The Great Outdoors in our Homeschool Day

Girls and Benjo enjoy a little snack outdoors before their next class

It's funny how when people think of homeschool, they think of kids simply doing school at home. They may imagine that it’s like a home version of what a classroom setting is like. While that may be true for some families, it is not true for all, and it certainly isn't true for mine. There’s a great deal of flexibility in our day. We like to be outdoors playing, frolicking and exploring. We enjoy visiting, being out on the town, going to co-ops, having lunch with friends and chats with neighbors. 

We enjoy all of these rich experiences that elicit new vocabulary, manners, social prowess, confidence in the outdoors and enjoyment of nature.  So, today we got to enjoy a much needed break from Virtual Academy. I had planned to stuff our Bible lesson in before the next class, but the girls just wanted to be outside. I figured it would be good for them. So I allowed them to enjoy the fresh mountain air while they ate their vegan strawberry yogurt. Benjo got in on the fun too which made it extra special. Here are some other highlights from our day.

• Norah's new VA teacher is enthusiastic and personable
• Shiloh was engaged and learning some cool things in her class
• David made a delicious lunch of Peruvian bean tostadas
• Benjo Slept for 2 1/2 hours while girls were outdoors for their 2nd excursion.
  
• The girls enjoyed some awesome play time and social time with their church school teachers
• They got to hear us talk about long-term financial planning while driving in town
• They helped us process the pros and cons of buying a RV
• We enjoyed the novel experience of eating at a raw vegan restaurant as a family. It was so yummy!
  
• Oh, lastly they sang us "Happy Anniversary" while driving back home

 

All in all, today was a great day. We did miss our Bible Lesson, but we never exclude Bible training since our morning devotions elicit great conversation. We returned home a little later than usual, tired, yet excited to have spent such sweet time together as a family. Flexibility never felt so good….