Afternoons are for … running away to the backyard with your siblings to go on an adventure.

I was inside yesterday preparing to host our Friday night Bible study (and nursing a developing cold) when I realized I hadn’t heard from the children in awhile.  They’re always only a walkie talkie call away, but I peeked out the kitchen window to see if I could find them first.

When I saw this, my heart melted.  There they were.  Past the fence, playing at the edge of the woods.  Together.  It’s rare that all four of them play together for a long period.  But yesterday, they stayed out there for hours until I had to call them in before dark.

I still don’t know where their imaginations led them.  But they took me back to my childhood memories of running away to the backyard at my friend, Amy’s, house.  I’ve told the children about those memories countless times because they’ve always been so special to me.  Seeing the children do the same thing is just another reminder of why we moved out to the country.  And another reminder of why we made the choice to homeschool.  Giving them the freedom to slow down, explore, and create their own outdoor world has been a dream for both me and hubby.  And I think Charlotte Mason would be pretty thrilled too.