“We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it, if it were not the earth where the same flowers come up again every spring that we used to gather… What novelty is worth that sweet monotony where everything is known and loved because it is known?”
— Mary Anne Evans ( George Eliot), The Mill on the Floss
During our early days of wild and free learning, we discovered how little we knew the trees that lined our city block. We were determined to spend our pandemic days acquainting ourselves with the trees of old and the stories they tell. Before we knew it, our nature box was overflowing so we decided to integrate what we gathered into our lessons. I’ve captured a few moments here and there as they unfurled before me.
A D V E N T U R E
From acorns to learning about anise, we are building new habits of adventuring in the everyday.
B R A V E R Y
Boldness, Buoyancy, Butterflies, Basil ….
“… since we have such a hope, we are very bold”
C O U R A G E
Collage, Creative Play, Cooperative mindset
“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else thought.” - Einstein
D I L I G E N C E
Discovery, Differences, Discernment,
During our early days of “adventure school” I discovered the difference between diligence and rigor.
“..the word “rigor” comes from the Latin “rigorem” which means numbness, stiffness, hardness, firmness, roughness, rudeness. If we are aiming to order our children’s affections, learn to love what is lovely, join in the great conversation, and cultivate a soul so that the person is ready in every sense of the word to take on the challenges around the corner and on the other side of the college entrance exams, then, they said, work for “diligence” instead. Diligere mean to single out, value highly, esteem, prize, love; aspire to, take delight in, appreciate…what we really mean by rigor is not just doing hard things, but cultivating a habit of focused attention.” -Sarah Mackenzie
check back again soon, more to come!
