Life Nurturing Education

The past couple days we studied the poem The Barefoot Boy by John Greenleaf Whittier. My barefoot boy relates.

O! for boyhood’s painless play,
Sleep that wakes in laughing day,
Health that mocks the doctor’s rules,
Knowledge never learned of schools:
Of the wild bee’s morning chase,
Of the wild flower’s time and place,
Flight of fowl, and habitude
Of the tenants of the wood…

For, eschewing books and tasks,
Nature answers all he asks;
Hand in hand with her he walks,
Face to face with her he talks
Part and parcel of her joy.
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!

After carefully sketching Boys in a Pasture by Winslow Homer, he said,

Mom, I think I’m missing something in all the technology.

Now I’m not exactly sure what the “all” in his statement refers to since the extent of his technology is a computer game and the beginnings of a blog, but I suspect that even in his limited game time he senses the enticement. Immersion in a make-believe world cannot fill full the yearning of his heart for something more, something real. The longing is in my heart, too.

I feel it when I glance at the clouds, or see the stars. The universe is awesome. I hear it when the birds sing outside my window. Their gentle song reminds me to worship while I burrow in my bed. I see it when we stroll around the neighborhood. Thin blades of daffodils peek out of the ground giving hope for spring.

The small things beckon to be observed. The soothing beauty of creation pleads to be enjoyed. It is time to explore the wilderness. The woods in the park will suffice. We don’t need to go far, but we have to go.

Backyard Birding posted my son’s instructions for building a bottle bird feeder. His idea works well, and uses simple supplies. The hardest part is coming up with a bottle. We don’t usually buy cola, so we waited quite awhile for our second creation.

If you use these instructions, please share the results with us. It will encourage my young inventor to continue writing.

Speaking of writing, Kris used the alphabet to put together this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling. What a primer it is!

I need to recant. East Texas is buggy, but some of these insects are impressive. Today my son found a walking stick that was alive and well. Thankfully, it missed the dog’s jaws of death, so we were able to enjoy this amazing creature.

If you would like more information about walking sticks, my sidebar contains a couple links from our research. Look in recent bookmarks, where my del.icio.us finds are located.

When the door burst open, I heard, “Come, quick, Mom!” Hoping everything was all right, I followed my son. To my delight, Sunshine was staring at a praying mantis.

Observation is a theme for us this year. Observe means to think about what you notice. I want my children to open their eyes to the beauty in their surroundings. As mentioned before, our backyard isn’t very exciting, but it does support life. We just have to slow down and notice.

Two months ago, I recovered the pieces of our bird feeder from the dilapidated shed. My children watched eagerly as I toted the cedar puzzle into the house. Waiting for glue to dry gave me time to reflect on my attitudes about the world around me.

We live in hot, humid, buggy, East Texas. I prefer the air conditioned comfort of my living room, but long to recapture child-like wonder. Fond memories of my childhood include hunting for four-leaf clovers, crawling through mazes of corn stalks, and being amazed by enormous, purple, rhubarb, leaves. What will my children remember? They follow my example, so I’ve purposely started noticing the small things around me. This part of my plan for joy and contentment seems to be working.

The same day we studied the praying mantis, my children found a wolf spider, examined half a walking stick insect, (our dog may intimately know the other half), and sketched the beautiful patterns in a moth’s wing. They are truly beginning to observe the life and beauty around them. It is easy to overlook, especially for my imaginative, busy tribe. Seeing them quietly captivated by a camouflaged insect, thrills me. They are learning.

We enjoyed the past two weeks with friends and relatives in Southern Idaho.

The majestic beauty of the Sawtooth mountains haunts me. I want to go back.

My son does too. He conquered a huge hill, caught his first fish, paddled in Pettit Lake, and fed cows wind fallen apples.

Our backyard just can’t compare with such adventures. Observation and imagination will have to carry us through our longings for nature’s splendor. Let’s hope the birds flock to the repaired feeder and the swing set becomes a pirate ship.