"The flow of creativity feels like an avalanche of joy and wonder. Being open to that possibility creates connections with everything." - Feline Dreamers

Friday, September 03, 2010

Life in Harmony with the Seasons

One of the many things I like about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible with the family’s schedule. Granted, there are events that happen at certain times, like sports practices and community classes. But in general, our unschooling lifestyle allows us to live in harmony with the seasons.



This week we had a late-summer heat wave here in southern Maine. While most kids were putting on their fall clothes and boarding the school bus, we spent three days at the lake (one as a family, and two at a friend’s camp with the Maine Wholeschoolers). Yep, three days of swimming, playing Frisbee, having cookouts, laughing with friends, pushing each other off the float, sharing games, sitting by the fire at night, playing ball, and reading. It was fun and relaxing. One of the other parents commented to me, as we watched 13 kids (ranging in age from 10 to 16) happily horsing around in the lake, screeching with laughter, “it’s a shame that homeschool kids have such problems with socialization.”

Although September has arrived, it was still summer: blazing sun, temperatures in the 90s, refreshing breezes that played along the water’s surface told us so quite clearly. Rather than spending the best part of the day in a hot stuffy classroom (two of our schooled friends complained about the lack of air conditioning in their respective schools), we were out there enjoying ourselves. We’re living by the natural cycles of the earth, not by pages on a calendar. Even so, there will be plenty of time for us to achieve our academic goals. The cold and rainy days of November will find us reading aloud as a family, figuring out math problems, and conducting group chemistry experiments. And guess what – we’ll be enjoying ourselves then, too.

2 comments:

dreaming in maine said...

That sounds so wonderful. It's my every dream come true, and I *SO* wish my E. would reconsider homeschooling, but that seems a lost cause. I do have 2 more behind her, but they're still too little to do much with, especially with the older kids, you know?

I'm glad you all are having such a great time! That sort of flexibility is why I work at home :)

Unknown said...

It is wonderful to flow with the natural rythyms including our own inner clocks like when we are tired we go to sleep and wake up after being rested with out any forced betimes. In sync with the natural flow and changes of seasons is a truly wonderful way to live in the unschooling lifestyle so tuned in with nature and the rythyms!