The Forest Was Vast and Had Hundreds of Different Types of Fauna

The forest was vast and had hundreds of different types of fauna. They watched as new buds developed on the tree branches into leaves. They helped harvest maple sap and turn it into maple syrup the old fashioned way. They watched beavers build dams, deer raise their young, moose find their food by submerging their head under the water, birds build nests and raise their young, wood peckers bang their beaks and heads without any repercussions. They learned how the water system flowed through forest feeding the animals and the fauna. They climbed trees that were hundreds of years old and watched young saplings grow tall and strong. They collected acorns and buried them before the fall and waited until the spring thaw to watch the new seeds grow into little trees. They learned the beauty of the changing of the seasons when the leaves turned flaming red and orange before the first snowfall blanketed the landscape with a smooth white blanket. They released turtles, petted wild herons as they came to feed on the fish in the pond, and played with free and wild abandon, as all children should. There was no worry about strangers or abductions. They experienced their childhood with carefree abandon. That is what we wanted for them.

All the nature and freedom was terrific for the children but there was a downside to this. Their school was far and the bus ride to and from school took time out of their afterschool play time. They were exhausted by the time they arrived home and were not in the mood to go out and enjoy the beauty of nature. Their schedule of waking up early to prepare for school to arriving home and completing homework incorporated many hours. I had once calculated that they spent nine hours from getting out of bed to arriving home after school. That excludes the time for homework, which ranged from one to two additional hours. Dinner and snack time would take another one and a half hours away from them in the evening. Chores would take another 30 minutes to an hour. By the time all was said and done, it would already be their bedtime or even past. There was no left over time to investigate the pond or ride the horses or play with the dogs. There were times I didn't reinforce their chore duties because of their exhaustion. I would watch with a pained heart as they dragged their little bodies to bed, and fall asleep before their head hit the pillow. It was difficult to arrange for social activities. It seemed like the majority of the students were bussed in from other districts as we all lived out in the country. Our children, like their classmates, had very little left over time to socialize by going over to each others' homes to play or to join sports teams. Weekends became extremely precious for us. This was the time we spent together as a family with at least one outing planned for a day. We spent our time outdoors, learning about nature and our environment.

Our children became frustrated and angry as their "friends"

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