Spring at last

Spring is late coming this year. We usually see our first dandelion pop up on the south side of the house sometime in April, but this year, we had to wait till May 2!

I bought my very first watercolour set not long ago. I'm trying it out in my nature notebook. I really have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to painting, but I'm having fun with colour. This is a robin I copied from Bateman's Birds of Eastern North America.

All the green things bursting out stir a great wonder and longing in me, and when these are turned toward God, I believe it is prayer.

I desire the the fountainhead of life.
I desire the breath behind the wind, the green that kisses the new blades of grass, the master of the robins' symphony.
I desire the heat of the eastern sun, and the whisper that sends the kingfisher north again.
I desire the gravity that pulls the world toward spring.

~Lindsey

Snap Joy :: Early Spring Wonder

My littlest wonder gazer.  💗


~ Lindsey

In March

* 

In March

the clouds break

for half an hour or so

spilling bright blue ink over pale snow

In March

the creeks begin to run

melt and mud and mess

down old man winter’s tin shed roof

In March

the children rush

laughter echoing the sun’s

into water higher than their boots

~ Lindsey Gallant

The Benefits of Our Outdoor Life Challenge

This is the first year that Jack's apple tree has had blossoms! Very exciting!

It's been quite a few weeks that we've been out of our usual routine. Between getting ready for a 19 day family road trip, the trip itself, getting back to life as normal, friends coming to stay for a few days, and just the usual chaos of homeschooling with three little kids, life has been anything but routine! 

Have I forgotten the Outdoor Life Challenge? No, but it has morphed into a different form. I haven't been keeping logs and tallies, but we have been prioritizing time outside. And June is a glorious month to be outside! As the weather gets warmer and lovelier, we are in and out of the house in a way that doesn't make sense to track. Without our usual schedule, we haven't been doing much for formal nature study. 

But the Great Outdoors has become an extension of our everyday living now. The grass is warm and thick beneath our toes. The swings, the hammock, the front porch swing, all beckon us out. Flowers are popping out everywhere. There are a dozen shades of green to revel in. 

The garden path

In some ways, the Challenge wasn't everything I had hoped it to be. We didn't do as much nature journalling as I would have liked. I started a sort of "Calendar of Firsts" for myself, but then we were away for so long. I didn't get to try out all of the Charlotte Mason methods I had wanted to. 

But we made progress! And we'll keep going. And even with things going the way they did, I can still the results of the intention and effort we put into spending more time outdoors. 

Here's what I've seen:

1. Heightened Observation

This spider lives just outside our dining room window

My kids are more apt to take notice of what is around them. They are more tuned in to nature's details. They are becoming more observant. 

This really stood out to me on our trip to Ontario. One day we went for a walk in the suburbs of Ajax, looking for a park. Though our walk was on the concrete sidewalks, we stopped many times because the kids were busy observing things along the way. They wanted to smell a lilac bush. They wanted to figure out which nearby plant the seeds on the sidewalk had come from. They kept picking up tiny bits of nature to inspect more closely. They even remembered our way home based on the flowers they saw growing in people's front gardens. 

Observation is the key to nature study. It all starts with pausing to pay attention. To really look at something. And I can see this quality increasing in the kids as we've made nature study part of our lives. 

2. Delight in the Small Things

A dandelion seed

A monarch butterfly. A tiny white flower we've never seen before. Quartz hiding in a rock. First blossoms on our pear trees. The quivering gills of a sunfish up close and personal in our hands. 

These seemingly insignificant details have brought real joy into our lives. I love the excitement in my kids' eyes when they run to me with some new discovery. The natural outcome of heightened observation is heightened delight.

When we learn to look we learn to love. 

Knowledge is only part of the picture. Wonder, respect, delight - these are what colour in the bare sketch of "facts" and bring our relationship with the outdoor world to life. 

3. A New Normal

In her own front porch swing

I love it when one of the kids says, "We should put this in our nature journal," or, "Let's get out the bird book," or, "Let's look at this under the microscope." (My 7 year old asked for a pocket microscope for her birthday!) I love that they are becoming familiar with some of these tools for exploring nature. 

I love it when going outside is so much a part of our daily rhythm that they stop fighting it.

I love that the flowers and feathered creatures of our yard are becoming familiar friends. 

I love that my daughter, who is working on a puzzle at the table right now, just remarked, "Oh, there's a seagull out there," when she heard a bird call off in the distance. 

Are we doing this perfectly? No. Could we be doing more? Yes. Do we have a lot to learn? Oh yes. 

But I can see it happening before my eyes, and it's exciting. 

