The Bored Box

The hoped-for play date got cancelled at the last minute. The rain turned to snow. Daylight Savings Time brought darkness an hour earlier. Mom was tired and ready for a solo break. Child was bereft and bored.

Solution? The Bored Box. It had been waiting in the wings for months. Inside were many envelopes full of secret ideas, made up as inspiration presented them, not labored over when Mom was already tired and Child was already fed up.

Each envelope contained an index card with an idea. Each idea was assigned some academic credit worth substituting for the usual day's work. Examples:

"Open the box of saved shed snake skins, put them in order from shortest to longest. Measure each one and chart the growth on a graph. Worth one science and one math credit."

"Use a box of sugar cubes to build a building, then draw one view of this design on graph paper at one block=one sugar cube scale. Worth one art and one math credit."

Today's lucky draw was "Make a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie." Lucky us!

Classic Chemistry

Making baking soda and vinegar volcanoes is a classic childhood activity! The project above was conducted years before I officially homeschooled John. He spent hours making volcanic scenes, some with a bottle buried in the clay or in a mound of sand outdoors, and sometimes using jars at the sink.

Homeschooling need not be reserved for those few children whose parents can afford the time to be at home all day with them. I attended a public elementary school in Michigan from Kindergarten through eighth grade, but much that I draw upon now as a homeschooling parent originated with the wonderfully creative activities I recall doing at home after school, on weekends, and during summer vacations. I still remember my dad lighting a candle and having us observe what happened when it was covered with a drinking glass, but most of the projects seemed to take place with adults off to the side. Many projects were done on my own, or with my sister, or with a few neighborhood friends. 

Besides baking soda and vinegar, we must have gone through hundreds of pounds of clay, cloth, and wood, and gallons of paint and glue! During childhood I learned to conserve my allowance for months in order to save up for desired toys, but I also learned that art and science supplies were considered by my parents to be as essential as bread and butter. I even got rolls of tape in my Christmas stocking!

Sometimes I have been a cheapskate with my kids, explaining how many hours of what kind of work I would need to perform in order to afford a desired item. But still, when it comes to art and science supplies, I always seem to have enough money. It comes down to priorities. Considering the hours of engagement a gallon of vinegar and a big box of baking soda can provide, the investment is a deal!