Homeschool Conference!!!


Look at all those beautiful little feet two people can create!

Look at all those beautiful little feet two people can create!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

The world is our classroom!


If I didn't already homeschool my kiddos,
this photo just might push me right over 
that teetering edge of "Should I - Shouldn't I"!

My heart smiles as I look at this ~
WHY?
Well,
this is what I can offer to my children 
EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

No I can't take them EVERYWHERE 
in the world...
BUT
I can help them to FEEL LIKE THEY ARE THERE!
I can help to bring things to life for them...
I can help them to dream and to believe...
I can help them see 
the beauty, majesty and wonder of the vast creations of this world...

Yes, 
we have a FABULOUS
classroom
in our home...
filled with all the "Things" 
you would expect to find in a classroom.

But 
it is NEVER
limited to just that room!

If we feel like 
digging in to all that the study of ocean life holds
we can!
AND THEN
if we really wish to,
we'll just climb in the car
and head to the nearest ocean 
to soak it up first hand;
and if that seems out of our reach ~ 
well we'll settle for a trip to an aquarium.

Same goes with anything put before us...
Lewis and Clark Expedition???
You bet...
let's hit the road 
with a cooler in hand filled with all the sandwich fixin's necessary 
and go check it out...
WHEN we go out and see and touch and visit these places
my kids feel it,
they know it,
it becomes REAL to them...

It's FANTASTIC to read about it
or to see it on a screen.

BUT 
to REALLY see it...
THAT is using the world as your classroom!

To take the time to learn the ins and outs of Spelunking is great!
But let me tell you when I pose the question to my kids,
"How would you all like to try your hand at being a speleologist?" 
I have them!!!
Their interest is piqued...
It becomes an adventure in the making!

Memories are made when we 
go out and explore those caves...
when, with flashlights in hand,
we journey inside to check out the vastness 
or get down on all fours to crawl through the tiniest of places...
The lessons learned are innumerable...

Why are there puddles in this part of the cave and rocks in another part?
Why is it so cold?
Do bats live in here?
Did people ever live here?
Who found this cave?
How long has it been here?
Are there other caves that haven't been found?
Why do some caves have those hangy-down things and others don't?
Why are some filled with ice?
Can we explore a water cave?
How many different kinds of caves are there?
Just HOW did these caves become caves?
What made it happen and when did it happen?
Are new caves being formed or is this it, are we done with cave making?

Just by taking our kids on these mini-adventures,
we've opened a whole new world for them...
They are filled with questions and thoughts.
They have the opportunity to learn all that they may desire
and I will help to feed and fuel that desire in any way possible.

 I love that I have this room to educate our children in!  

I am grateful for our tables and chairs and white boards and screens
and the many, many items that make homeschooling
a snap to do each day...

But the moments I am 
most grateful for
are the times that we
use the world as our classroom and leave all else behind!


2 comments:

  1. I loved this! That photo truly is inspiring and makes me think all over again how homeschooling, to me, is endless possibilities.
    I love being inspired and found something really neat that I wanted to share with you, Stacey.
    I just wrote a post about it as I want to tell as many people as I can.

    http://gracefullanding.blogspot.com/2013/02/live-extraordinary.html

    You inspire me all the time. (Thank you for that!)

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    Replies
    1. Jessica,
      Heading right over to your blog.

      AND DITTO...YOU inspire me!
      It was great to see you Saturday. :)

      Hugs,
      Stacey

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