Our relationship with the outdoor world is becoming stronger and deeper. Nature is getting under our skin and becoming part of who we are. 

It's a process for sure. The best we can do is start where we are and keep going! I hope no one feels discouraged if you haven't got your family into the Great Outdoors as much as you would like. Just keep at it, and I know you'll see the fruit! 

This Challenge has no grades, no prizes, and no losers. Every small win counts. Every minute adds up to those golden hours. I'm hoping to take the progress we've made so far and keep building. Keep wondering. Keep growing. 

Happy Outdoorsing!

~ Lindsey

Outdoor Life Challenge: Week 4 Log

More catching up to do! Last week we still had one sick child, so we weren't operating at our best. I didn't get outside with the kids every day, although they played outside every day.

Monday

We found our very first dandelion of the season! It was on the south side of the house. We decided that was nature journal worthy, so we brought out our supplies and each made our own entry. Funny how such a common little flower can bring so much joy.

Mom's and Arden's journal entries

I think the passing cars may have been wondering what we were doing lying beside the house staring at the ground!

This is Arden's shorthand for dandelion! She was careful to observe and replicate the colour of the stem. 

Jack's entry

We also had our afternoon snack outside!

And dried some winter outdoor clothes on the line, with the hopes that they can be put away for the season. . .

All together: 90 min in the afternoon

Tuesday

No entry!

Wednesday

We were in town in the afternoon, but once we got home we all did some yard work together. That's always fun. :) We even did a bit of garden weeding. Arden was delighted with all the worms she found in her little plot, particularly with a big, fat one that she decided was the grandma of them all!

All together: 60-90 min in the afternoon

Thursday

It rained in the morning, but the kids have been making good use of their MEC rain gear so far this year! I decided last year that if we were going to be spending more time outside "whatever the weather," that we would need the right kind of clothing. The one piece rain suits are great. On chilly days the kids put warm layers underneath. So far, so good! They played outside by themselves in the morning.

By afternoon, the clouds had moved away and things were dryer. While the baby napped, we snuggled together on the front porch swing under some blankets and read a few chapters of Farmer Boy.

All together: 60ish min?

Friday

No entry, and I'm drawing a blank on that day! I keep thinking I'll remember what I did on what day, but if I don't write it down, things get foggy.

Goals

1. Spend a portion of our day together outside

This didn't happen every day this week. However, I went out at least 3/5 days. The times we did spend outside were good.

2. Have a snack or lunch outside

The kids had a few afternoon snacks outside.

3. Nature journaling 

We all made an entry on Monday - the humble dandelion!

4. Make outdoor play our default play

This is slowly progressing. This week Micah got out the baseball bats and we rounded up various balls. The kids spent quite a bit of time with their dad hitting balls in the backyard. I love to see them playing together! With warmer and lighter evenings, the kids will often head back out after supper for awhile.

The weekend was also great for family time outside! Weekends aren't technically part of my challenge, but we're making more of an effort as a family to get out together too. On Sunday, Micah had the older two off for an expedition, and I took Ivy for a walk down to the pond. She is getting used to crawling around on the grass now, but it still spooks her a bit! I'm looking forward to her discovering so much for the very first time this year.

5. Continue my own nature education

I read a little further in "Home Education."

A few random thoughts . . . 

I can't tell you how refreshing and almost healing it is to hear the robin song again. There was one evening in particular where Mr. Robin was singing right outside the dining room window. It must have been about 8:30, because it was almost dark. I opened the window and sat in the dim light and just listened. There were many things competing for my mental attention that night, but the robin song seemed to cut right through all of that. We live in an age of distraction and mental stress. I think God has a way of calling us back to more natural rhythms, if we have ears to hear.


Happy outdoorsing!

~ Lindsey

Outdoor Life Challenge: Week 1 Log

I'm writing this on the first truly warm spring day! It's +16!!! I feel giddy! Maybe the winter will finally end!

Here's a log of our outdoor time this week.

Monday

It was sunny, but with a strong north wind, it was a rather miserable day to be outside! Nevertheless, we made an effort. It was way too windy for the baby, so I went out with the older two while she was napping. First we discovered buds starting to open on our big old Manitoba Maple beside the house. We walked down to the river to check out some other trees. The little Sugar Maple's buds were still tightly closed. The kids noticed that underneath the half-frozen hillocks of last fall's long grass there was new green grass growing! They were pretty excited. I was in and out for a bit, checking on the baby, putting supper in the oven, taking the mail inside. When the wind got to be too much, we sat on the sunny side of the house where it was sheltered. The kids wanted to do a rainbow scavenger hunt, so we tried to find a few colours along the side of the house. The most interesting find was a red ladybug. :)

Kids: 30 min in the morning
All together: 60 min in the afternoon


Tuesday

Another chilly day. We went out for about 40 min after lunch, and headed out again later while the baby was sleeping. This time, we got to talking with our neighbour, and invited her in for fresh banana bread! So while our outdoor time was cut a little short, being outside gave us opportunity for a much-welcomed visit.

Kids: 30 min in the morning
All together: 60 min in the afternoon


Wednesday

Wednesday afternoons we go into town for gymnastics. By the time that was over and we had gone grocery shopping and run errands, it was almost supper time! So we didn't get out together. I'm thinking I'll have to be creative on Wednesdays if we're going to be outside much, at least in the afternoons.

Kids: 30 min in the morning


Thursday

We had a field trip to a local museum! We left the house first thing in the morning. The kids were pretty tired when our tour was finished after lunch. But we decided to take the scenic route home to get a view of the ocean, and stopped at a lookout for a few minutes where they scrambled on a big rock while I drank my coffee. :) When we got home, everyone needed naps! (We are also still recovering from sickness around here, so I've been noticing the kids are a little extra tired.)

All together: 15 min or so


Friday

I thought today was going to be a write-off. I woke up this morning with a sore throat, headache, and general aches. It was raining. It was a Magic School Bus sort of morning... But then the sun actually came out this afternoon, and when I looked at the thermometer, that's when I noticed the amazing warm temperature! So I rounded up the kids to at least send them out. It was so enticing though once I felt the warmth, so I brought a blanket to the bench on the back deck, and there I lay, still feeling sick but also happy! The kids, on the other hand, have been running and laughing and discovering all the things that they left out last fall. They've got their bikes out, and are now digging around the sandbox, which is basically a giant mud puddle! And after my little nap, I'm typing this log up from the backyard. I'm not really sure how long we've been out here... maybe an hour? I could have laid on the couch, but I'm glad I came out!

All together: 90 minutes and counting

Goals

1. Spend a portion of our day together outside
While we didn't do this every day, we did it more days than I would have, had I not been challenging myself! I probably wouldn't have stopped for an outdoor break on Thursday, or made the effort to go out myself on Friday.

2. Have a snack or lunch outside
We had our afternoon snack outside on Friday!

3. Nature journaling 
I made an entry, but the kids didn't. (Between our field trip day and a sick day for myself, we didn't get to do all the things I had planned on this week.) I drew the tree across the road from our house. I don't know what kind of tree it is! I'm starting with observing the shape of the branches (a good winter activity) and the nature of the bark.

4. Make outdoor play our default play
On Friday, I had hope that we might actually be able to move in this direction!

5. Continue my own nature education
I got some books out of the library on fish. I read up on getting a fish for a pet. I'm also curious about the tree I drew in my nature journal. I might have to wait till the leaves come out to be able to identify it!


Lessons Learned:

• It's much easier to get outside when we are actually home! (Unless we are going somewhere for the purpose of being outside, which we didn't get to this week. But with a field trip already, I didn't want to add another outing.) 
• Being outside opens us up to interact with our community. 
• Even though we didn't get outside together every day this week, we still made progress, and that's the main thing. There's the ideal, and then there's real life. Just because they don't match, it doesn't mean I give up the ideal, or that we failed. We're moving in the right direction!

I'll leave you with this piece of wisdom from my 6 year old:

"When you get told to go outside, you don't want to go outside, but then when you get out there you start having fun, and then you want to be outside!"


Yes, that's exactly it.




~ Lindsey

{pretty, happy, funny, real} The beach, the kite, the bear, and the bush!

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

It's been a while, but here we are - right in the middle of spring and all the busyness it brings. We've been experiencing lots of outdoor contentment, good for the soul after a long winter.

{pretty}

When Mom was visiting we took our first trip to the beach this spring! This is up near Dalvay-by-the-Sea (The White Sands Hotel, for those of you familiar with the Anne of Green Gables movies or Road to Avonlea.) How refreshing! We even found some beach glass.

She loves the water

Run, Mommy, run!

Arden wanted us to have a nap on the beach!

Getting the sand out of her boots

Jack was eager to join in the sandy fun

Up the dune

I can't wait for more beach days!

{happy}

In cleaning out one of the old sheds (more on that later), Micah found an old plastic kite. Arden was so excited - whenever we watch Mary Poppins she wants to fly a kite! It had a hole in it, but with a bit of tape it was made flightworthy again.

