An Out-Of-Door Life

In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother's first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air.   Charlotte Mason

One of the things I loved most when I first began reading about homeschooling, and delving into the writings of Charlotte Mason in particular, was the idea of freedom to simply enjoy being out-of-doors.   And learning the benefits to children, and families of an outdoor life.   Since those early days, I have read medical literature that claims many health benefits for unwell people, when they commit to spending some time each day outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

And so I wholeheartedly made this effort to help my children learn to enjoy our great outdoors, to watch and listen and love God's creation - to just be in it and a part of it.  On the outside, no academic benefits were immediately apparent, and I was occasionally questioned about the 'time wasted' outside, when we should be inside studying.  However, now that my children are older, and they are beginning to delve into more serious Science study, their early years of rambling around outside have shown to be a wise investment, as it has provided them with natural observations that come to mind now, when they are learning the underlying Science of it all.

During the early years of my children's life, we lived in small suburban blocks. But we managed to make a small, but inviting outdoor space. I allowed my little girls to create secret spaces behind small shrubs and under trees to play with their dolls and animals and other toys. We often set up a picnic blanket outside and had an afternoon garden tea party, or a mini picnic lunch. We went for regular walks around our neighbourhood, and watched our neighbours gardens change throughout the seasons. We visited regularly our local botannic gardens and a number of local parks - picking a favourite to come back to often. That was the extent of our outdoor time.

Never be within doors when you can rightly be without........Besides the gain of an hour or two in the open air, there is this to be considered: meals taken al fresco are usually joyous, and there is nothing like gladness for converting meat and drink into healthy blodd and tissue.  All the time, too, the children are storing up memories of a happy childhood.   Fifty years hence they will see the shadows of the boughs making patterns on the white tablecloth; and sunshine, children's laughter, hum of bees, and scent of flowers are being bottled up for after refreshment.    Charlotte Mason

These days we have found ourselves living an out-of-door life.   We have an outdoor kitchen, and have converted our carport into an outdoor dining room - a bbq, a camp sink, some outdoor camping tables set up as our kitchen bench.    All meals are taken outside, our bookwork is completed outside, in all weather.  Housework is completed outside.  My vacuum cleaner has been replaced by a straw broom and a leaf blower.  My mop is now a high-pressure hose.   Our chickens try to lay eggs on my kitchen bench, and 'fertilise' my kitchen floor. 

Why?  I hear you say.  Well, simply because we have a large renovation job on our hands - everything needs to be pulled out, including the bathrooms and kitchen.  So we have needed to set up some living arrangements to settle into in the meantime.  And dare I say, this has been fun. 

Living outside feels relaxing.  Even though we are working hard and are busy.  We find ourselves watching the stars more often, noticing the activity of birds in our trees.  When a snake is discovered, we are already outside and handy to run over to watch it.    It has become natural to us, to wander over to the fruit trees, to see if there is any fruit ripe for the picking.  We have a baby fig bird in a tree, just outside our carport - we listen to it, have watched it be fed by its parents, have seen it take its first exploration out of the nest and are now watching it during its first flying lessons.   All during our day-day.

All this we would miss, if we were inside.