One thing I think is important about inspiring our kids is being excited about a study ourselves. I know when I hear a speaker that truly inspires me, he is usually fired up about the topic he is sharing. I want to be excited about what my kids are studying, so I try to start with their own interest.
I try to look for times that my kids are excited about something and then pursue that area of interest. We use school to study that area. Last spring our family watched Apollo 13 and everyone was curious about space, the moon, space travel and so on. I decided we should pursue this area the next week. It was nothing big; I simply pulled a book from our shelf and read it aloud to my kids the next week. The book was Destination Moon, published by Vision Forum. It is a biographical account of Jim Irwin and his trip to the moon. My kids did not want me to stop reading each day. I also had some extra space books in a basket for them to enjoy.
To carry this a bit further, last week we visited Wes Callihan, who lives in the country – no city light pollution. We could see the entire sky and Wes knows where all the constellations are. He pointed out many constellations and told the story of some. My thought is to pursue this interest when we formally start school. We have star charts and I hope to have my son draw out some of the constellations. I hope to have him read some of the myths behind the constellations. I say “hope” because I will talk to him about these ideas and see if that is what he wants to do. If he has other ways to study constellations, we’ll head in that direction.
How do you inspire your kids?
Kerry
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