Spring Fever!

Clear, sunny days, warm enough to get out-- spring fever has arrived! It's time to close the textbooks and rack up a few hours toward the boys' elective classes in "Landscape Maintenance" and "Forest Management." So far this week, we've worked on pruning ornamental shrubs and fig trees; building a split rail-style fence from 15' sections of fallen trees; leaf-raking, and selective daffodil harvesting;-). Lunch on the deck is mandatory, though the brisk breeze tends to whisk away napkins before we've even begun.

This is one of the beauties of home education-- it can be tailored to fit the person, situation, and context. We can concentrate on math and language arts through harsh winters and blazing summers, then focus on outdoor joys when beautiful weather arrives. One of the cruelest facts of institutional schooling is that it robs children of the freedom to experience seasonal changes in any memorable way. (And really, how did it ever get to be normal to institutionalize children for a dozen or more of the most significant developmental years of their lives?)

The skills my boys are learning in their practical electives will be useful throughout life. They won't be forced to hire expensive help to do simple, satisfying home, property, and car maintenance tasks, and by the time they are so busy that the task no longer seems satisfying, they may be able to train their children to take over.

It has been one of my goals to equip the boys with the ability to earn a living with either minds or hands, whichever they choose. I don't want them to be lopsided-- all filling and no donut. Physical activity can refresh a tired mind, just as a comfortable reading break can refresh a tired body. Remember, mens sana in corpore sano!

I believe that developing competence in multiple arenas is a way to achieve emotional balance and economic security. It's also a way to encourage the kind of synergistic thinking that made Leonardo da Vinci one of the greatest Renaissance achievers in art, science, and math. And finally, being able to work with either head or hands as necessary provides adaptability to meet changing family and economic needs. It also reduces the likelihood that personal identity becomes tied up in a job title.

In the final analysis, multiple competencies make it easier to focus on family relationships and the things that matter most in life, and to maintain personal equilibrium in the face of life's challenges. So-- it's a beautiful day-- wouldn't you rather be outside doing a bit of nature study?