Deani's Research Trip to Ambleside

This summer Deani and a handful of other CM researchers spent time at the Armitt in Ambleside. It's true! Deani was there!

You are all invited to read about the time she spent there and to view the stunning pictures of the Ambleside environs on the ChildLight USA blog. This is a direct link to her post and from that post you can read previous posts on the ChildLight blog. There's a treasure of knowledge and encouragement there!

Welcome home, Deani! Pack me in your suitcase next time - although I probably weigh more than a printer/scanner/computer/recording device all put together. Hmmm. But, then again, I'd help you carry your bags once we arrived!

Home Again

I've been putting off posting about our trip to Colorado. It seems that writing about it will end it completely. And yet there is so much to think about, to process, to share. It'll just have to come out in little bits because to do it all at once is too overwhelming! Besides that, I've sprained my little finger on my left hand (yes, I am left handed) and so typing is a challenge that I hadn't anticipated.

The photo in this post is the sky over the Rocky Mountains at the YMCA of the Rockies near Winter Park, Colorado. Every day of the Renovare Covenant Retreat included a time to practise the discipline of silence, and this sky was one of the gifts God gave me during my silence.

Now I need to go catch up on some of the work I've been putting off - fall is coming and the school year will soon be upon us. I better get to work.

One Hundred Species Challenge

Sandy Rusby Bell pointed me to this great idea. The point is to familiarize yourself with 100 species of plant life within walking distance of your home. Read the whole post to get instructions on how it works. It sounds like a great way to kick-start nature study for the new school year. Even if you don't blog yourself, you can do this in your nature journals, or even email this blog and share your information here, that way we can all benefit from what each of us learn. Do any of you think you'll give it a try? Please leave a comment if you plan to participate in this challenge.

We're getting ready to start school again after a wonderful summer of travel, play, and simply change of pace. Keep watching for the 2008-2009 meeting schedule which you'll receive in your inbox as well as post here on the blog.

Blessings to everyone these last weeks of summer!

Jennifer

A Dangerous Adventure by Art in Kenosha

If you haven't done so yet, please read Art's article on the ChildLight USA weblog. It is a beautiful description of the unity of life, the lack of separation between life and education, of the transforming power of a living education. It is powerful.

This blog will be quiet for a while. I'm off to Colorado for 2 1/2 weeks and am so far the only one with access. See you again in mid-August. Jennifer

There is no separation between life and education

Before I tuck my self into bed for my last sleep at home, I want to direct your attention to Art's article on the ChildLight USA site. His is a beautiful piece of writing, inspiring me to see the unity in life, the way that, while we try to compartmentalize, life spills from one container to another, and a living education causes our lives to overflow with the beauty that God has written into each stroke. Okay, I'm mixing metaphors terribly, but you can read the real beauty yourself if you hop over to ChildLight USA.

Good night!

Vacation Time!

The past few days have been filled with an assortment of tasks and activities. Now we're in the final stages of preparation for our long-awaited trip to Colorado. Excitement is mounting as we get ready to drive through several states, visiting the Amana Colonies in Iowa, Laura Ingalls Wilder site in Walnut Grove and De Smet, stopping at Mount Rushmore and then to the Renovare Covenant Retreat in Colorado. While in Colorado we'll also visit Whit's End and see the source of so many hours of wonderful audio entertainment.

None of us are able to read in the car because of motion sickness, so we're stocking up on audio books: Beric the Briton (by G. A. Henty; a historical fiction book set in Ancient Rome, read by Jim Weiss), A Tale of Two Cities (from LibriVox), Tom Sawyer, Charlotte's Web, and more. We are going to have to plan some 'story-free' times, though, or we'll never talk to each other and the children won't sleep at all!

We'll be back mid-August and I'm sure there'll be lots to tell about!

Jennifer

Anna Botsford Comstock

Through the Handbook of Nature Study blog, which we've referred to a few times in our meetings, I was directed to an interesting little article on the Internet: In 1988 Anna Botsford Comstock was inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame.

Isn't it exciting to know that Comstock has been recognized for the contributions she has made to Nature Study? And to think that many of our children (as well as us!) are benefiting from her wisdom and insight.

I believe that she'd be honoured to be recognized in such a meaningful way, don't you?

In her book, Comstock emphasized the rewards of direct observation. She was ahead of her time in stressing the importance of natural relationships that work to form what we now call an ecosystem. The point of her approach to nature study, she said, was to "cultivate the child's imagination, love of the beautiful, and sense of companionship with life out-of-doors."

-- From the Conservation Hall of Fame Website

You can read about other inductees by visiting the National Wildlife Federation's inductee page.