We are so blessed on this island to have the most AMAZING community school. The class sizes are relatively small, the teachers are top notch, community and parent involvement is encouraged, nature is at the centre of their everyday learning (heck, they back onto a forest) and we are kept in the loop of everything that is happening both in the class and out. We couldn't be luckier. The academics, physical activity, music, languages and social interaction is all covered, which leaves us the freedom at home to focus on what we're interested in without sacrificing any of the above.
So how do we 'homeschool'? We dive into nature. We pack up our explorer pack, we grab our nets, our buckets our test tubes and head out. We collect specimens, we research and we share. Our classroom is the beach, the forest, the front yard. We have been invited to help create a nature table in my daughter's classroom...to say I'm excited is about the biggest understatement of the century! It was as if the trees were listening to that conversation, as this week has been naturepalooza at the Degner residence!
First find was this amazing juvenile Northern Alligator Lizard which was spotted at our local eatery. We captured him/her in a coffee cup and got down to business creating a temporary habitat.
We researched what they eat, where they live, how they defend themselves and how large they are when full grown. And hey, did you know that Norther Alligator Lizards give birth to live young??!! Neither did I!
As if that wasn't enough excitement, we also found a birds nest on our property which looks as though it used our dogs fur to make it nice and cozy inside. During our lake walk yesterday we discovered a beautiful dragonfly, a dragonfly nymph casing, mystery eggs in the lake which we are guessing are snails, a beautiful large, blue crayfish claw and some small white eggs under a log. Our classroom never disappoints!
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