Arden is running out to meet Daddy, who is lying down on the kiteflying job!

A perfect spring evening

The camera card filled up just as I started taking the kite pictures. Oh well, I'm sure there will be more to come in days ahead!

{funny}

My sister, known to Arden as Auntie Jenny, sent us a giant Winnie-the-Pooh bear! He has been made part of the family, as you can see.

I made sure Pooh Bear had some toast as well, though I insisted he did not need jam!

Thanks Auntie Jenny! (You can check out her new blog home, Chickadee Manor!)

{real}

Lots of work being done on the properties these days! We rented a chipper on Wednesday, and between Micah and I working together in the morning, and Micah and our neighbour all afternoon (and well into the evening), we got rid of many brush piles. Hooray! They also cleared out a LOT of deadfall and other trees from the hill and did some major pruning of old apple trees.

I kind of forgot to take before pictures . . . but these aren't exactly after pictures either! Just a lot of in-between at the moment, but it's definitely progress!

First, the backyard:

Off to the right near that old "parts" tractor was our biggest pile of brush, gathered last year. 

What's left is stuff too big for the chipper, some boards and other garbage. 

Wood to be chopped for burning. You can kind of see the big brown patch where the pile used to be. 

I moved the wood chips into a neat pile at the back - future compost!

Arden's apple tree is about to bloom!

Once we get the rest of the stuff cleaned up, I can actually start plotting my veggie garden!

Now for the other property:

Come on down the steps and have a look...

Another stone has been added to even out the spacing, and a board on top
of the pallet bridge so we don't fall through. :)

The rest of the wood chips. Piled here to keep them dry so we can use them for . . . 

. . . the chickens!!

Oh yes, did I tell you we now have chickens?? Right now we are looking after the laying hens of some friends of ours. They've got an insulated part of that shed with a little outdoor run.

It looks a huge mess right now, which it is, but it's a good mess! Micah and our neighbour pulled ALL the rotting, wretched, raccoon-infested stuff (including a decomposing raccoon - maybe a source of the stench??) out of the shed and have been taking it away! They also dug up the sagging floor and now have plans and supplies to replace rotting boards, level it out and basically make a new foundation! And all of this because we are planning to go together on some meat chickens over the summer, and this will be their new home.

The view from another angle. The side of that hillside has been cleared out. Brush piles in progress. 

And now some more hillside to show you. Not as effective without the before pictures, but for those of you who've seen it, hopefully you will notice the difference. :)

Apple trees have been trimmed off to the left. 

Hillside just to the right of the stone steps.  

Hillside below the evergreens. 

Close up of hillside. You can now see the old red fenceposts. 

The view from the road.

It feels so great to be getting this stuff done! Arden has been enjoying watching all the work in progress too.

Finding the first of the spring flowers. 

Beautiful.

Hope you are enjoying spring wherever you are! (At least in the northern hemisphere!)





~lg

{pretty, happy, funny, real} on March 14

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

Spring is on the way! While my northern relations are still dealing with -30s, we are getting above freezing now most days. There are some benefits to living on this island. :)

{pretty}

A book rest turned into a real rest

{happy}

Yesterday was warm and sunny! It was +10! We all went out together for a mid-day tramp.

Jack loves being outside, especially in the backpack. It's the best way for me to get out with the kids too, since he's so content up there and I have hands free for Arden. We are trying to go outside every single day, no matter the weather. Of course, there are some days when a combination of high winds and precipitation make it basically impossible with the little ones, but we are trying for consistency! It's good for all of us.

 And of course, we are now into mud season! Arden is in her glory.

Arden calls the polka dots on her boots "jelly beans." Definitely Daddy's influence!

Getting a head start on gardening!

We surveyed our riverside property too. I'm looking forward to getting some more work done as far as garbage pick-up and brush clearing this spring.

We found this nest in some of the bushes in the old barn foundation.

Time for clean up!

{funny}

I would like to present Jack's very first crayon creation. The other day, instead of only eating the crayons in the easel, he started waving them around in the general direction of the paper, and even made a few markings! I guess he's seen his big sister do it and figured he wanted to try it out too!

I think Arden is telling him, "Not in your mouth!"

Do you see the brown marks? They are all his!

Oh yes, we have an artist in the making.

{real}

I found this picture that Micah took when he was out for a walk with Arden. They must have gone over to the bridge and were sitting on the big rocks with their feet dangling over the water. I just think it's cute. Arden loves her Daddy.

Have a great day! Hope signs of spring are on their way where you are too!





~lg