Go and Do!
President’s Day, 2013
Today we played hooky from school and went to the
zoo. Never-mind that everyone else was
off today too. It was cold enough that
they weren’t all at the zoo, though. As
a matter of principle I try not to take too many days off official school work.
But, on the way home I was thinking
about how important it is to just “go and do” sometimes to break up the
monotony and routine of every-day life. I
can make lots of excuses not to go and do, from money to housework to “we
really ought to be doing curriculum based school”. We all need a break. Even kiddos who appear to play more than they
work. And Mommy needs to remember that
learning in a fun environment is sometimes more inspirational than learning at
the kitchen table. Mommy also needs to
remember that it is more fun, even for her, to be a kid and do kid stuff, than
to be a stuffy old adult all the time.
So here are some random thoughts on going and doing.
1.
ZOO Get a zoo membership if you live within one
hour of a zoo. We have 2 zoos that fit
that description, and right now the smaller, cheaper one fits our needs just
fine. It’s small enough that we can
spend 1-2 hours and see everything. It
also has some fun imagination-building play areas that the kids love to play on
and in. Non-member admission price for
the 5 kids and I would be $45. A year’s family
membership is $72, which I just renewed for $66. Do the math, and on our second visit we start
saving money. Even if we only make it to
the zoo three or four times in the year, it is well worth our investment.
2.
MAGAZINES So, while I am talking about subscriptions, I
have to encourage you to get a magazine subscription. It’s not a “go” but it is certainly a “do”. Some of our favorite “educational”
investments have been: High Five/ Highlights, Nature Friend, Club/Clubhouse,
and Family Fun. Some are Christian
based, some are not. All of them have
been worth the time spent sitting on the couch reading, talking, and getting
ideas for future endeavors.
3.
LIBRARY Get a library card and use it! Our county library is tied in with the
regional library system, so we can get books from all over our part of the
state delivered to our downtown library by request. The library offers toys and games, free
classes, and other learning opportunities.
And of course, if you want to learn something, read about it! Our library even offers home school
curriculum and learning resources. Get
to know your children’s librarians. They
will become of your best resources for finding supplemental resources to your
home school whether you un-school or use strict school-at-home teaching
methods.
4.
STREET FAIRS Does your town have free street fairs and
seasonal celebrations? Our little
college town offers a farmers market from Spring to Fall, Festa Italiana,
Woosterfest (Oktoberfest), Window Wonderland (Christmas), a jazz and arts
festival complete with a tamed down Mardi Gras-style parade, and several
drive-ins, among other events. The kids
love walking around down-town, and we always enjoying seeing our friends and
neighbors. Street Fairs are free- except
for maybe the hot dogs, French fries, and extra large drink that is just big
enough for everyone to have a few sips.
5.
COUNTY FAIR Our County fair is the best agricultural fair
in the state. It costs a whopping $3 for
a day’s admission. Even before we were
involved in 4-H we made a point to go almost every day of the fair, at least
for a few hours. This might not be
feasible where you live, but at least one day at the fair is worth its
admission price. You get to see and do
so much at the fair! There are animal
barns, arts and crafts exhibits, plants, baking, tractors, demonstrations, and all
kinds of other “educational” experiences even without hitting the midway. (Yes,
we budget in some money for that and fair food, too!)
6.
CAMP Camping is
cheap whether you tent-it or get a cabin or have a camper. It’s a great time for the family to spend
time together with each other and nature.
Some of my fondest memories growing up are of tenting across I-80 on our
way from California to the Midwest for family reunions, and camping with other
families from church in the great Sierra Nevada Mountains. Which brings me to my next point….
7.
TRAVEL Take the opportunity to travel across America. Go see Washington DC, New York City,
Sacramento and San Francisco, and any point in between that interests your
family. Seeing the mountains, plains,
and where the history happened brings the history and geography of our great
nation alive off the textbook page for kids and adults alike. A couple years ago we stopped to see the St
Louis Arch on our way to visit family in Kansas. The year before we had driven to a family
reunion in Iowa. Both trips included
several trips across the Great Mississippi River. As we studied Lewis and Clark and Western
Expansion after those two trips, my kiddos could picture the land that the
explorers, pioneers, and homesteaders traveled, the rivers and streams they
crossed, and the wildlife they encountered.
8.
MISSIONS
TRIPS Go on a missions trip. If Mom and/or Dad feel God wants them to
travel abroad to other people groups for two or three weeks, farm out the kids,
and GO! If it is convenient and the kids
are old enough, go as a family. Being
abroad and out of your comfort zone will open your eyes to the needs of the
world beyond our doorstep. My trips to
Mexico City, Bogota, Colombia, and my husband’s trip to Bosnia were absolutely
life changing. We both see life through
different eyes, we see the world through different eyes. We pray for and give
to our foreign missionaries with hearts
that know experientially how much they have given up and how hard their lives
are compared to ours.
Well, I am sure that gets your mind
going as to ways you can get out and see and do things that help maintain “the
spice” in your life.
