observation.

Stop and watch the little flock of sparrows. Why do they keep flying over to that tree? Can you tell what kind of tree it is? What do they have in their mouths? There are even clouds above to watch and talk about and dandelions that your neighbor would gladly let the children pick. That's the third monarch butterfly you've seen flying in that direction. Where are they going? In what direction are they headed?

Now, if you have energetic little ones (as I have) it may be a good idea to allow an extra ten or fifteen minutes at the beginning of the walk for an all-out run. This, of course, is excellent exercise. We can count it in our school day as Phys. Ed.! :) Once they have run a bit, they'll be a little more inclined to go slowly and pay more attention. It's not something to pressure them about, only lead them gently to look more closely and for just a little longer. After a few weeks of practice, they will begin developing more of an interest in their findings and attention will naturally increase.

The point is to enjoy God Almighty and His creation - to "consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air".

Even a short walk outdoors offers countless opportunities to marvel at the awesome (in the true sense of the word) creative imagination of our God. Maybe it would be well if we asked the Lord for eyes to truly see His creation when we go out with our children. It is all around us, but we know so little about it. It's so encouraging, though, that the more we learn the more we want to learn.

Isn't that what education is all about?

Blessings,

Jacci

Check out this website dedicated to helping parents get

their children outdoors in nature for one hour a day.




AND... did you know that this week is Take A Child Outside Week?

Visit this website to learn more :)





*I feel that I should warn you of something inevitable. There is almost no getting around it. If your children have any interest at all in nature, you will have to identify at least one of the findings you bring home. Sometimes I tell the children before we even set out on a walk, "We will not be able to identify all of these leaves this afternoon, but I will be certain to set aside time next week to find out their names". I've been building up a collection of nature fieldguides to help me with our naming projects, but the internet works too :) My neighbor is constantly looking up this leaf and that bug on the internet with her daughter. There is no lack of information out there :) Happy nature walking!

Of Course, Silly Me Charlotte!

Well I had quite the epiphany the other day whilst reading Miss Mason's second chapter. In it, she recommended getting outside for three hours each day during the winter months. She also recommended accomplishing this by going outdoors for one and a half hours in the morning and another one and a half in the afternoon. That's when it hit me! In all this talk about four to six hours out-of-doors every day from April to October, she didn't necessarily mean four to six hours in a row! Ah, it makes it all seem so much more attainable and, might I add, sane? Four to six hours in the summer months (during daylight savings) isn't really all that hard when you break it up. See, look...

Morning playtime in backyard - 1 hour

Lunch outside - 1/2 hour

Walk around neighborhood after lunch - 1/2 hour

Afternoon playtime in backyard - 1 hour (Joy napping in house after walk)

Late afternoon trip to park, trails, pond, etc. - 2 hours

Hour with Daddy outside after dinner - 1 hour (still light in the summertime!)

So we wind up with 4 hours on days we just can't get to a park or nature center, and 6 full hours on days we can. Punkin naps at home! In fact, we don't even need to leave home until after her nap. Now, I do think CM probably thought 4 hours at a stretch was a good thing, and some days it might be, even for us. But, it sure seems more realistic when it's broken down a bit. Don't worry, y'all, I'm not going to start logging "minutes outside" to make sure I get my minimum in ;) I think it's useful, though, to see how just a little schedule tweaking here and there could really add up to a lot of time outdoors. I am convinced it's a good thing for the girls and their Mama.

Rainy, Breezy, Lovely Day

Am I the only one who has really enjoyed the drizzly, chilly weather this week? I'd take this over 96 degrees any day! The girls and I got outside more in the last few days than we have in weeks simply because the heat magnified any ickiness I was feeling. This cold front is a welcome relief for me :) Not to mention, it makes me feel like fall is coming. I love the fall!!!

This morning, Hubby and I took the girls to a late breakfast at the Bagel Cafe. It was "late" because they slept in. Isn't that a wonderful gift from God on a Saturday morning? After the bagels, and despite the sprinkling drizzle, we went to the arboretum. Sam had wisely brought along the girls' jackets, so they were toasty - although still not completely dry. We went to see the caterpillars and butterflies in the Butterfly House. This is the last Saturday it's open. In fact, it closes altogether on Monday so we were glad to get out one last time for the year. If you haven't gone, it's worth the trip next summer. Especially in late July and early August when the weather really begins to get hot.

Two summers ago, when I was expecting Punkin, a Black Swallowtail landed on my big ole' belly and rested there for quite a while! It's a neat place, well operated. The most knowledgeable volunteers always seem to be there on the weekend, just a tip.The girls each got to hold a caterpillar and asked the volunteers lots of questions. Hubby and I even learned a thing or two :) For instance, when a monarch's "antennae" start to look shriveled, it means he's ready to shed his last skin and make a chrysalis. Isn't that amazing? The whole process is amazing. Nature has plenty to offer in evidence of a caring, powerful Creator. I love to see my girls enjoying the natural world our great God has made :)

It was a beautiful day.