If You Give a Squirrel a Nut...

Today was a beautiful Autumn day, so I read to the hobbits on our back porch swing. Here's how it went:

If you read a book called Nuts to You! to your little ones,

you're going to learn about squirrels, which will lead to a discussion about mammals, and your 7 year old will recognize that Mommy is a mammal because she has hair and nurses her young (science).

Then you will discuss what squirrels eat...

Nuts! Of course, they're going to want to feed the squirrels...

so, you give them some raw peanuts you had in the cupboard. They will scamper away to hide the peanuts for the squirrels to find.

You observe the trees and identify them (nature study). Then they will start to collect acorns, get distracted, forget it's "school time", and you'll have to take them inside...

If you are a homeschool mom, you want to squeeze out as much learning as you can, so you have your children watch out the windows to see if the squirrels come looking for the peanuts (more nature study), have them draw a picture of a squirrel that slightly resembles Perry the Platypus (art), have them label it (spelling & writing), and then you roast the peanuts and blend your own peanut butter (home economics/health & nutrition).

There you go...a full day of school.

Not really. There was also some Phonics and Math. {wink}