P is for Parks, Pets, & Play

I’m blogging through the alphabet with Hopkins Homeschool and A Net in Time. This week we’re on the letter P…

In our homeschool, P is for Parks, Pets, and Play.

Parks— Now more than ever (we’re temporarily holed up in a cramped urban apartment while awaiting closing on our new house) we rely on the public park system to shake our sillies out and ingest deep gulps of fresh air betwixt our formal studies. We pop by a park after nearly every outing, I try to say yes so long as our schedule allows it.

Pets— We keep a veritable menagerie of class pets: 2 cats, 2 bunnies, and 2 guinea pigs. (Someone stole our duck, Minerva McGonagall, before we left Montana– who steals a duck??) Not only are they cute and cuddly as heck, but they provide my pupils responsibility and companionship. It’s been tricky housing our zoo whilst “glamping(<—how we’re fondly referring to our present housing sitch) but we can’t imagine life without our furry friends. The other day we realized a neighboring unit is keeping a flock of laying hens on their balcony… gotta love urban-homesteadering in Portlandia!

taking these citycats for a walk in the bunny stroller, as one does

Play— I believe unscripted, imaginative play is just as essential to my kids’ education as the three R’s. Brain breaks, games, dress-up, Legos, coloring, video-games, and plain ol’ open-ended exploring/creativity is vital to their development. I’m grateful for ample opportunity to play in and among formal lessons.

Bonus playful pic for Throwback Thursday, c. 2009:

a / b / c / d / e / f / g / h / i / j / k / l / m / n / o / p / q / r / s / t / u / v / w / x / y / z

A Net In Time Schooling

Hopkins Homeschool

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One response to “P is for Parks, Pets, & Play”

  1. […] D is for Dress-up; F is for Forest; G is for Mardi Gras; H is for 4-H; I is for Instrumental Music; J is for Journaling; K is for Kinesthetic learning; L is for Letters, Libraries, Lightbulbs, & Love; M is for Museums; N is for Neighbors, O is for the great Outdoors ; P is for Parks, Pets, & Play […]

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