Liquor Boxes and a Visit from the Pastor

One summer, when we were creatively learning about gardening and plants, we decided to have the children do this very cool experiment. They would start a few bean plants in paper cups on the windowsill. When the plants were several inches tall, they would place the paper cups in a big box that had dividers, tape the box closed, and then we would cut a small hole in the end of the box that was farthest from the young plant. They were trying to see if the plants would grow around the dividers and find a way to get to the sunlight coming in the hole at the far end of the box.

Simple, right? Well, the best boxes to use for these experiments were liquor boxes. Yes, you heard me right—big, bulky liquor boxes with very thick corrugated dividers were perfect for challenging the young bean plants. So after a special trip to obtain the boxes, the kids had a blast getting their own boxes set up and carefully placed on the front porch. It was a colorful arrangement, to say the least.

A few days later, our pastor dropped by for a visit. When I answered the door, I couldn’t figure out why he kept staring at the other end of the porch, not really looking at me at all. Hmmm. Oh, the liquor boxes! Yes, I did have quite a time explaining all of the boxes and the experiment and, well, homeschooling. It was all good, and that’s the most interesting way homeschooling has ever made its way into a conversation for me!

Blessings,
- Amanda B