August 3, 2021 – Tuesday
Nature – The Most Inviting Classroom
Today we were blessed to spend the morning on the North Carolina coastline! We are here visiting my best friend from college and her family for a long overdue visit. The last time I saw her daughter she was learning talk, now she is learning to drive. Thankfully best friends are not limited by time or distance. We are meeting them at their lake house in a couple of days. But first the beach! I couldn’t be this close to the ocean and not at least dip my toes in. Living in the Midwest, my love for waves is feebly satisfied by the prairie grass that ripples in the wind. The prairie is majestic in its own right, but is no substitute for the ocean.
To maximize our time, we woke before the sun, brewed a pot of coffee, packed breakfast and lunch and loaded the kids in the car to see what adventures awaited us. The waves were big, so we spent most our time in search of hidden treasures along the shoreline. Nary a moment is wasted if spent beachcombing.
Each beach presents its own unique treasures. I have explored the tide pools of southern California, and have been overwhelmed by San Diego's treasure chest of sand dollars. I have enjoyed the white sand beaches of Tampa with my parents and my babies more times than I can count. I have walked along the shore with sting rays on a rainy day in Florida, and have snorkeled the warm waters of Kauai with sea turtles. In La Joya, I reveled in the majesty of the sunbathing sea lions on the shore. Today... I am equally in awe of the beach and its treasury of magical encounters. Today... there were endless tiny black sharks teeth adorning the shores. Our only limitation to our collection is patience and time.
Once our quota for shark’s teeth was satisfied, we took to digging in the sand. My youngest would dig and dig only to watch his efforts continuously fill with water from below. It was a striking difference from the familiar Colorado Rocky Mountains and Midwest clay. As he dug, I gently grasped on to the opportunity before me to talk about sea level. We reminisced about our hike above tree line years ago, a stark 10,000 ft. comparison to our current digging elevation. Geography is so much more riveting when experienced in person. Nature is God’s classroom! I have never been disappointed by the lessons gleaned from simply being outside and observing creation. We didn’t set out to learn about sharks teeth and elevation today… it just happened! God’s creation is the most inviting classroom.
Later that morning I spent some time nestled in the shelter of my Shibumi beach shade with a kindred spirit, as I read Karen Andreola’s Pocketful of Pinecones: Nature Study with the Gentle Art of Learning: A Story for Mother Culture. Despite my love for nature study, I have learned over that years that it takes intentional effort to prioritize, and can easily get crowded out by more “academic” subjects if we are not careful. I long to focus on the subjects that bring delight and beauty into our days, like music, art, literature, foreign language and nature study, and Karen’s book was encouraging me to do just that.
Like a tender hug in the warmth of the salty wind, I felt a nudge from the Lord to keep a journal much like the one I am reading. A nudge to simply capture the delight and beauty in our homeschool days, like lightening bugs in a mason jar – and let them shine. In order to capture beauty, we must first focus on it. In that moment a fire was kindled within me to focus on beauty, capture it, and to let it shine!
“Look! An Osprey!” Suddenly, my thoughts were derailed by my ten year old daughters sighting of an Osprey. She watched this magnificent bird dive into the ocean and catch its breakfast in its talons. This is the same little girl who at age three was captivated by owls, and hasn’t relented in her study of birds of prey since. My once budding owl lover is now an educated raptor enthusiast. The osprey provided a clear and timely reminder that nature is indeed one of our children’s greatest teachers!
Charlotte Mason knew well the benefits of being outdoors in nature, and she encouraged us to instill a love for nature in our children. We do that best by simply giving our children adequate idle time outdoors with the Lord in His creation.
Sharks teeth. Check.
Altitude and elevation. Check.
Birds of prey. Check.
Our magnificent Teacher must be so excited to show us His beautiful creation today!
“A love of Nature, implanted so early that it will seem to them hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health, and good humour” (Vol. 1, p. 71).
I am not sure what this journey will look like, all I know is that I have been invited (yet again) by the Lord to do something bigger than I am capable of in my own strength. The simplest path is the well-traveled path. A path I seem to becoming a stranger to. I am grateful for the Lord’s guidance down the path less traveled.