To see how camoflouge really works as feathers fade from view...
To learn to really listen...
We study birds.
I don't mean open a book and discuss the various species, wingspans, and habitats.
We press our noses to the window or sit out under a tree and study- how they flit, chase, scold, sing, munch, soar, honk, chirp, peck, twitter, bathe, sip, flirt, perch, dip and glide.
It's a favorite of my son, to see him come zooming out of the bushes with mama Robin at his heels, scolding fiercely. We wonder what he did to make her so mad.
I love that he's noticing their personalities.
Their "Coo-ah, coo-coo-coo" so calm- despite their looking chilly as they huddled together against the drops of driving rain and a harsh wind. We thought they must be looking for a good branch in which to nest.
So, you can see, it's so much more than just a check mark on a list of skills to be attained by a certain age/grade level. We're making friends here. Ones that visit often, make us smile and laugh (like when they try to fly in through the picture window), and who enrich our life by reminding us what a marvelous Creator we have.
"The children I am speaking of are much occupied with things [ie. birds] as well as with books, because 'Education is the Science of Relations,' is the principle which regulates their curriculum..." -CM