“Never be within doors, when you can rightly be without.”
February 8th, 2008 at 12:26 am (Charlotte Mason)
We went ice skating at the pond again today. It is our best antidote to the winter doldrums. We were out there for two full hours. The three kids, a couple of neighborhood friends, and I all skated. I love going out there and being on the marsh. I love shovelling the snow. (I did a lot of that yesterday and today.) I love seeing how my children are getting better and better on the ice. I love being outside with my children. In short, I just love it!
It is part of our daily schedule to go outside. I want my kids to spend at least 15 minutes a day outside, preferably an hour or more. And today, we spent two glorious hours on the ice. I did a lot of shovelling and the kids skated and played a bit in the cattails that border the pond where we skate. They were resting in the cattails with one of our neighbor friends and hiding from her brother at one point. Of course, it wasn’t long before my 3 yo ds gave them away!
Skating outside on a frozen pond is a fond childhood memory of mine. My siblings and I grew up on a street that had a pond at the end of it. Every winter the neighborhood kids would shovel it, lace up their skates and play. The boys played hockey and the girls practiced their “figure skating”. I remember dreaming that one day I could grow up to be a Olympic figure skating champion. Do kids these days have the same aspirations?
Anyway, I am thrilled that my children are now growing up with the same opportunity I had. The opportunity to skate every winter day on the pond across from our house. It is one of those things that a child should do if they grow up in a climate such as ours. That and perhaps, ice fishing???
I want my children to grow up having embraced the “out of doors” as Charlotte Mason would say. Even when it is cold outside, there is always something to do. Because of the heavy snowfalls and frigid temperatures, this winter has been great for sledding, snowboarding and ice skating. I would like my family to try snowshoeing and cross-country skiing some time too.
I agree wholeheartedly with Charlotte Mason. ”Never be within doors, when you can rightly be without.”
