We didn't crack open a single (school) book today, and we have zero regrets. Instead, we wandered through the woods, threw rocks into Lake Michigan, and discovered a giant brown and white feather. Seagull? Robin? Owl? So many guesses. We savored the crisp fall air and watched the goldenrod waving gently. Baby Sister fell asleep against my chest as we walked.
Big Brother learned how to use a trail map and was FASCINATED. He studied the topographical map inside the nature center and noticed how it matched his paper map. We planned out our (short) route down to the lake, and he then took it upon himself to show me - at every turn and bend - exactly WHERE on the map we were.
We talked with a kind lady at the nature center who helped us figure out that our feather belonged to a wild turkey. We didn't see any during our walk, but maybe next time! One of the beautiful things about time in the woods is that it's never quite the same as it was last time. Each visit we notice something different. Nature is alive and growing and ever-changing.
For there are still so many things that I have never seen:
In every wood in every spring there is a different green.
~ The Fellowship of the Ring
(Tolkien quote, you're welcome.)
I swear there's something therapeutic about throwing stones into a large body of water. Every child does it and every child loves it.
Alas, we are still constrained by real-life obligations and limitations. Baby Sister will only sleep in the carrier for so long before she needs a real nap. Middle Brother needs to be picked up from preschool. Little Brother's legs are too short for long hikes and just baaaaarely made it back up the log stairs.
But it was a literal breath of fresh air and reminded me that learning isn't bound to workbooks and desks and inside time. If you haven't done it for a while, get thee outside! You'll be glad you did, I promise.
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