About a month ago, right in the middle of a whole bunch of really bad appointments regarding Geli’s bones….I decided that I needed a break from everything.
Jeremy had just been doing a section in his Social Studies on the Watershed and the rain cycle and I figured that a trip the Lynn Canyon was EXACTLY what we needed.
I didn’t tell Jeremy that we were “going on a field trip” until it was time to start school. He was SO EXCITED!
We packed up and headed out to North Vancouver. We started our adventure at the Ecology Center.
The large majority of my pictures are blurry because the boys were having SO MUCH FUN and moving so fast that it was tough to get a good (clear) shot in.
They LOVED the hands on exhibits and Jeremy loved how so much of it had to do with what he was learning. While homeschooling is not EASY by any stretch of the imagination, I love that I’m involved with him and his learning. It’s so cool because we were able to pull in aspects of Language Arts, Science and Social Studies into this one field trip. I love that. And he was excited to show me what he knew and how it tied in…..I especially LOVE that HE IS EXCITED about what he is learning. That just about makes up for all the frustrations that we go through.
Siah LOVED the bones. He was enthralled by them.
After we left the Ecology Centre, we walked down to the Suspension Bridge. It had been WAY too long since I had been to the Canyon and it was so good to just escape from everything and to get lost in the beauty of the forest.
Jeremy helped Siah walk across the Suspension Bridge while Judah CLUNG to me for dear life. He really wasn’t sure that he liked the moving, swinging bridge.
We took our time meandering down the trail. We stopped to check out the stumps and to count the rings on a recently falled tree. Jeremy thinks this one had 120+ rings? I didn’t count.
Judah was desperate to get down to the water on the other side of this fence. He was pretty adamant that he should be in the water and not upon the trail.
It was so much fun to have no time frame, nothing pushing us, no schedules to make….we just WERE….
I’m very much a driven person. I try so hard to stay present and in the moment, but so often I am thinking of what needs to happen or what should be happening and I’m so aware of what we aren’t doing and on this day, I was so very aware of us and where we were at mentally and emotionally and I tried so hard to just “BE”….to just be with my boys. To not worry about how long it took us or how many detours we took or what we stopped to look at. The boys were enjoying exploring and running and climbing and I was enjoying them just enjoying everything. There was really nothing that they could do wrong and so we just WERE….
I remember us as kids (my brother’s and sister’s) climbing this rock and it’s fun that my kids now get to experience that as well. I remember how HUGE it seemed to me then and when I look at it now it’s still pretty big….
It was nice to see the boys playing “together” instead of fighting against each other.
We finally made it down to the 30 foot pool. Beautiful, isn’t it? And this picture does nothing to represent the actual beauty of the place. It’s incredible. I grew up doors away from the Canyon…I was so blessed.
We climbed down the rocks and sat by the water and ate our lunch. I love the look on Judah’s face….mine – not so much, but man, is he cute!
Josiah and his celery stick give it two thumbs up…
We hung out for a while, threw some rocks, climbed on the rocks and then slowly started making our way back to the van.
Josiah was much braver, crossing the bridge for the second time……
It was such a nice and so needed escape from everything. We came home feeling slightly recharged and in the middle of all the craziness….that is such a good thing. We are looking forward to our next escape to Lynn Canyon.
Dear Patti It is so wonderful that you were able to go there with the boys ,the pictures are wonderful .Your picture is lovely too. I remember us going down to the eating place there for breakfast with some of the family.Has your old home been changed much in the outside appearance.? You will have to bring the boys out this way one day. The park where the swimming pool is has been changed quite a bit,if the weather would just warm up a bit they could have fun there. I have had a long day so I must get to bed two medical appointments and the prayer service at Alderbrook to-night. Love you all lots Grandma
Hey Patti You are doing a GREAT job making learning and education fun for your boys. There is so much to learn like science world, kitsilano looking at stars in the ceiling (i forgot what it is called, my school took my class there one year). At camp we learned to identify which fir trees they are e tc. Nature sure is a great outdoor classroom. Have a great day. Got to go and get ready to go to work. Field trips are always fun. blessings Debra