Nature, I’m not happy with you.  We were going to study hurricanes in May.  Instead, we’re getting an up-close-and-personal view of what you are capable of.  My state has declared a state of emergency along with several others, and we’re all bracing for the impact.

We’ll be ok

Sure, we’re far enough inland that we’re pretty sheltered.  We shouldn’t get the brunt of the hurricane-force winds.  But we will get rain.  Rain on top of rain, on already soaked ground.  Rivers are already high, creeks are topping their banks, and trees will topple.  There will be flooding.

Worse, I worry for those in the direct path.  The people of Wilmington, N.C. who cheerfully sold me fudge by the pound and offered smiling service during our vacation this summer – they’re all headed out.  Mandatory evacuations from that idyllic little town on the sea have been implemented already.  I hope you’ll be safe, guys, and that your town will survive this monster storm.

Not everyone will be ok

Of course, there are millions of people in the path of this storm.  I can’t worry about all of them – I don’t know more than even a few of them.  But the ones I do have contact with – the ones in my homeschooling groups – they’re hanging in there and doing what homeschoolers do best: learning.

My homeschooling feed is full of interesting videos, hurricane tracking charts, and resources shared by parents who are searching for ways to make sense of this giant mess that just invaded their lives.  Some of them are posting from temporary housing, having evacuated already to a safer place.

Still learning

That’s the beauty of homeschooling – that we can continue learning even while everything around us is in flux.  My kids are tracking all three of the storms – my brother is in the path of Hurricane Isaac, and even though they’ve never met him, they’re concerned for him.  They think Tropical Storm Helene has the right idea – to wander off into the ocean and spin down.

Along the way, we’re learning about line graphs (hey, we had a few more weeks until that topic!) hurricane formation, and the water cycle.  We discussed how rising hot air from the ocean is affecting Hurricane Florence, and demonstrated with a pot on the stove.  We’re learning.

New lessons aren’t always fun

We’re also learning about emergency preparedness.  Tomorrow they’re going to help me go down a modified checklist of things that we need to do, and they’re going to help me move stuff in case the basement floods.  Which is a distinct possibility, given that our sump pump isn’t working at the moment.  Hopefully we won’t have to learn about mold and replacing sheet rock, but I know many other people will after this mess blows through.

I love that homeschooling is flexible.  I just wish we didn’t have to be.

Stay safe guys – wishing you all the best!