Charlotte Mason would have loved my pond. Only a half-mile from our house, the pond has river otter, blue heron, and other fabulous Northwest wildlife. When we moved here, I thought I would spend hours at the pond with my children, doing nature studies. A short distance from Puget Sound, I fantasized about oceanography units and marine biology studies…..I dreamed of examining algae under a microscope and I was positively giddy about the ducklings.Except…..it didn’t happen. It’s one thing to focus on “delight-driven” studies, but what about driving “non-delightful” studies? 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. Sigh! What’s a Charlotte-Masony Mom to do?
I finally had to conclude that the “delight” in delight-driven was about them, not me. I had to let go of the fabulous nature studies and focus on the ways my children learned instead. “Let them have books!” I decided.
Now that the kids are in college, my husband and I frequently walk to the pond, and walk to the beach, and enjoy our nature studies together. And he doesn’t whine… usually….
Blessings,
Lee
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The HomeScholar
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Kristine says:
LOL, Lee, that’s funny. It’s perfectly descriptive of you and your boys! I’m wondering how in the world I will find ANY balance this year, with everything we have going on!
August 28th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
{ jamie } says:
Thanks for sharing! And I, too, would enjoy that pond!
September 21st, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Deb Spradlin says:
You are a life-long learner. The ultimate goal!
Deb Spradlin
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Reda says:
Sometimes it seems to take a little longer for boys to appreciate some of the things we enjoy so much. They may surprise you and want to take you on a walk and look at that beautiful pond one day:)
February 18th, 2010 at 7:27 am
Jennifer Grant says:
This is soooo true. I had weekly outdoor science “field trips” planned when we first started. Not anymore! So nice to know I am not alone!!
February 18th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Paula says:
I appreciate this! It sounds very similar to my story. We’ve been homeschooling 8 years and a lot has changed throughout the years as I’ve learned, along with my kids, what works and what doesn’t in our home.
February 18th, 2010 at 6:07 pm