News Flash - Homeschooler plays tiddlywinks

So I asked my student today if he was going to participate in our kayak lesson. He wants to stay on the dock and watch. He apparently has the whole kayak thing worked out. I asked him if he was going to read or play tiddlywinks. After the giggle, he asked what tiddlywinks were. I told him we would go to the toy store to get a set so he would be prepared for his wait while I enjoyed my kayak lesson.

Unfortunately the toy store did not have a set of tiddlywinks, so I did the next best thing. I googled “tiddlywinks”. You can get a set at a place called www.sillyasstoys.com and there is an entire website dedicated to the sport: www.tiddlywinks.org. We read about the sport, we read the strategies and the history. I think my student will giggle too much to actually get down to a real game of tiddlywinks on the boat dock.

One of the things I have found that is very important to an education is how to fine tune your skills at doing absolutely nothing. In our busy, schedule driven world, the art of doing nothing has disappeared. A while ago, I told my student that doing nothing really is a lost art. We spend so much time fussing over our Math lessons, our Science projects running here and there and planning our next trip that doing nothing never happens. So, this past February I decided it was time for my student to learn how to do nothing, but not just to learn how to do nothing, get good at doing nothing - in style! And that's what we did.

I wrote earlier about Cabbage Key and this was the place where my student perfected his art of doing nothing. To refresh your geography, Cabbage Key is accessible only by boat, helicopter or seaplane and is located 20 miles northwest of Ft. Myers and 5 miles south of Boca Grande. (For sailors, Cabbage Key is directly across from marker 60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles to the south.) There are no cars on the island, not even a paved road. You find winding nature trails, picturesque views and relaxation.

On Cabbage Key, I have to admit we did nothing - most of the time and there were no tiddlywinks involved - really. As homeschoolers it really is hard not to turn events into teaching moments. One good thing I have found with homeschooling is that your student eventually turns his own events into teaching moments without you and that's one of the fringe benefits you get with homeschooling. Your student learns how to educate himself. When we weren't doing nothing, we were studying the plants on the island because apparently there are mangroves (and other plants) there that aren't many other places in Florida. Unfortunately, the hurricane did a pretty good number on the island and much of the nature was disturbed, but not destroyed. Mother nature truely is amazing in how she repairs herself.

Kayaking on the Blue Nile and the Nile

A MOVIE DESCRIPTION:
“Mystery of the Nile
On Christmas day of 2003, world famous adventurer Pasquale Scaturro and a team of explorers and filmmakers set out on an epic quest to become the first to complete a full descent of the world's greatest rivers—the Blue Nile and the Nile—from source to sea. Four months later, on April 28 at 7:01 a.m., Scaturro and his expedition partner Gordon Brown, completed this 3,250-mile dream when they reached the mouth of the Nile at the Mediterranean Sea.

Their remarkable expedition is the basis for Mystery of the Nile, a brand new, extraordinary OMNIMAX® film. Audiences will take a rugged journey through crocodile-infested waters, enormous waterfalls, giant rapids and breathtaking lakes.....”

In my mind it wasn’t the Blue Nile that was the star of this film, it was Gordon Brown, intrepid kayak-guy who was the safety guide for the journey we witnessed. No I don’t ever fancy myself a white water kayaker, I’ll be happy with touring the shores of Prince Edward Island, but some of the things Gordon could do with maneuvering his water craft was really amazing.

My student cannot imagine why we need paddle lessons. As a homeschooler, he is rather fond of books and believes that we can get what we need about kayaking from the diagrams in our kayak instruction book, but that’s the difference between a visual learner and a sequential learner. This sequential learner needs step by step instructions for safety and comfort. This sequential learner needs a person to show them how to get into the kayak at the dock!

We plan to take our school on the road this summer to Canada. I read that you can stay in a lighthouse on Prince Edward Island and that’s what we intend to do. We want to go to Maine to kayak. We hear it's great there, but we're still researching that idea. We also plan to see Niagara Falls, although, kayaks will NOT be involved.

Mount a trolling motor on your kayak

Hi,
I saw at your website that you were going to host a “Beginners Kayak/Canoe Clinic” on May 22. Is this information current? Do I need a reservation?
-Amy

"Yes the dates are current. I prefer for people to pre-register for the clinics. Just give John a call at the shop and he will take your information."
Thanks, April

When we were at Cabbage Key, Florida in February, we wished for a kayak many of the days. Cabbage Key is accessible only by boat, helicopter or seaplane and is located 20 miles northwest of Ft. Myers and 5 miles south of Boca Grande. (For sailors, Cabbage Key is directly across from marker 60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway.

Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles to the south.) There are no cars on the island, not even a paved road. You find winding nature trails, picturesque views and relaxation. And after our school days were done, that’s what we did, relax.

On about the 6th day of our stay we saw the ultimate kayak. It was a touring kayak that had a fishing boat trolling motor attached. I couldn’t believe it. These two people had taken relaxing to the ultimate level. They were in the middle of the bay sporting fishing hats, in motorized touring kayaks stalking snooks. If they hadn’t been so far away from shore I would have inquired about the idea of cup holder on board the kayak. As part of my research into a kayak purchase, I “googled” “Mount a trolling motor on your kayak”. The search actually yielded interactions to accomplish this feat.

I have decided that a motorized kayak is not the thing to do. We are going to learn how to kayak the old fashioned way with a paddle. Apparently this requires instruction, we’re scheduling a lesson in May.