Snow Day

We really don’t take snow days around here, since we only need to walk into the front room or basement to “do school.” Lots of snowstorms we have sat on the couch, reading aloud and enjoying the fact that we were not “out in it.” Around here, near the Arctic Circle named Michigan, it gets COLD during the winter. It’s not like Indiana (our former home) where it snows and then you quickly go sledding and build your snowman before it all melts again. I think Indiana actually had an intense winter as well….but probably not quite the nearly 120 inches of snow we have endured.

When we get a warm sunny day here, like low 40’s…that’s a heat wave, Friends! The two youngers were out all afternoon building snow forts and sledding down the plowed up “snow hill.” I had visions of getting a lot of school work done, and we did, but more like lots of nature study. I love the flexibility to do this.

One thing I’m going to start soon is a Book of Firsts. Charlotte Mason really encouraged teachers/parents to help children to establish a relationship with the nature by recording the “firsts” of the year, first day of seeing a robin, first thunderstorm of Spring, first 90 degree day (in Michigan, that may be the one and only day!)  You get the picture…I’ve seen a few beautiful examples of this online, and plan on reporting back here with what we come up with as our own Book of Firsts. I have a twinge of guilt that I’ve been homeschooling for nearly 14 years and have never down this. But, no guilt, right? We pick up what we have been given the Grace to do for this season, and march on.

How do you include Nature Study in your day? Or is your house often in a State of Nature?? (Us too, it’s ok!)