Lessons in Curiosity
I’m not sure how it could possibly be time for another school year to begin when summer vacation just started last week (or at least that’s how it feels) but here we are.
Once again, parents are marking jumpstarts and orientations on their calendars, clicking through online registration websites, loading lunch money accounts, filling shopping carts with socks, underwear, sneakers, bookbags, notebooks, pencils and crayons.
Kids are reaching out to their friends, comparing notes about whose homeroom they’re in, whether that teacher is nice or mean, what teams or clubs they might join, and whether they will ride the bus or beg their parents for transportation.
It’s a lot.
And hopefully, somewhere in the middle of all those preparations and conversations, there might be at least a few moments of thought or discussion regarding what the kids might actually learn this year. I know, what a concept, right?!
There is actually a website that outlines the curriculum for public education in Kentucky in a pretty straightforward way. It’s kystandards.org, and anyone can go there to see, for example, the concepts that will be introduced to fourth-graders in the subject of science. Or any grade. Or any subject.
It’s a pretty impressive guideline, and maybe a little ambitious, but it’s at least an optimistic starting point.
And even though only a small fraction of those concepts were introduced to me during my tenure as a K-12 student lo those many years ago, I’m all for it, and send my best wishes to all the dedicated teachers out there who are charged with guiding young minds along these early steps on the path of lifelong learning.
But in the meantime, and on the other hand…
I also value another kind of learning, and maybe this kind is a little less intimidating to the average parent or grandparent.
It’s the kind that just lets kids discover things and figure things out on their own.
All that’s really required is that you turn off the television, take away the electronic devices, and leave the kid alone.
Trust me, it won’t be long before they get bored and start to look around to see what they can get into.
And that’s when they find the roly-poly bugs under the big rock by the driveway.
That’s when they try to build a glider out of cardboard.
Or see what kinds of critters show up when you pour a little sugar on the ground.
Or compare the differences in what happens when you add a few drops of food coloring to water, and oil, and milk.
Or create a treasure map using clues and landmarks from around the neighborhood.
Or collect a variety of leaves and challenge another kid to match them up to the right trees.
Or flip a coin and keep track of how many times it lands on heads or tails.
Or build a fort out of whatever junk they can find in the garage.
Or invent a secret code.
There might not be a grade assigned to any of these adventures, but who knows: Leaving your kids alone to discover things on their own might be the most important learning experiences of their lives.
