Backwoods Learning

First off, I must say that it occured to me sometime along the five hour drive north, that this vacation was partially made possible by homeschooling. It still sometimes catches me off guard that if my kids were in public school, there would be so many things that we regularly do that wouldn't be so easily possible. Like taking off on a Tuesday for a cabin adventure. Big thumbs up and high five for my homies.

So...what do you learn on a northwoods adventure? I'm not sure its even possible to separate it out. Its lots of common sense, safety, and wildlife identification. Its entertaining yourself without telvision. Its learning that lights can work even without electricity (doesn't everything just plug in?) and that just because there are lights that work (gas, if you didn't catch on yet) doesn't mean that Spongebob will be coming on tv anytime soon. Its about learning to appreciate you are a boy and can pee right off the front step and don't have to walk ALL THE WAY to the outhouse like Mama and Grandma. Its learning about battery conservation, and that the walkie talkie radios aren't to play with (like at home) because we actually need them if we get separated on the trails, and if we have no batteries, we're kind of screwed. Its about learning to be quiet when you wake up because not everyone else is awake yet, and we're basically all in one big room, separated by some shower curtains. Its about learning to conserve water, because once the big barrels are empty, its hand pumping for you. Its about being quiet in the woods, because the point was to see lots of wildlife. (Ok, Ooky never did catch on to that one.) Its about dressing really warm and in lots of layers. Its learning tha on a 40 mph windy day, the trail through the trees will either create a wind block...or a wind tunnel. Its about wearing blaze orange because sometimes its really the only way you can see each other.

I'm not really sure what to file all this learning under. But sometimes this kind of learning, whatever it is, is the most important kind.