A Trip to the “Yes” Farm…

There are a lot of reasons that I appreciate our kiddos’ school.

(Side note–our school is a university model school–which means the kids are in class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and then we homeschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

But one of the main reasons I love their school, is that it’s a–

Y-E-S!!! School

Now, I try very very hard to be a “yes” mom.
Meaning–
If there’s not a good reason for “no” then I want to say:

Yes!

If homeschool is finished and we have time to head to the pet store to hang out with the critters–then–
YES!!!  Why not go?
If the crew wants to chop up wood and use a hammer and nails to build a fort behind the fence–then–
Yes!  Why not let them?
If bubbles and sidewalk chalk sound fun–then–
Yes!  Why not risk the mess?

I’m not saying this is easy for me.

I shared in this past post about watching our boys chop out tree stumps with pick axes.
That was not easy for me. 
The fact that my husband is still working his way through:
“50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do”–
causes surges of panic.

I also believe that wisdom and caution must be used.

But on the whole, as a society, we’ve moved to a place of unreasonable restrictions that only increase my tendencies towards fearful helicopter parenting.
Regulating freeze tag?

Clearly we need some balance. 

So–I fight hard to be a “yes” mom unless there’s a good rational for “no”.

But as I was saying…
I LOVE that our kiddos’ school is a YES school.

–Want to build a volcano in class and actually erupt it?  Yes you can!
–Want to bring in your 10 Madagascar Hissers for show-and-tell?  Yes you should!
–Want your principal to show you how to use a chain saw?  Yes he will!

Our principal and his family invited the kindergartners,
first graders and second graders to their farm yesterday.
Singing and talking around the firepit…
Making name tags…

Holding the chickens and searching for eggs…

Outside the chicken coop…

Playing with the baby goats…

Buddies.

Roasting marshmallows…after finding crawdads in the river.

The Candy Easter Egg Hunt…

So yes–
While we did wash hands, follow directions, and sit a safe distance from the fire…
We also got muddy, ate some sugar, held sharp sticks, and probably introduced a few new germs…
But on the whole, as a school, we said–
Yes!!! 
–to living.
–to enjoying God’s creation.
–to getting outdoors.
–to spending time together building and investing in friendships.
And we said “yes” to entrusting ourselves to God for safety. 

Which is really the only way to fight fear and truly live with peace.
If you enjoyed visiting with
The Chuppies…
Please consider connecting with us
through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest
or by email.
Thanks for stopping by!

Facebook facebook   Twitter twitter   Email email   Pinterest pinterest  
18 Comments · Filed Under: Education, Field Trips, School ·
Signature
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11850868789361572473 Crystal

    This is totally AWESOME – we are still hoping we can send some or all of our kids at some point to this school :) I think I am going to try to homeschool through first grade at least :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03085814755648021148 Kari

    Amen. School here is such a rich blessing. So thankful for the time we have had there. The Hanson’s are a huge HUGE blessing to us!

  • annie

    That’s why I love this school too!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12698211507956334881 Aurie

    I love this post!! I am a YES mamma {when I can be!} but I have never heard of a YES school :) How wonderful!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13182607074543277164 Kara

    We’re really thankful for the kiddos school and teachers!
    Crystal–we’d LOVE to have you there.
    Kari–:( (with big tears)
    Annie–YOU are a huge reason we love the school.
    Aurie–don’t know where you’re located, but “university model” schools are starting to pop up across the country… :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11796485753509093032 Lora

    Of all the incredible posts i’ve read this week (and there have been some really incredible ones) this post is my ABSOLUTE favorite. I LOVE IT!
    I actually have tears running down my face and my son is “checking” on me so I must have made some noises about it too. :)

    How blessed you are!! That you have such a unique and cool school for your kids, that your principal invited you all to his farm and PRAYED with you around his bon-fire, and and AND that you are a YES Mama! :)

    I loved the way you explained why you work to be in the YES, and the serious jokes to go along with it. :)

    SO cool. i’m so happy for you.
    It just so happens that I have a YES blog called a YES place (check my profile for it if you want to see it), and you make me want to have you for a guest blogger with this very topic.
    It’s so cool and important, and I could not put it as well as you did.

