It's the fall. And every year right around this time I think about a project Austin had to do in Fourth grade while he was still in christian private school. You know right before I went crazy and decided to take it upon myself to homeschool my own children. But that's another story for another time.
The project was a leaf project. And it was a lengthy one. One that made all of us fourth grade moms groan with discomfort at the thought of having to trapse around the Tennessee country side in search of the 5493 leafs listed that we were to aquire. And label. And scrapbook. We were all tired ya know. Something about helping our kids with school and our work and just being a mom in general. We were all downright exhausted. But that did not matter. It was time to collect leaves.
All of us put our big girl panties on and our hiking boots and headed out into the great unknown .
We had several weeks to collect the list but like so many of us last minute Lucy's we were all running mad the last week trying to find and complete the leaf list.
It was not at all uncommon for many of us to call each other at least a half a dozen times a day with questions like "Have you found Tulip Popular yet and where? Or we might call just to celebrate with "I found the Ginko Biloba leaf!!!" By the way is it safe to eat? I heard it gives you energy?
We all pulled inspiration from one another and even grabbed each other a leaf or two from certain locations just so we all didn't have to run out to Smokey Mountains to find an example of the coniferous leaf. We loved each other like that.
Then we had to pull it all together into this.
A lovely scrapbook. I must say that to be somewhat experienced in this catagory made me feel so much better. Sort of. Ok not really.
It was just that it was such a big project. I then typed much of what Austin would have written. It went much faster that way.
It was simple design. Clean and easy to read.
Table of contents.
I did of course have Keith help. He's the outdoorsman anyway right?!!
We had well over twenty leaves to locate and identify.
Then we pressed and adhered them in the book.
With the given label.
Thank goodness Cheekwood. had many labled.
Here would be the Ginko. And for the record I did not really try and eat it. I only wanted to.
A few leaves we did find in our our yard. It was necessary.
But indeed we did have to stop at sevaral place just to grab one leaf. On our way to football games I would scream "Hey! I think that's a Sassafras tree!!" Pull over!! Austin would yell "I think your right mom! Keith weould nearly wreck trying to get off the interstate and we would jump out of the car to grab a sample.
But we got our leaf by golly!
Austin also put in his favorite leaf and why it was his favorite. A bamboo leaf. Interesting.
With a beautiful drawing. He is quite the artist if I have not told you before now.
Many other Tennessee symbols needed to be included.
Leaf rubbings. Extra credit. We might as well go the extra mile right?
But the most wonderful part of the whole project was that it did indeed provide a wonderful memory of togetherness.
We took lots of pictures.
Gazed at nature in a way we would not have if the project had not been required of us.
The boys found lizards.
And fountains to splash in.
We sat beside still waters and had our souls restored. Truly.
And generally had a wonderfully great time.
And during the whole process I could not help but think of my mom. So we dedicated the book to her.
She would have loved to been there. And I have a feeling she was. Every step of the way.
And we came to the end. And all was well. Even though my feet hurt. And my allergies were through the roof.
We had successfully completed Mr. Nelms dreaded leaf project. And Austin recieved a A+++. We did not expect that!
Then something else happened. He was chosen for the principal's favorites for the month. Bonus!
It was the icing on the cake. The best buttercreme icing you can imagine!
And the book sat at the front of the school lobby where it could be viewed for a good while by all the world.
Or at least the student a faculity of David Lipscomb Elementary. We were good with that.
And now every fall we get this tiny book out and marvel at how we managed to get it all done.
I kid you not when I say it was a miracle. Truly!
As a homeschool mom I have yet to take on something of this magnitude just yet. But you never know.
Actually I'm pretty sure it will never happen. But it's a memory we will never forget.
Over and out.
The (love the Fall weather and crunching leaves that I do not have to collect) Sideline Mom
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