Stones are most definitely a currency in childhood...

This is what Nature Girl collected on her way home from school today. We haven't had the heart to disturb it and have been stepping over it all evening.

Here's today's rant about schooling versus education. She took an hour after school marvelling at the rocks she found along the way, rocks freed up from under snow by the hot March sun...her knees are red with mud. She arrived at home rosy cheeked, wind swept, and carefully designed this circle with the shale in the middle and the smooth little stream bed rocks around the outside. She chatted with me about all the signs of springs she saw along the way. This is her "Spring Sun Circle"

I then had to cajole her into homework - do a "spring doodle"... but this art won't suffice because the purpose of her art should really be a canvas for the REAL work - she's supposed to write her spelling words three times each ON her "spring doodle".