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A few years ago, I was at a Den meeting for Webelos and listening to a mini-lesson on electricity when I realized - I don't know how this works!
The last few months Ellie has been bringing home books from school to read - some familiar favorites and several non-fiction books on various topics. And I've realized again, with similar embarrassment as from my Den meeting... I don't know how a lot of basic things work. How could I have gone through all of my school years plus a college education, and still be surprised by the subjects in my kindergartener's take-home books? Today's book was Magnets, and it was completely full of surprises. Magnets can be turned on and off by electricity? MRI's are done by magnets? (yep - that's in the name, I should have known this!), door bells, windshield wipers, tv screens... I have no idea how any of these things use magnets - I should know this though, right?
Most likely, I did *learn* all of this at some point in time.
(learn = make up a song or poem or alphabet game or story to memorize the most important/likely to be tested on facts.)
Today we were brainstorming ideas for the kids' upcoming science fair. All afternoon Ellie and Landon were coming up with questions -- How does the button on a flashlight make the light turn on? How do all the ingredients in a recipe make dough turn into something we eat like muffins? How do batteries work? How does snow form? How does a harmonica make music? How does a light switch work? So many great questions, and so many that I don't even know! All day I've been wishing for a nice tall stack of books from the children's section at the library (is this a side effect of our new eating plan? If I can't have treats, it'll have to be books? :) I think it's time to learn some new things!
