Time out for spring!

This week is forecast to be the first stretch of several spring-like days in a row for 2006. Thus, Brianna and I are chucking the curriculum and getting the garden going. Today we looked over all of our left-over seeds from the past 2 years, got germination tests going on some that were iffy, and made a list of what we need to buy. Still to come this week: test the soil, work in whatever organic fertilizer is needed, start planting spinach, lettuce and peas in the earth, and sow some seeds in flats to start indoors. Phew! It's quite an agenda, but I'm happy to be starting on it at last.

If Brianna were in school I'd be doing this all by myself, and the funny thing is, I'd be happy about it. I tend to like working alone: "Ah, I can really focus and get this done without interruption!" I would never realize how much I was missing! What a joy it is to hear her ideas and catch her enthusiasm. How amazing to watch her prepare a sample of seeds for germination with such care and skill, then label them diligently with her slow but improving hand. What a treat (a rare one these days) to be engaged in work of real monetary value and benefit to the family with my school-age child -- our garden will likely provide us with hundreds of dollars worth of food and gifts.

When I decided to put aside our usual routine to work on the garden this week, I initially thought of it as setting aside homeschooling and having some fun. Silly me! I should know by now that learning happens BEST when you're having fun. Simply by making our lists and testing the seeds she learned:

* the difference between annuals and perennials, or "why we don't need to buy more mint seeds even though last year's seed package is empty"

* the meaning of the term "shelf life", or "why we *do* need to buy more parsley seeds, even though there are some left from 2 years ago"

* the meaning of "germination"

* why we plant some seeds now and others later

* how to sprout seeds in a paper towel

* the value of testing a sample

And much, much more. She also got to practice her handwriting without realizing it by eagerly helping with the list and labeling the baggies containing the germination tests. Shhhh, don't tell her it was good practice -- she "hates" handwriting! ;o)