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Bugs, Birds, and Swiss Family Robinson

“We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”
~Charlotte Mason

Not wanting to venture out into the East Texas summer heat for too long, I sat on the porch listening to the children chatter about this or that. I looked up at the roof and noticed this nice little fellow, a praying mantis, sitting quietly by, listening along with me. He wore a suit of camouflage, and at once, I could tell he was a gentleman, nicely folding his hands together as he waited for his dinner.

I said, “Oh, look, children! Do you see him?” The kids came bounding up the steps to have a look. “Mom, do you think he’s the one we let go?” Anna questioned.

“Could be,” was my reply. I asked them if they saw that he was wearing his “camo” outfit today. They giggled with glee as we discussed how he changes colors to blend into the surroundings.

“If he lands on something blue, will he turn blue?” Adam asked with hope. “No, dear, they blend into colors of nature — greens, browns, and such. There aren’t many blue things he would need to hide on,” I answered, completely amused at the minds of my children.

“One was in the car the other day,” Adam mentioned.

“Really? Did he turn burgundy?” I jokingly asked.

Smiling sheepishly, Adam replied, “No!”

Next, we noticed an old flower pot we had hung that Stewart had taken down yesterday. Inside the basket was an abandoned bird nest with three eggs in it. “Do you think they’re still babies in the eggs?” Austin worried.

“No, these have been here for a while. The one I tried to pick up crumbled in my fingers as soon as I touched it. Most likely the cats got the parents,” I answered regretfully.

“What kind of bird was it, Momma?” Adam asked, peering into the basket.

“Looks like a wren, you know, the small brown birds we see all the time.”

Adam noticed something scaly looking. “Is that a snake skin in there?”

“No, it’s the plastic from the basket… see…? I thought it was a snake skin at first, too. It sure looks like it, doesn’t it!”

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“Mom, you have to come see what we built with Daddy yesterday!” Adam said anxiously. I told him, “But I don’t have my shoes on.” He shouted, “I’ll get them!” as he scrambled off to fetch my flip-flops. We walked around the house to the wooded area by the garden. “See, this one is Daddy’s,” Adam said, pointing at one of the stick structures.

“Oh, how neat! This looks like the houses Swiss Family Robinson lived in, doesn’t it?”

“Uh-huh, and this one is mine, but it’s not so good,” Adam said with disappointment.

“Well! I think it’s plenty good. With your house, no one will fall through the floor. On Daddy’s, I would fall right through!” I encouraged.

“That one over there is Anna’s.”

“Oh, good, she and you did the sturdy floor kind!” I talked with Adam about the “houses” and reassured him on how well he did.

I believe reading about the Swiss Family Robinson is in order!

Now, how could some dry textbook and an overcrowded classroom ever give them this kind of education? It doesn’t just teach them facts, but it teaches them to respect nature and love it, to enjoy it and cherish it. We’ve been picked on about being treehuggers. At first, it bothered Austin, but soon after, we all took it and wore the title as a badge of honor. As my oldest has said, “At least I care about something other than myself!” Ahhh, such words of wisdom from my teen.

The simple pleasures in life mixed with the wonder and excitement of my children confirm in my heart that homeschooling was the best decision I ever made. My children look at the world through innocent eyes and see wonder and amazement, hope and purity. God, I thank you for letting me see through their eyes at times because it gives me a peek at how it was supposed to be.

~Becky~