Saturday, June 09, 2007

springtime anew

It struck me while running this morning at 5:30am (early to bed, early to rise girl here) that traveling up to Maine in June is a lot like homeschooling your children.

We already experienced spring this year in Virginia, way back in early April. The azaleas and tulips bloomed like mad, the evenings were still chilly but the afternoons warmed up enough for a t-shirt and shorts. Traveling 600 miles north I have been enjoying spring all over again, this time with the rhododendrons and lilacs blooming and the famous blue and pink lupines blanketing the roadsides. Our first evening up here we actually had to light the wood stove and put on our flannel jammies which we had packed away 2 months before. Presently it is summer in Virginia, with a high of 103 F yesterday.
Homeschooling is a reintroduction to learning material that might have been boring or too complicated the first time around. When we read science aloud to our little ones, listen to older elementary age children read history stories, or discuss religious morality with our teens we are learning right alongside them. Mom might even get more out of it than the kids! While we are giving them a great education, we are also teaching them that learning is a life-long process and schooling is not just about passing a test or advancing to the next grade.
This summer we are going to finish up the last few weeks and then take some time doing "fun schoolwork" like art, reading aloud Childhood of Famous American books, and lots of nature studies. Have fun this summer and learn along with your children, its like getting a second springtime!

2 comments:

Michelle said...

Mmmm...I'd really like to be in Maine instead of hiding out indoors here in VA.

Hope your summer is lovely.

Sherry said...

Or even Canada! We're in the mid-90's here and it's rising fast!

Amen to your observation. I have loved relearning and learning new things while homeschooling my kids. It's been a great adventure.