Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Unexpected Distractions

We had something happen today that was absolutely amazing.  And it got me thinking.  How often do we miss unexpected distractions blessings because we are so busy following our schedule?  

And yes, today was a great reminder of that for me.  *Smile*

We were going through our All About Reading lesson this morning and the kids (well most of them) were absolutely not interested.  Daniel (aka Daddy) is normally inside with us while we do school, but he has been working on installing a heater for our pool for the last 3 days.  The kids have noticed his absence, and so have I.  

While we do homeschool year-round, we are winding down for the summer and planning many more activity based learning opportunities.  We only have approximately 10 days left of our All About Reading and we will be done with this level.  SO, I really wanted to get through today's lesson.  Everyone finished their work except  our youngest.  It was time to take our usual break.  Those who need to have a snack grab one and we all go outside to play.  Daniel was also taking a break with us. 

We looked up to see this...


A female Robin making a nest.  This nest was not there a day or two ago.  We sat there watching, absolutely fascinated, as she would swoop down and fly away, then return a few minutes later with a beak full of nesting material.  


Luckily the nest was not very far up in the tree so we could see it all very easily.  I did retrieve the binoculars so the kids could take a look, but it was better just watching with our naked eyes.  We have a balcony off the second story of our house so the kids stood up there.  


  And yes, there was quite a bit of arguing over the binoculars until I finally had to put them away.  

Notice the colors of (what I am guessing is) the female
Along with our All About Reading, this month we are also studying about baby animals.  And we were able to watch a natural event right in our backyard that I couldn't have planned better myself if I had tried. 


We noticed what we presumed to be the male, keeping watch.  His chest was much brighter and bigger.  At one point, another bird flew by the nest and it was very interesting to see how both of the robins chased it away.  

This was an all-day event.  It was completely unexpected.  And we embraced it.  I am not sure if the nest building will continue tomorrow, but if it does I'm sure we will be watching.

How do you handle unexpected distractions?  Do you see them as blessings?

 ~Nicole~

No comments:

Post a Comment

We would love to hear from you! We encourage you to contact us with further questions as well. Thank you!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Homeschool Helps: Equivalent Fractions FREEBIE

 I know it has been a while since I have posted. Life is crazy, as usual. We are back to homeschooling two of our children this year. Becaus...