They fall and fly together on the swings, two sisters pushing each other higher and higher. We are on a road trip in Iowa, a trip to find fossils. Home school on a Sunday. Just as it is with the swings, so it is with their school, these two motivating each other, teaching each other. Rosy learns facts and methods from Katy, and Katy learns to dance and laugh with her creative little sister. They put up posters all over the house, together, for a "Sprouts Play by Firelight" during our bonfire next week.
He follows sisters, and his sandy crocs pump high in the toddler swing, aunt pushing him along and sister pumping and singing next to him.
We find the fossil hill, a cliff of sandstone slowly falling, with fossils and bones and impressions left behind. Almost immediately, Katy finds a crab and Rosy finds a crawfish. What are they doing in this hill?
We talk about the flood, the whole earth covered with water. Fear rises in their eyes as they imagine it. I remember feeling that holy awe myself. We talk about covenants and promises, and they smile again, happy in their hunt with no fear of drowning on this hill.
Next is a horseshoe crab the size of a boulder. Too big to bring home. Amy climbs higher, looking for something small to take home.
In the end, the van is packed with small fossils to line our gardens. On the way home we hit another playground. In this one snippet of time, we've studied science, history, the Bible. They've worked together. They've sorted and made decisions about prioritization of which rocks to take home.
Home school is not difficult. Especially if you are willing to look outside of the 5 day a week, paper based education box. The things learned on paper are easily forgotten as is all the mundane chatter of our days. But fossils as big as your arms can hold, a slippery cliff of sandstone - these lessons of wonder in the natural world are a treasure forever.
and all of creation sing with me now
lift up your voice and lay your burden down
and all of creation sing with me now
fill up the heavens let his glory resound
~MercyMe~
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