Recently we went on this amazing nature trail.
SANPARKS (South African National Parks) have done a good job to make the walk enjoyable and educational for kids.
Nature is a great teacher. And nature walks are one of the best ways to learn.
For homeschooling families, especially with young kids, nature walks are usually a big part of the learning process.
But not everyone in every part of the world has access to these nature walks. So what should you do if you live in a place where you don’t have access to nature trails or can’t go for walks with nature surrounding you?
Or, to ask a broader question, what should you do when you can’t do something that seems very important for your kids’ learning? Or life?
The problem is that often times we get in the habit of focusing so much on the means that we tend to forget the goal.
And social media can create a false illusion of perfectness. You look at your Instagram feed filled with people doing the perfect things and having the best resources and you start feeling dejected or left out.
The reality is that outside the tiny picture of social media, no thing and no place is perfect. Everything comes with its own pros and cons.
For example, South Africa has one of the best nature destinations in the world. Our national parks, game reserves, and nature sanctuaries are a nature lover’s dream come true.
But on the flip side we cannot take a stroll down our own street (in most parts of the country) without the fear of being robbed.
There are hardly any neighborhood parks in the city which are safe for an evening spent on the swings with friends. Our libraries are sadly understocked. And those national parks are expensive!
I started homeschooling when we were living in a tiny apartment in a big city. With no access to nature within reach. There were no libraries, no parks, no homeschooling groups, no homeschoolers’ outings, and hardly any extra mural activities available to fit our means.
And on all homeschooling forums (social media of fifteen years ago!) all I could read was children making friends in the neighborhood parks, lovely trips to the libraries, nature walks in autumn forests, studying birds at a feeder in the garden, homeschooling families and groups visiting museums together, and so on!
So naturally when I looked around at our situation I felt hopeless. But with the help of Allah (and a lot of mentoring from my husband 😀) I slowly learnt to focus on the end goal – my kids’ learning – and not the means which led to it.
The lessons I learnt as a homeschooling parent in those years are priceless, and they have helped me since then, not only in homeschooling, but in other parts of my life as well.
I learnt to be creative and resourceful. I learnt that it’s not worth to sit and lament for the lack of opportunities. I learnt how not to miss what I don’ t have. I learnt to look at the things, and opportunities, that I do have in a new light.
I learnt to focus on the end goal and CREATE the means that led to it.
I learnt to take the inspiration from others for the things I could do. But stopped feeling left out for things I couldn’t do.
So the next time when the spirit of adventure kindles in your heart and you can’t embark on it, just search the WildEarth channel on YouTube and you can have an amazing African safari right from your couch. 😀
Great article. Thanks for sharing.