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Blue Spring State Park

Writer's picture: Courtney CampbellCourtney Campbell

Come take a walk with me and some of "my people" from one of the two Wild and Free groups my boys and I attend every week. This has been a weekly activity that my boys and I have been a part of since we moved to Central Florida three years ago. It was not only a great way to get outside in the sunshine state, but to make long lasting friendships.


Both Wild and Free homeschooling groups we are in center around hikes. We will drive anywhere from fifteen minutes to over an hour, rotating between the areas in which we all live. We come from all over Central Florida. There are many families in both groups so it varies week to week on who we see, but being the people person that I am, I enjoy the variety.


This particular week the boys and I trekked an hour to Blue Spring State Park in Orange City and paid the whopping $6 to get in. This particular spring discharges over 102 million gallons of water daily into the St. Johns River. The location in which it bursts through the ground can not only be viewed, but swam and scuba dived in.


Our group swam in this spring in the summer of 2023. Its stronger current surprised me, but clearly I had forgotten that it was moving 102 million gallons of water per day. It's quite a spectacular swimming experience.




Going to Blue Spring State Park is a yearly winter tradition for these groups as its when you can see the manatees swimming. That day, there were 808 manatees counted, which was well over double the amount we had seen in the past. This winter has been a tad chillier for us spoiled Floridians, which explains the increase. Apparently the manatees are feeling it, too. ;)


Mama and baby
Mama and baby

Given the fact that we homeschool, it is only fitting for a short animal science lesson on manatees. For most of the year, these adorable "sea cows" can be found in calmer fresh and salt bodies of water, such as bays, canals, and rivers. During the winter months, however, the manatees swim into the spring which connects to the St. Johns River.


One of my sweet, fellow documenting friends, Laura caught one rolling over on video while I wasn't nearby, so we waited until one did it again! It was worth the wait!!
One of my sweet, fellow documenting friends, Laura caught one rolling over on video while I wasn't nearby, so we waited until one did it again! It was worth the wait!!

Manatees are prone to cold stress syndrome, which is comparable to hypothermia, pneumonia, or frostbite in humans. When the St. Johns River gets too cold for these warm blooded mammals, their God given internal code of conduct leads them to places like Blue Spring, which runs at a constant temperature of seventy-two degrees. In the winter months, the St. Johns River can be as low as fifty degrees. Brr.


No wonder these endearing creations like the spring! Their lives depend on it. Isn't God amazing? Not only does He create crystal clear bodies of water with pleasant constant temps for people to drink, swim in, and admire, but he thinks of the wildlife, too.




Our group took our time watching the manatees come up for air, sometimes blowing water out of their snouts. We spotted tilapia and alligator gar fish gliding through the water, smiled at the turtles sun bathing on logs, pointed out the anhingas drying out their wings from diving underwater for fish, and giggled at the squirrel enjoying its breakfast while balancing on a thin branch high up in an oak tree. It was a beautiful sight for me to watch these kids ranging from five to fourteen years old playing, laughing and learning together.





As mentioned earlier, we are a hiking homeschool group, but there wasn't much walking to be had yet, so we ventured to another area of the park where there were walking trails. Off we went, not fully knowing how far we would go. In addition to spotting deer tracks and wildlife, the kiddos got to playing one of their favorite games of Imposter. It was rather amusing to suddenly see one of them just drop.





The trail we chose led us along train tracks. I still had my professional camera with me and as I was taking photos, Shiloh, one of my friend's daughter was watching closely. I even caught her feet in one of the images. I showed her a couple of the images I had just snapped.





As I often do when I see this curiosity in kids, I offered to let her hold onto it and snap some of her own photos. She smiled as I guided her hand into the strap to hold tightly onto it, showed her what to look through, and what button to push to snap the photo. Shiloh got to photographing everything and everyone in sight.





During that time, a short passenger train was heard coming quickly down the tracks. Shiloh zipped around and was able to catch it. Full of satisfaction, she ran over to show me the photo, which I of course reacted to in an encouraging fashion.



It brings me great joy to invigorate children and increase their confidence in an ability to do something on their own. Even though Shiloh didn't understand any of the settings on the camera, she was empowered and encouraged to believe that she was capable of using such a fragile tool. I do the exact same thing with my three boys and during portrait sessions (see the photo, my eight year old took in the gallery highlighted at the end titled, "Hayden's Senior Photos).


I snapped this one of Shiloh as she was hanging out by the manatees before I ever knew she would be using the same camera that took this on our hike later on.
I snapped this one of Shiloh as she was hanging out by the manatees before I ever knew she would be using the same camera that took this on our hike later on.

We walked about four miles that day, but it didn't feel like it. When you are in such great company, time slips through your fingertips, difficult things become attainable, and you leave with that heavy parenting load you brought in with you, lifted. It is a relief to be a part of a group that loves you through every meltdown or embarrassing thing your child did that day. It is also a beautiful thing to be with moms who pray, sing, cry, and laugh, sometimes all in the same day, with you. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart and I am grateful God has provided these groups for my boys and I to be a part of!





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