Charlotte Mason would have loved my pond. It’s only two blocks from my house. The pond has salmon, river otter, blue heron, bald eagle, and huge variety of ducks and geese. The park will sometimes even have visiting wildlife – coyotes, rabbits, racoons and more. When we moved here, I thought I would spend hours at the pond with my children, doing nature studies. I bought some fabulous books about nature studies that I loved;
A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison
More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison
The pond is just a few yards from Puget Sound, I fantasized about oceanography units and marine biology studies. I bought great books for a Marine Biology unit:
The Seaside Naturalist: A Guide to study at the Seashore by: Deborah A. Coulombe
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures.
I dreamed of examining algae under a microscope and I was positively giddy about the ducklings. I was all set up to encourage my children so they would delight in nature studies, and learn naturally in the great outdoors.
Except there was one problem. It didn’t happen that way at all!
My boys would whine and complain the whole time we did nature studies. They loved physical exertion, and didn’t mind getting out for a bike ride or a swim, but they didn’t want to just “sit there and look at stuff.” All they wanted was books and bikes. It’s one thing to focus on “delight-driven” studies, but what about driving “non-delightful” studies? What’s a “Charlotte Mason Style Mom” to do?
I finally had to conclude that the “delight” in delight-directed learning was about them, not me. My learning style is not the same as their learning style. My interests are not their interests. I had to let go of the fabulous nature studies and focus on the ways my children learned instead. If they loved books… well, I’d let them have books.
My children are grown now, and it’s just me and my husband at home. We frequently walk to the pond, and walk to the beach, and enjoy our nature studies together. And he doesn’t whine at all! You see? Success is just a matter of time!
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J W says:
Anytime you want to borrow my students, let me know – we don’t have access to that private park. I used to sneak in when I was a teenager, so I know all about it, but nowadays it’s harder. I have a car to park now – not a bike or my own two feet, and people don’t bother a lone teen – but they do ask questions of a matron with two teens in tow!
February 13th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
J W says:
Oh, and just so’s you don’t get to feeling too sorry for yourself that you didn’t get to do nature studies… Here’s the flip side of nature studies, LOL!
No, you can’t take it home. I mean it! NO!!! Put it BACK!!! NOW!!!
Wild animals are NOT DISNEY ANIMALS!
Just because it’s cute doesn’t mean it won’t bite (thank God we didn’t have to go to the emergency room and explain that little adventure).
Just because it’s cute doesn’t mean some predator won’t come along and kill and eat it while you’re watching.
Just because it was cute at one time doesn’t mean it won’t stink and look absolutely pukeiferous if it’s been dead awhile.
If your child doesn’t have the heart to dump the microscopic zoo down the toilet, bring clothes pins to hold your nose while she dumps the nasty water back into the pond from whence it came.
Hmm… Maybe you won’t want to borrow my kids after all…
February 13th, 2012 at 6:04 pm