homeschooling...CSI style!

somedays you wake up & you know that you could not have possibly dreamed up the events that will unfold. yesterday was one of them.

one day a week the boys & i head off to the big city, books in tow, for some in-the-community type adventures. i am not a believer in cooping them up with books for many hours 5 days a week. i believe they need balance & that part of the balance is getting out in the big world & being a part of the scene with much more regularity than one field trip a year. on these outings we get to see what adults are doing with their days in the real world. everything we do is an opportunity to learn something that broadens their horizons...& mine.


currently, our typical city day includes a stop at a friend's bagel shop...he is in the process of purchasing it & loves to talk to the boys about being in business & the hard work that it takes. based on the superb taste of his bagels, he should do very nicely! then we head to the downtown Catholic school where my weekly italian class meets. our instructor is a real gem, both with language skills and for accommodating the boys' presence. she currently needs to meet during the day & provides them with space for their book work for the 1 1/2 hour of class. afterwards the boys & i are off for lunch. & then who knows...? we keep the afternoons free for spontaneous adventure.


the boys' book work during my italian class usually includes mundane activities such as math, vocabulary exercises, composition writing, reading for history or science...you know what i mean.


that is a typical week.


not yesterday.


yesterday was real live crime drama. in a Catholic school. in spite of the locked doors.


the boys were thrilled beyond all belief. i was not.


while our class was deep into language, the boys noticed a strange man enter the receptionist's office & begin a conversation with her. at some point something he said caught their attention & they began to watch their interaction more intently. the gist of it was that he wanted a drink, & our very kind receptionist obliged. as soon as she left her desk, the "thirsty" man raided her purse & made a bee line for the front door, just a few steps away...with her wallet in hand. a gentleman visiting the building actually ran out after them & gave chase, obtaining the license number from the get-a-way car. both boys said they could not believe their eyes (i guess!!)...


smart-thinking young men that they are, they immediately began writing every detail they could remember. the police were on scene rather quickly & the boys, as the only eye-witnesses to the actual crime, were interviewed.


how cool is that? in boyworld, it is almost nirvana!


how is the momma doing? oh, she has visions of guns & knives & chalk body outlines at crime scenes. this is *not* momma nirvana, let me tell you.


but, for those of you who don't know it...CSI is the only TV program i watch. i become a complete zombie when the top of the hour crime hits the screen & don't come up for air until the case is closed. yesterday was a little unsettling...fiction became truth. maybe i'll skip CSI tonight.


nah. it is a new season, after all.