park day

on fridays, we hang out with a group of homeschoolers for several hours at a local park. one nice thing about living in california is that we can do this year round. park days seem to be a common homeschooling activity across the country. we attended them in minnesota and colorado as well. i remember when we first started going, i couldn't believe how long families would stay at the park for our gatherings. i could barely stay longer than an hour. when i was a new mom, i still had the urge to be "productive." ha, ha! as if parenting and forming and building close relationships outside in nature is not productive. now i can stay at a park for hours, chatting with moms and dads and watching my kids play happily with other kids of all ages. it's free play at it's best here in our sebastopol park. the playground equipment is not the draw. it's the sandpit, meadows, and beautiful oaks that call to them.