A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

It’s that time of the year out here in Ohio. School is almost finished and homeschool feels like it’s in another whole gear. I remember when my kids were younger I used to say: I follow a curriculum in the fall, take a Charlotte Mason approach in January and by March, we’re fully unschooling! There’s this breaking apart, entropy, sunshine (!) that drive us from the kitchen table to the big world outdoors. We’re sick of the habits and want nothing but surprises and the zoo, birds flirting and blossoms busting open their petals.

So this is your permission slip. Get out of the house. Here are ten things to do:

1. Kick the soccer ball with your kids. Set up impromptu goals like between the fence posts and those two trees.
2. Walk in a creek. Roll up your pants and get your feet cold and wet. Don’t forget to bring towels and dry socks.
3. Visit the zoo or local botanical gardens. Take advantage of the bulbs blooming and go see them.
4. Take your tea time outside! Either picnic on the ground or set up a table.
5. Hike in a nature center or local park area. Bring field guides.
6. Have a skipping contest. (Did you know some kids have to be taught how to skip? Now’s a great time to teach them. Jumping rope is also a great outdoor activity that sometimes we forget about.)
7. Write poems with colored chalk on the driveway. (Or simply jot down “already-written” poems.)
8. Write letters to grandmas and walk to a mailbox or post office to mail them.
9. Plant new flowers or seeds.
10. Take lunch to dad at work and eat it at a picnic table.

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