As we were driving through North Carolina recently, we happened to see a white squirrel by the side of the road. It was so cool looking! We had never seen one before, so we made a mental note to "look up white squirrels" when we get home. Well, we got back home, unpacked, and got back into the daily flow of life, almost forgetting all about the white squirrel.
Then my daughter approached me and asked me to give her "a project". She said she didn't mean a craft project, or a sewing project, or anything like that. She wanted a subject that she could look up, find information on, and write a report about. The white squirrel was just the idea we needed! So my daughter proceeded to research on the internet and compile a written report, which she presented to my husband and myself orally. It turns out that white squirrels are extremely rare, but have several colonies throughout North America.
How lucky are we?! We've see things like the white squirrel, that we wouldn't have seen if we weren't in NC for the Live & Learn Conference. And we see children who love to research, write reports, and make oral presentations. I guess it's really not luck at all. It's due to the conscious choices we make in our unschooling lifestyle. We do not spend our days caught in a blinding routine. We work to keep our eyes open to the wonders all around us, the most wonderful sight being our own children, and we are amazed and awed by what we see again and again.
5 comments:
Very cool.
We've actually seen white ones too but they were albino ones :) no color in the eyes like the one you have pictured.
Then we've seen some black ones too which were really different looking too.
we have some white squirrels on our property. I guess I never recognized them as being so unique. hmmmmm interesting.
Gillen researched squirrels, but only so that he could figure out how to get rid of them. He hates them because he loves his bird feeders so much.
Deanne, I have to ask - were you my fairy godparent at the conference? I lost the piece of paper that was attached to the final gift on the board and I really think it said Deanne, but I'm not sure. I would love to be able to thank you!
We love squirrels too. We like to feed them our apple and pear cores. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing to do. But they love it! And we love watching them find our surprises. I can't believe how many fruits they like....old half eaten bananas in the peal. Maybe our treats keep them out of others' feeders?
A white squirrel? How lucky that you were looking at just the right time! And a report? There is nothing like inspired learning.
Post a Comment