There are strange deeds done...

We were finishing up school this morning when a child happened to mention that they hadn't made any art for an entire month. I said that was too bad, but it had been particularly cold in the craft shed. I was told it was just too cold in general, that there were art supplies in the house, and that summer couldn't come soon enough. 

For some reason, this made me think of the Robert W. Service poem, The Cremation of Sam McGee. So I started reciting it. (Full disclosure, I only know the first stanza from memory.) Because doesn't everyone randomly recite poetry to their children? (You should try it. Especially if you are looking to elicit heavy sighing and some eye rolling. Since you're going to get these either way, you might as well have fun with it.) I received some blank looks when I mentioned Sam McGee, so asked if anyone remembered the poem. Not one single person said they did.

You do know what that means, don't you? Yes, I called everyone back to the table, ran upstairs to get our copy of the poem, and treated everyone to a poetry reading. Lucky children. 

And here is my very brief sermon related to this. If a homeschooler is so wedded to a purchased curriculum that it is all they can see, they will miss these types of important opportunities. Did The Cremation of Sam McGee have anything to do with learning about the eight classes within the phylum Cordata that we had been working on today? No, not even I can make a connection between the two. But it was pertinent to the season and our arctic weather, poetry is never incorporated enough so it is always pertinent. Plus, we all had an enjoyable moment together regardless of vague sighing and eye rolling. Education and life is so much more than what is in the plan or on the schedule. Look for the poetry.