what we do on beautiful days....

Last Wednesday, the girls and I just had to take school outside.  The weather was a balmy 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky.  Our destination...Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring.  Stunning.  Peaceful.  Free.  Did you catch that last one?  I'm a cheapie, I confess.  But I enjoyed our day as much as any trip I had to pay for...maybe more!  The girls and I waxed eloquent with some tries at poetry.  Keaton broke out the paints and pastels, and Kara and Kendall made sketches in their Nature Journals.  It was the perfect spot for school.  In fact, lots of others must have felt similarly.  While we were there, we saw buses pull in from the local schools.  Everyone had to get out and see the beauty that day.  Here's a little poem I wrote:

scattered shadows on the ground

autumn's sulight filters down

cricket song and human speak

"Find your partner!" teachers tweet

children echo down the path

two by two, each with his match

catbird comes and makes his "mew"

I mew right back...what will he do?

we banter back and forth a spell

he flies, to where?, I cannot tell

Here's Kendall's poem (she's 8):    quiet crickets making sounds
                                                     at the creek...on the ground
                                                     little catbirds fly away..
                                                      where does it go?
                                                       you shall not know.
                                                      little ponds...are shallow
                                                       birds and toads...are mellow
                                                      people leaving, I shall say
                                                      frogs on lily pads...there they lay
                                                      trees are weaving side to side
                                                       tall as buildings, not so wide
                                                        day is ending, I should leave

                                                       I will miss this pretty creek.

Whaddya think?  I'm kind of inclined towards the 8 year-old's work!

I love my class!