Out in the midday sun

 

'...when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.'

Kenneth Grahame, 'The Wind in the Willows'

On Friday, Charlie couldn't concentrate on his work. He said he felt all wrong. He tried to practise his handwriting, but the letters came out wobbly. I felt his forehead: it was cool. 

"Why don't you go and play for a bit?" I suggested. A few minutes later, he was creating a river out of blue Lego, spraying water over it and causing maritime disasters. 

Michael came home for lunch and suggested we pack a picnic and go out into the sunshine. So we did.

We ate our sandwiches whilst watching the life on the river go past.
 

 

That afternoon, back at home, I let Charlie relax and follow his own interests. He was bored at school; the last thing I wanted was for him to start feeling bored by what we did at home too. There are lots of things I want him to learn whilst he's being home educated - his times tables and how to produce readable handwriting, to name just two - but if I achieve nothing else, I want him to begin to love learning again.

Later, I heard one of my favourite sounds: his giggling as he read one of his favourite 'Tintin' books.