Stone Soup

As a child, I heard the story of Stone Soup, where many different people each contribute something to the stock pot and the end result is a delicious dinner that no one person could have made without the help of others. As an adult, I can see how this idea plays out in our home schooling efforts. I cannot adequately teach my children without the love and support of many, many other people.

If it weren't for my husband's desire and encouragement, I would never be able to complete the home schooling course before me. Were it not for veteran home schoolers - who have already tread the same stretch of racetrack - guiding me and cheering me on, I would fall off course. If it weren't for friends who are in the same place in life, I would drown in loneliness. Yes, home schooling is truly a group effort!

I've already shared a little about our small co-op that meets once a month, and this past Friday we had another gathering. I was reminded again just how beneficial working together is when undertaking the task of educating children at home.

One of the other moms taught a fantastic lesson on light. This was great, not only for the kids, but also for me. First of all, it gave me a much-needed break from teaching. Secondly, I got to see just how she chose to teach: lots of hands-on activities, multiple reinforcement experiments, and various methods of explanation. I came away with many new ideas to try at home!

After our light lesson (and after enjoying lunch and celebrating a birthday), we all walked over to a nearby organic farm. Since it was about a half mile away, this afforded physical exercise and fresh air for us all; visiting time between the moms; and proper street-crossing etiquette for the kids. Once at the farm, we saw beautiful chickens (prior to this visit, I would never have thought of fowl as beautiful, but these birds were truly exquisite and clean!), toured a green house, climbed dirt "mountains," and viewed a large tractor up close. It was a child's paradise!

The whole day was a perfect reminder of how working together can create something much richer than anything I can do on my own. We don't have to meet every day, but by working together, we all benefit from one another.

It was a most delicious stone soup day.