August 23, 2014
It’s 8:30 am, raining hard, the sky is grey and dreary outside, and we are all asleep. It also happens to be the first day of public school in this town. We slept through the dragging of kids out of bed. We slept through the rush of getting dressed in new school clothes. We slept through the hurried half eaten breakfast, the missing shoe, the craziness of racing to the bus stop. As the kids woke up to their own rhythm, and meandered downstairs, we ate a healthy, happy breakfast together. We talked to each other, and giggled about our lazy morning. The kids were most happy about not needing to carry an 80 lb. backpack out the door. The morning was awesome, but as the day progressed it was also uneventful. Just another summer break day. Nothing too exciting. Unceremonious. The kids played. I cleaned. We watched a movie.
Later they went outside, and I sat watching them play. I realized how much both of them love to play. Matthew is 12, Arianna 10, and they love to make new games up. I am reminded, again, that play is taken away from kids entirely too soon. This is a huge part of learning and growth even into teen years. We are definitely putting BE--free play--time into our school daily. The day ended with one of the kids asking, “So, Mom, when are we starting homeschool?” I looked right at them and said, “We already have. You made up that swing game, designed rules and negotiated out a point system. That is problem solving, math and physical education.”
They both turned to me, shock on their faces, and said, “This school is going to be awesome!” I believe it will be. Unceremonious, indeed, did conclude with a satisfying joy of learning through the extraordinary normalness of life.
