Outdoor Hour Challenge. VII.

We’re about to wrap up our “getting started” segment of our Outdoor Hour Challenge.  (We are on Number 9 of the 10 steps to getting started!)

And that really makes me happy!

It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed the first ten steps to get us started.

I have.

It’s just that I subscribe to the newsletters for the website and each week super appealing outdoor ideas come across my screen and I want to to do them instead.

But this form of discipline, of patience, is something that is lacking in my life and in our homeschool routine so sticking to the plan is pretty vital practice for me right now.

You know – that whole idea of finishing what you started, doing one thing well, staying on track – that’s what I need to be about in this particular season of my life I think.

This week our goal was to study one small space.

To mark off one small area and focus intently on discovering what life was taking place in that square of earth and soil and leaves.

We squared off a small area outside in the woods with yarn and sticks and rocks.

Our area seemed relatively uninteresting at first because we chose a spot in the woods covered in fallen leaves.

But after a few moment’s notice, just as Charlotte Mason promised, Piper Finn saw some slight movements.

It was an ant.

Which is a pretty tiny specimen.

But, you know what?

It was the perfect size.

We might have seen more, we wanted to stay outside, but it was just too cold to draw adequately with numb fingers.

I surprised the kids with a pack of brand new crayons.

(And the really funny truth is – they had never had a 64 pack of crayons with built-in sharpener before.  They were impressed!)

We came back to the schoolroom, settled down with our new crayons and studied ants.

We drew them, we talked about them, we stared at them under our magnifying lens.

I love how even a simple find is enough to study.  I love how God makes tiny creatures full of wonder.  I love being outside with our children.

I definitely want to try this activity again in various seasons and locations.  I think summer would be great to see the earth teeming with some activity.

Plus, a square of beach would be full of viewing opportunities too.

And I can’t wait to begin our next phase of being on pace and in real time with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.