He Asked for Bread and Got a Stone
CHARLOTTE MASON VOLUME 5 : Formation Of Character: CHAPTER 2, PART I
Young children love to ask questions. They want to know the what, why and when of everything around them. Our answers typically determine whether they’ll be more interested in the world around them or whether they’ll stop paying attention.
Often, I have given my children book answers, but they wanted more. They wanted to understand what they were seeing. This is a wake-up call for me. My children are starving for knowledge and I am not giving them enough.
Imagine the first time a child notices the Big Dipper, if you can name and point out the seven stars, there’s a great chance your child will remember for life. This means that for our children to be well-learned, we must be well-learned. Yes, we can learn from books but it's not the same as experiencing it yourself and learning from someone who loves nature.
Ideally, our children’s first step to making sense of what they will eventually read about Geology, Botany, and Astronomy should be what they can take in with their senses. However, we can’t give what we don’t have as parents. Look in your circle, and figure out how you can help one another to update your knowledge about the world around you.
Let’s help our children have a more meaningful life. Let’s learn so we can answer those questions and create more curiosity in our children. Let’s do this for the children.
Best Regards,
Olufunmike