    So awesome.
    thank you for your kind words at Abundant Life, mostly so that I could find you and come here, and read this, and be so moved and in love with it.

    If reading the rest of you here is anything like that, you’ll be one of the very few people I will click “follow” on. :)

    Many Easter Blessings this holiday weekend.

    Thank you again.
    In Him,
    Lora

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13182607074543277164 Kara

    Lora…just want you to know how much your words mean…thank you.
    Funny thing is that as you were commenting I was busy finding your “yes” blog :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/04930670425813574906 Cari

    I have never heard of a school like that. How wonderful that must be. What a challenge you have given me for I am not a “yes” Momma. How sad that is to recognize. I would like to be and I guess that is only up to me. Thank you for the encouragement and challenge.
    Blessings Kara

  • http://we4harris.blogspot.com Kim H.

    What an amazing and fun day it was!!! So thankful!! (And so thankful for your family, too!!) xoxoxo!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/04009515524128741354 Anne-Marie

    You really captured with this blog what yesterday was like! It really was a YES day, and even when I thought perhaps the tree by the creek would collapse under the weight of all the kiddos hanging from the branches, there was no real fear of danger…especially when I saw our principal smile at the tree climbers. Such a neat place to be…when we can let kids be kids!!! Thanks for the post!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03102175056491651825 Annie Schilperoort Photography

    So awesome! Loved seeing all those faces we miss this year. Leah was over today and told us all about out so thank you for giving us visuals too! xoxo

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15353687786613631098 Karen

    What a great concept-saying YES to our kids. I work in public schools and there are a lot of helicopter parents and tight regulations. blessings on your Easter celebration.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11191954234463137725 Lynn

    What an absolute blast. LOVE the photos and all of it… Thank you.

    I hope your Easter was astonishing. See you this Thursday. Hugs, Lynn

  • Danna Leontescu

    Oh Kara, your post makes me so excited! Iosea will be going to this school starting this Fall and it’s so encouraging to see the fun and creativity around it:)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13182607074543277164 Kara

    Danna–really excited for you to join us next year!!! :)

  • Pingback: fourth grade and dyslexia

  • Pingback: Christmas from the Chuppies 2012

  • Pingback: School Choices

A Trip to the “Yes” Farm…

There are a lot of reasons that I appreciate our kiddos’ school.

(Side note–our school is a university model school–which means the kids are in class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and then we homeschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

But one of the main reasons I love their school, is that it’s a–

Y-E-S!!! School

Now, I try very very hard to be a “yes” mom.
Meaning–
If there’s not a good reason for “no” then I want to say:

Yes!

If homeschool is finished and we have time to head to the pet store to hang out with the critters–then–
YES!!!  Why not go?
If the crew wants to chop up wood and use a hammer and nails to build a fort behind the fence–then–
Yes!  Why not let them?
If bubbles and sidewalk chalk sound fun–then–
Yes!  Why not risk the mess?

I’m not saying this is easy for me.

I shared in this past post about watching our boys chop out tree stumps with pick axes.
That was not easy for me. 
The fact that my husband is still working his way through:
“50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do”–
causes surges of panic.

I also believe that wisdom and caution must be used.

But on the whole, as a society, we’ve moved to a place of unreasonable restrictions that only increase my tendencies towards fearful helicopter parenting.
Regulating freeze tag?

Clearly we need some balance. 

So–I fight hard to be a “yes” mom unless there’s a good rational for “no”.

But as I was saying…
I LOVE that our kiddos’ school is a YES school.

–Want to build a volcano in class and actually erupt it?  Yes you can!
–Want to bring in your 10 Madagascar Hissers for show-and-tell?  Yes you should!
–Want your principal to show you how to use a chain saw?  Yes he will!

Our principal and his family invited the kindergartners,
first graders and second graders to their farm yesterday.
Singing and talking around the firepit…
Making name tags…

Holding the chickens and searching for eggs…

Outside the chicken coop…

Playing with the baby goats…

Buddies.

Roasting marshmallows…after finding crawdads in the river.

