"Yes, we have snow days . . . ."

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
and not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
with quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
and the grass rise.

And when the lights begin to show
up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
and then start down!

"Afternoon on a Hill" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Every now and then, a new acquaintance will discover that we home educate and make the natural observation, "Well, I guess the children don't get snow days then." I usually nod and assent, adding something expected like, "No, you're right, there really is no need for them." Yet, as often as this exchange has taken place, I have always felt a pang of guilt--the internal recognition that I am not being honest. To be truly candid, I would need to say, "Actually, the children have never missed a snow day in their lives. As a matter of fact, not only do they have snow days, but they also have crisp autumn sunrises, rainy afternoons, and glorious spring mornings. Sometimes a ray of sunshine peeking through a well-placed window pane is enough to set me packing a picnic and our journals to head for places known and unknown with my little troupe of companions. In fact, once the spring thaw hits, you would be hard pressed to find us home at all."

This surprising speech would, I am sure, raise eyebrows, but it would probably be met with sincere interest as well. My new friend would want to know how the children are to become educated with so many days spent outdoors, particularly unplanned days.

In our home, when things go well, education is a seamless part of everyday life. Books are read and discussed because they are on everyone's mind, poems are memorized because poetry is delightful, nature is studied because nature is intriguing, history is learned because history is engrossing, writing is practiced because writing is indispensable, and religion is embraced because Religion is everything. Learning cannot be contained in the four walls of our little learning room. If anything, it is nurtured and enhanced by the bracing effect of fresh air, the stimulation of a change of scenery, and the endless fascination afforded by God's natural world.

Sometimes, when one of my children returns rosy and breathless to tell me about something she's discovered during our visit to the seashore or a formal garden, my fancy turns to the beloved storybook character, Heidi, lingering in the brisk Alpine air, glorying in sunsets, and gathering blossoms in her skirt, always breathless to tell the Grandfather everything and seek his explanations. Was she learning more with the benevolent tutor in the rich house in Frankfurt? Some, I suppose, might think so.

I remember our beloved Pope, John Paul the Great. No one doubts that he was one of the greatest intellectuals of all time, yet, until illness imposed the indoors upon him, he remained an avid hiker, swimmer, skier, and sportsman. Some of the most moving pictures ever captured on film show our Pope, absorbed in his Rosary and hiking outdoors, his spang new white sneakers a perfect compliment to his spotless Papal robes. As a young priest determined to reach the hearts and minds of college students, Father Wojtyla's classroom was the rivers and fields and slopes of Poland, and he fashioned his ministry around kayaking, skiing, and woodland walks. This was a man who understood the human spirit, and his students never forgot him or his teaching.

Our learning room is a cozy place and many productive hours are spent there. Letters are learned and times tables mastered; projects are produced and folders are filled. Still, children need sunshine and showers and snow and slippery sidewalks. Providing this for them is one of the privileges and pleasures of home education.

Comments

[Karen E.]

Another beautiful post, Alice.

I always answer, in a rather pedestrian fashion, "Oh, yes, we have snow days ... Everyone should have snow days."

But, in future, I should like to carry your post around and pass it out to inquiring minds.

[Amy]

Beautiful! *This* is why we homeschool!

[Elizabeth Foss]

I've been a little disappointed in January because we've had no snow. My nicely boxed "Snowflake Bentley" unit is gathering dust. Your post reminds me that there are "Unseasonably Warm Midwinter Days" to celebrate. Lovely!

[Happyheartsmom]

Awesome post Alice, you can all come to my neck of the woods for three feet of snow, it's a snow day here ALL winter long!! We love our snow days and we of course are pining for Spring and new buds. I didn't know the Pope wore tennis shoes!

[AliceG]

Thank you very much!!!

[Jennifer]

I'm so glad Dawn linked to this today! It is a most perfect post and exactly how we approach education. I scheduled our "year" to end in April so we can spend all spring outside REALLY learning. Lovely, Alice.

[Jennifer]

I'm so glad Dawn linked to this today! It is a most perfect post and exactly how we approach education. I scheduled our "year" to end in April so we can spend all spring outside REALLY learning. Lovely, Alice.

[Theresa ♥]

((Alice)) what a beautiful post. Thank you for bringing beauty to the everyday.