Posts Tagged ‘life lessons’
The secret in the Secret Garden
Recently I read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Although it is a classic it was the first time that I read it. There are several books that I am reading as part of my research for a unit study that I am writing. Not only did this book fit in with the topic I am writing about, but gave me a wonderful feeling and some great inspiration.
The character of Dickon was my main inspiration. He seems to be one with the Earth, a friend to plants and animals alike. He appreciates life to its fullest. He “goes out on rainy days just as on sunny days…he sees things on rainy days as doesn’t show when it’s fair weather”. He inspires anyone to be present in their life, to understand that there is something special in what seems to be good days, or bad days because it is all in the perspective of how you look at them. What a great lesson! How we look at something, how we react to something is a big part of how good something really is.
Children are great mimics and watch what we do and say very carefully. What if our perspective on a rainy day is clouding their imagination and wonder of the same day. Muttering about the bad weather makes them less likely to want to get out in it and explore the puddles, the worms and the rainbows. It is important for kids to discover what they like or don’t like on their own, without the influences of our perspective’s, especially when our views are more negative.
Another quote from the book can sum this up nicely. “thoughts – just mere thoughts – are as powerful as electric batteries – as good for one as sunlight or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ into your body.”
We need to protect the minds, and imaginations of our children by allowing them to discover the wonders of life like Dickon does!
Our goal as homeschoolers is to help our children grow to have accomplished lives. The best way to do this is to show them how to live!
Book work in school is something everyone recognizes as education. But books don’t always teach what is important. Make sure your lessons include life lessons. Take a trip to the grocery store to understand nutritional food choices, price comparisons, recipe needs and budgeting. Follow recipes and do cooking and baking at home with your children or show them how to sew ( fixing a button or darning a sock can be a helpful lesson). Have them create goals, schedules, menus and budgets for themselves or for the family. Plan a family vacation together, use maps, travel brochures and such to learn about the place you are visiting. Have them follow a map on the travels, keep a travel diary about their trip so that they can record differences in the area compared to their own. Pretend and play such things as careers and parents to help them understand the responsibilities that go with a job, and a family.
Even discussions can be meaningful and educational. Talk about where garbage goes as you carry it out to the curb, discuss the importance of hygiene as you run a bath, even economics can be taught when negotiating an allowance.
Remember that what ever you do in life, be it housecleaning, grocery shopping, vacationing or a day at the beach, learning can be involved. And learning about life can be the best education a child can receive.