The Candy Easter Egg Hunt…

So yes–
While we did wash hands, follow directions, and sit a safe distance from the fire…
We also got muddy, ate some sugar, held sharp sticks, and probably introduced a few new germs…
But on the whole, as a school, we said–
Yes!!! 
–to living.
–to enjoying God’s creation.
–to getting outdoors.
–to spending time together building and investing in friendships.
And we said “yes” to entrusting ourselves to God for safety. 

Which is really the only way to fight fear and truly live with peace.
If you enjoyed visiting with
The Chuppies…
Please consider connecting with us
through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest
or by email.
Thanks for stopping by!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Facebook facebook   Twitter twitter   Email email   Pinterest pinterest  
· Filed Under: Education, Field Trips, School ·
Signature
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11850868789361572473 Crystal

    This is totally AWESOME – we are still hoping we can send some or all of our kids at some point to this school :) I think I am going to try to homeschool through first grade at least :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03085814755648021148 Kari

    Amen. School here is such a rich blessing. So thankful for the time we have had there. The Hanson’s are a huge HUGE blessing to us!

  • annie

    That’s why I love this school too!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12698211507956334881 Aurie

    I love this post!! I am a YES mamma {when I can be!} but I have never heard of a YES school :) How wonderful!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13182607074543277164 Kara

    We’re really thankful for the kiddos school and teachers!
    Crystal–we’d LOVE to have you there.
    Kari–:( (with big tears)
    Annie–YOU are a huge reason we love the school.
    Aurie–don’t know where you’re located, but “university model” schools are starting to pop up across the country… :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11796485753509093032 Lora

    Of all the incredible posts i’ve read this week (and there have been some really incredible ones) this post is my ABSOLUTE favorite. I LOVE IT!
    I actually have tears running down my face and my son is “checking” on me so I must have made some noises about it too. :)

    How blessed you are!! That you have such a unique and cool school for your kids, that your principal invited you all to his farm and PRAYED with you around his bon-fire, and and AND that you are a YES Mama! :)

    I loved the way you explained why you work to be in the YES, and the serious jokes to go along with it. :)

    SO cool. i’m so happy for you.
    It just so happens that I have a YES blog called a YES place (check my profile for it if you want to see it), and you make me want to have you for a guest blogger with this very topic.
    It’s so cool and important, and I could not put it as well as you did.

    So awesome.
    thank you for your kind words at Abundant Life, mostly so that I could find you and come here, and read this, and be so moved and in love with it.

    If reading the rest of you here is anything like that, you’ll be one of the very few people I will click “follow” on. :)

    Many Easter Blessings this holiday weekend.

    Thank you again.
    In Him,
    Lora

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13182607074543277164 Kara

    Lora…just want you to know how much your words mean…thank you.
    Funny thing is that as you were commenting I was busy finding your “yes” blog :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/04930670425813574906 Cari

    I have never heard of a school like that. How wonderful that must be. What a challenge you have given me for I am not a “yes” Momma. How sad that is to recognize. I would like to be and I guess that is only up to me. Thank you for the encouragement and challenge.
    Blessings Kara

  • http://we4harris.blogspot.com Kim H.

    What an amazing and fun day it was!!! So thankful!! (And so thankful for your family, too!!) xoxoxo!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/04009515524128741354 Anne-Marie

    You really captured with this blog what yesterday was like! It really was a YES day, and even when I thought perhaps the tree by the creek would collapse under the weight of all the kiddos hanging from the branches, there was no real fear of danger…especially when I saw our principal smile at the tree climbers. Such a neat place to be…when we can let kids be kids!!! Thanks for the post!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03102175056491651825 Annie Schilperoort Photography

    So awesome! Loved seeing all those faces we miss this year. Leah was over today and told us all about out so thank you for giving us visuals too! xoxo

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15353687786613631098 Karen

    What a great concept-saying YES to our kids. I work in public schools and there are a lot of helicopter parents and tight regulations. blessings on your Easter celebration.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11191954234463137725 Lynn

    What an absolute blast. LOVE the photos and all of it… Thank you.

    I hope your Easter was astonishing. See you this Thursday. Hugs, Lynn

  • Danna Leontescu

    Oh Kara, your post makes me so excited! Iosea will be going to this school starting this Fall and it’s so encouraging to see the fun and creativity around it:)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13182607074543277164 Kara

    Danna–really excited for you to join us next year!!! :)