We trudge along the crispy path through the woods towards our destination. My four children are pink cheeked and frosty breathed as we march. The children and I are making a pilgrimage to an area of the woods near our home where every child has staked a claim on a special tree. They each carry a black three ring binder and a set of artist’s pencils.
We are homeschoolers and this is science. Nature study to be exact. We will arrive in our green cathedral soon and they are breathless with anticipation. We make this pilgrimage many times a year. Each time they have the opportunity see their special trees, observe the changes that have taken place in them during the season and record them in their notebooks.
The metamorphosis is continual. Leaves adorn themselves with color and drop to the ground, flowers bud, pollen showers, and branches grow. The children sit near their trees and take out their tools. Colored pencils are laid out in a spectrum, the perfect one waiting to be chosen to express the observer. The children study closely the differences in the trees since their last visit. This develops a keen sense of observation. They know the importance of details, so they take their time as they begin to sketch their trees.
Intermittent giggles float through the air from little artists amused at their own renderings. I am constantly stunned at the reverence for God’s creation in their drawings. With each trip I notice the children developing more artistic skill. When the last child is finished with his drawing we take the time for each of them to write a poem beneath the artwork. Short or long these poems never cease to amaze me.
We gather our supplies where we trek toward home. Then the fun begins! We take out our reference guides and look up the type of trees we have chosen. There will be latin names to record, and information about the habits and life cycle of the particular tree. We discuss how drought or pollution might have affected the growth. We remark on any wildlife that we may have seen evidence of in and around our trees. Each child then searches for a bible verse to carefully record on the page.
At the end of the day I am so humbled by how much we have accomplished by an activity so unstructured and stress free! We have strengthened relationships with each other through encouraging words and exchange of thought, we have exercised our bodies, we have furnished our minds, and most of all we have enjoyed God’s creation.