"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Together


Yesterday we joined a brand new co-op, and for me, situations like these are always somewhat nerve racking. New people and families, unclear expectations, you know--the unknown. Yet, as usual my apprehension was unnecessary as we were met with smiles, friendly greetings and open arms. Turns out we knew about half of the families, confirming that it is a small world here after all :).

There is a stream that runs through this beautiful park in the heart of downtown Orlando. It's a child's dream... full of minnows, mud, and a steep bank to climb up and down. Both my kids disappeared from the moment we arrived, having quickly found their friends, new and old, mingling and reveling in all that nature provided. We did eventually wrangle them from the green, like pulling unwilling weeds from their possessive dirt bed. We made duct tape wallets, talked about folk music, and had a friendly contest on building the most "sound" structures from dried spaghetti and mini marshmallows. I could not help but glow from watching these children interact with each other, teens working side by side with 6 year olds, making sure they felt included and contributive. This is exactly how I imagined homeschooling to be. Kids of all ages outside playing together, working together, finding treasures together, getting soaking wet, completely muddy, stinking like the stream and ruining good shoes kind of togetherness. Yeah, it was awesome.



xoxo

15 comments:

  1. so wonderful. some of my fondest memories are creeks and water and mud.
    love the feet shot.

    i've told you i envy the availability of such things haven't i? sigh

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  2. The feet! lol

    Glad you all had such an awesome time. :)

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  3. I love the last photo - I do believe the sign of a good day is muddy feet. The nitty gritty of being a kid. I am currently homeschooling the boys here on the island and really trying to decide if we will do it in England? This makes me say yes.........

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  4. Sounds perfect. I'd love to have a group like that. We've got lots of friends with younger kids that we spend time with so I'm not complaining, but we don't really have a co-op to get together with.

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  5. This sounds wonderful and encouraging too - our plan is to homeschool and I want these kinds of experiences for our boys. Glad to hear it was good experience for you and your kids!

    xo
    cortnie

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  6. That does sound awesome. I always get a bit nervous going into something new like that too, but it sounds like it couldn't have gone better :)

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  7. So glad to hear the new co-op was a positive experience. I, too, love the muddy feet and the multiple ages playing side-by-side.

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  8. Fantastic! This is exactly the kind of learning and growing I wish for my littles...oh so wonderful!

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  9. This sounds awesome. It's just what I always imagine homeschooling to be also! I hope I can find a coop like this someday. Happy for you guys!

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  10. sounds great. we don't have homeschooling here...

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  11. That sounds heavenly! I remember duct tape wallets being all the rage when I was a teen - and the only person I knew who made them himself was homeschooled ;)

    What good is a shoe if you can't cake it in mud anyhow?!

    So glad you all found something that makes you glow! xo

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  12. sounds wonderful! i did not realize you are so close. i am in lakeland, but just went to orlando last week (and saw the most amazing art show at the mennlo museum of art - well one artist...you would love her, margaret ross tolbert).

    i need to check out this creek - my kids would love it. they lament that we do not get to play too much in fresh water. where is it?

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  13. Oh, this just sounds like the perfect day. love those muddy toes.

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  14. This is just amazing -- I am floored by how perfect and wonderful this seems!!

    Happy for you...

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw