A Flurry of Days

~Parks~

~Science and Discovery Center~

I apologize for this picture.  I really do.  The children made me do it.

 

~ A Renown Rock and Mineral Museum ~

~ Creek Splashing ~

A Mermaid table for feasting

Too many treasures for a pocket

 ~ Walks 'round Hopestead ~

~ Free Carousel Rides ~

~ A new batch of Corynn-projects ~

These have been a flurry of days; full, busy days of going or doing or even, just being.

There is much to do at home~ the beans fill to brimming the largest bowls of the kitchen, the squash skins get thick with neglect, the clutter of summer freedom piles in every corner, every moment and the new school year planning sessions loom heavy...but how can one be forced inside, in these gorgeous, wonderful days of summer to do those things?

We've been out and about, here and there- every week there is some place to explore, some place to put wandering and splashing, discovery and freedom in front of slaving in the kitchen or around the house.  It's a very odd thing for us homebodies to be so often out and about, but a really, really pleasant sort of thing too.  Probably the real reason behind all of this going is that I just want to put off the things I need to be doing...or maybe I am not really as much of a homebody as I would have thought.  I think, mostly, this person I become in summer is a natural result of being so shut in during the winter months...this is me, staying sane.  ;-)

The chalkboard was in desperate need of an update and Corynn challenged me to draw an elephant; she has declared this to be her favorite board so far.  With a few of my Amazima beads as garlands and a grouping of paper balls (.50 for two at  Michaels!) in the corner, a trip to the kitchen feels a bit like a trip to India.  Love.

The quote seemed perfectly fitting for summer and I loved it, though really, boredom has never been a struggle with my children.

When the olders were little and they happened to hear someone say "I'm bored" they immediately tried to use that phrase themselves.  Right away, I made it clear that the word 'bored' was an illegal word and not allowed to be said in this house.  Said matter-of-factly and with conviction, and with my children just being 4 or 5ish, it was very easy to convince them.  I told them that children who were bored were not creative enough to see the opportunity all around them (and they shouldn't want everyone to know that fact if it were true!) and I also told them that if I heard one of them say they were bored- I would give them something to do so that they wouldn't be bored.  They understood immediately that the something that I was referring to would be hard, probably mundane, work and not at all creative or pleasant.  They never said it again.

Nipping that in the bud when the children were 4 and 5 years old was probably one of the most helpful things I've done for my own sanity (particularly in summer!) because they grew very easily into individuals who always saw opportunities for creativity because there was no other option.  As my littles have grown, they have seen the olders making every use of the opportunities and world around them, thus the thought of being 'bored' has never even entered their little minds.

Now, my children all scoff (as I do) when we hear children say "I'm bored."

Some people say that 'boredom' is healthy and healing in that the moments of boredom can provide quiet opportunities for fascination, exploration and discovery to alight upon an individual in an otherwise hectic and harried world.  But I say it is not boredom that does this, but time...free, empty moments of time where one has nothing to do and nothing filling their minds with clutter.  One needs quietness, freedom, space and time to have these moments of wonder open up to them...but having nothing to do is not the same thing at all as being bored.

There is no cure for curiosity.  There is no cure for creativity.  And this world is so full of experiences waiting to happen, discoveries waiting to be made and opportunities for the taking that we will never be full of them.  Summertime- oh, summertime, with your open and free days and non-existent lesson plans and the whole wide world waiting right outside the door...all we have to do to be overcome by wonder is step outside.

And, we do.