earthschooling

yesterday j and i set off again for another nature walk. e decided to stay home with papa. he had his own list of things to do and they didn't include trekking around the nature sanctuary with us. so andrew stayed home with him and helped him do what he needed to do. i believe the list went something like this, riding the new birthday bike for a bit, playing kickity kick (a game he invented that includes a soccer ball, a hula hoop and two players, one for offense and the other for defence. the aim is to dribble the ball (feet only--no hands) around the defence and get the ball inside the hula hoop), practicing his sword fighting skills and perhaps a bit of wrestling. he is a very physical little boy and activities like these are absolutely vital for him and learning about who he is. sitting still is rarely ever on his agenda.

j, on the other hand, is so very different to his little brother. although he's just as energetic as e, he moves at a much slower pace. he doesn't like fast, aggressive, loud play. so, slowly we went on our walk yesterday. we saw so many wonderful sights. the wildflowers are just beginning to wake up and peek out at the world. the bush was literally abuzz with excitement. the drone of bees in the treetops was our constant company as we walked the pathways of the park. it was so relaxing j and i both fell easily under its spell, dreaming of green, bathed in warmth.

lenkunya munda or pretty flatworm

j spends alot of time looking under stones and logs so he finds lots of invertebrates, mostly worms, slugs and snails, of all kinds. as a result he's learned on his own the different varieties that live here in our immediate area. of course we often use the library as a resource and borrow heaps of field guides to help us learn what's what, but not until he's satisfied that he's found a good assortment of what's out there. he almost always has a small hand held magnifying glass with him so that he can make a thorough investigation. yesterday he told me that this little guy above has a small cluster of eyes on the side of his head, as do all flatworms. and just today in the garden he came to me and explained how earthworms reproduce. i sort of had a vague sense anyway, but he clarified everything with graphic details.



here he found a small termite colony in a rotting tree stump while i was busy photographing tasman flax lilies for the umpteenth time that afternoon. he broke off a small bit of wood from the stump and began investigating. when he was satisfied he put the wood along with the termites next to the stump so that they would find their way back to the colony.

beautiful, abandoned

there is no shortage of spiders around these parts, but we couldn't find the owner of this lovely home. but oh the light hitting those lines! those angles! we were mesmerized. i couldn't take my lens off them.

tension

playing with silk, he's always amazed at how strong, yet flexible it is.

lychas marmoreus or little marbled scorpion

he said this little guy was by far the best find of the day. i think i have to agree. it was under the last log we over turned. j was so excited as it's the first one he's seen here "in the wild".

i'm sure there are lots of parents/people out there who might disagree with me letting j turn over stones and logs etc in search of these creatures, but it's who he is. it's what he has to do. we've talked about why it's important to put things back the way we found them. he understands that and i always help him put everything back just so. we also talk about respecting these beings and their right to exist. he understands that as well. it's pure investigation on his part.

he also understands on a very deep level that all of nature has so much to give and teach us. everything has a story which is he is so keen to hear.

at the end of the day i have to wonder, would either of my boys be happy in a classroom? would they thrive in that environment the way they do on a nature walk or during an intense game of kickity kick? i have to wonder.