The world is our classroom

We have been wrapping up our second school year at Keystone Academy.  Spring fever infected us much earlier this year since mild weather arrived in March.  We just completed the second round of standardized testing this past week, and I'm more than ready to announce, "School is closed for the summer!"  However, as a parent, I realize that we are always in the process of educating our children.  As a lover of learning, I look forward to making great discoveries with the children this summer in a less formal learning environment.

Ready for the symphony

Several friends from our homeschool co-op and I took our children to an educational concert given by our state symphony this past week.  The symphony performed a beautiful selection of classical pieces to illustrate musical rhythm, tempo, dynamics, texture, form, and melody.  We had previously studied orchestration and several of the classical composers featured during the concert, so our symphony field trip was a great supplement.  The kids were amused when I pulled out my old recorder from grammar school and played one of the selections from the concert for them.

The kids enjoyed seeing their friends from co-op at the concert.  Our son was especially excited to see his Spanish teacher there.  He gave her two big hugs at the concert hall, but when we got home, he told his father that he wished he had given her three hugs instead. His sister was right about him when she entitled a poem about him "The Loving Boy". (Read her poem here.)

I had made plans to attend a National Day of Prayer (NDP) event nearby after the concert.  Since I had already paid for all day parking near the auditorium for the Symphony concert and the prayer event was less than a mile away, I thought it would be easier to walk instead of driving and searching for another parking space.  Unfortunately, I had my average running pace in my mind when I calculated how long it would take us to walk there.  I did not consider that a 4-year-old takes five times longer to walk a mile than it takes me to jog that same distance.  Why is it that the same kids who run several miles in circles around the backyard each day complain profusely when their mother informs them that they will be walking less than one mile to a special event? 

As we walked, we came across a rather large crowd gathered at the state capitol building.  The children heaved a sigh of relief because they thought we had reached our destination.  When we drew closer, I noticed grim-faced people holding signs with such words as "Good without God", "You pray for me. I'll think for you.", and "Use your noodle".  Then I realized that we had come upon a public protest against the National Day of Prayer.  My children became frightened, so we rushed past the gathering.  I published a slightly controversial article about the protest and "The National Day of Reason" here.

National Day of Reason

Use your noodle!

Protestors

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An aside
Some people assume that homeschooled children live in a holy huddle, sheltered from the world. While driving the kids to a piano lesson last week, I had to pull over at least 6 different times so that police cars would zoom by.  Then we got stuck in a rubbernecking traffic jam.  While we waited for the traffic to begin moving, the children watched multiple policemen pull men out of a dilapidated house and handcuff them. In the past 10 days, our sheltered children have witnessed both a drug bust and a public protest by a group of atheists.

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As we continued walking, I mused over the irony of the protestors' signs which suggested that people who pray do not think.  Have they not thought about the statistical impossibility of even the simplest life form evolving out of nothing, much less the complex human brain?  In this article, I listed a few of the greatest thinkers of all time who happen to be Christian men who prayed.

The prayer event was very well organized and God honoring.  There was a great spirit of unity amid the diverse body gathered.  For a detailed account of this event, please check out the article I published here.

I was pleased to see several members from our church leading worship and prayers.

During the prayer gathering, there were two periods set aside for prayer huddles.  The kids and I joined some strangers for small group prayer.  My daughter was not the least bit timid about praying aloud and even initiated the prayer time in our group. She prayed for our nation and its leaders.  She interceded for the victims of the recent tornadoes.  She even prayed for the salvation of our nation's president AND for the souls of the protestors!  She really surprised and humbled me.  

The crowd was very diverse.

All ages were represented.

Prayer postures ranged from standing to prostrate.

These kids paid close attention and were serious about prayer.

Since we must commute long distances on a daily basis, we spend a lot of time in the car.  My favorite way to pass the time in the car is to listen to books on tape.  Sometimes I will be so wrapped up into a story that I'll sit in the car long after arriving so that I can listen to the rest of the chapter.  The first time I lingered in the car while parked inside our garage, my husband came out to ask me why I had not yet come inside.  I eagerly whispered, "He's about to propose to Elsie!"

On the way home from the NDP event, we finished listening to The Sugar Camp Quilt.  This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the life and culture of farmers residing in rural Pennsylvania during the difficult years leading up to the civil war.  An abolitionist in the story makes a patchwork quilt with symbols on each block that form a cryptic map leading runaway slaves to the next station on the underground railroad.  I have very little sewing experience and zero quilting experience, but our daughter wants to learn those skills.  

When I awoke late the next morning, our son ran into my bedroom and announced, "I know how to make a quilt!  First you cut squares out of fabric.  Next, you sew the squares together.  Then you add the fur!"

 

Well, I suppose batting does look a little like fur.

When I came downstairs, I saw what motivated him to talk about quilt making.  His sister had begun making her own quilt.

So, who would like to teach our daughter to sew and quilt?