Summer Fun

Summer in Vermont is our favorite time of the year. We have several different activities every year that we look forward to. Most days are already filled before the summer even arrives. There's usually less than 10 weeks where we are not doing formal school work. But there are days when we get to just be outside and enjoy the weather with no plan. These are the days when "school" really happens. We're learning through exploring-- learning about the world God made, learning how to get along with each other, and learning how to see things in a different way. Here are a few things we did in June:

We have a little dirt bike road that runs alongside our house. It's fairly short and ends in a huge open field/ farm. We have started walking it pretty regularly, just to see what we can see. Jacob is now able to walk most of the way on his own-- he just needs a little carrying past the mud puddles or he'd walk right through. Of course we stop a lot to pick up rocks, or to listen to the frogs and bugs.

We also love going strawberry picking. There are several pick-your-own around here. It only takes a few minutes, but it's fun for the kids to get to see how they grow and help bring some home. Jacob doesn't really like strawberries much, so he just kinda wandered and stepped all over the plants while we picked.

The kids were gifted new bikes from a guy at church who found them "in a dumpster" and fixed them up for them. They have never owned bikes, so even at 6 and 8 they don't know how to ride. Our yard is primarily thick grass, so it's difficult to pedal in, but if they fall they have a soft landing. They haven't had much time to practice balancing and riding, and I'm not sure if they'll get it this summer, but they enjoy that they have the opportunity.