I just returned from spending a wonderful vacation week in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. While my husband is partial to the ocean (which I do enjoy), I find the mountains to be majestic and inspirational. A great place to be reminded of God's greatness and awesome power.
Part-way through our week away some friends joined us. We had a great time visiting new sites we hadn't yet explored (like Royal Gorge) and adjusting to a time in life when our children were no longer part of our vacation plans. This was a new experience for both of us ... all our children are either married, in the military, or in some version of college. So it seemed somewhat "odd" to be sharing a vacation that didn't include the planning of multiple learning experiences along with relaxation time.
As my friend and I stood over-looking the deep blue of Lake Estes, I was pondering the reason behind the amazing shades of blue that I have only ever seen in Colorado. Both sky and water share some variations of blue that I've never seen on the east coast. My pondering led to a discussion of how much we both continue to love learning new things, even if we aren't purposeful in planning educational forays on our vacations any longer.
We thoroughly enjoyed learning about how the Royal Gorge suspension bridge was constructed in 1929 and held the world's record for the tallest bridge until 2001.
We also visited the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve in Denver and learned much about how our financial system works and the history behind our currency. Who knew that you could fit $30 million dollars in a space as small as a coat closet!
The Benefits and Disadvantages article in our Homeschool 101 section lists one of the top 15 benefits of homeschooling as the ability to take vacations during the school year and make them educational. I think the list should include a 16th benefit ... the fact that a love and desire for learning continues on well after you finish the official homeschool part of your journey. I firmly believe that all our years of formal education at home have built in *ME* a love for learning. I'm confident they will do the same for you.
Still on the journey ...
~Judy Wnuk
Sonlight Customer Champion
