Instilling Wonder in our Children
The world is full of amazing, awe-inspiring beauty. Children are naturally drawn to and are curious about the beauty in the world. As they gaze into the wonder of a flower, watch a bee pollinate flowers, gaze at the shapes of the clouds and marvel at the intricate veins in a leaf. Give a child the opportunity and they will investigate and learn about the world through studying nature, reading books, drawing and talking.
But, how often do we stifle that natural wonder and curiosity? How often are we too busy trying to be super woman that we hurry and rush children and stop them admiring the wonder of creation? Often along the journey of life we lost the naturally instilled love and curiosity that is imbedded in every child. We stop marvelling at creation and investigate the whys and how's.
When we show up to the beauty in our world, when we nurture and lavish on the intricacies of nature, culture and art, when we share in the fascination of the little, we instil a sense of apt wonder and curiosity in our children, rather than stifle it.
A life of wonder leads to a life of beauty and relishing in learning about that beauty. When we stand in awe at the beauty of creation, when we stop to admire life and all that it has to offer, our hearts are filled with gratitude and we embrace the blessings that surround us. Being filled with an appreciation for the vastness of creation stimulates curiosity, creativity and innovation - all critical tools for solving complex social problems. But, most importantly, they bring joy and hope to our souls.
As we spend time in nature enjoying our world, as we gaze at flowers and stars, as we listen to the birds and watch the clouds we are instilling a sense of wonder in our children. As we look at beautiful artworks, read about heroic world changers, investigate different cultures and countries, we are instilling a sense of wonder. When we encourage children to learn about what they are interested in, when we read amazing literature and beautiful poetry, we are opening them up to a world of beauty expressed in language and the wonder of well placed and articulated words.
Learning is not about knowing the facts to get a question right, it is about understanding the why behind the facts, it is about going on beautiful learning adventures that start off with a butterfly, end up following the butterflies of the world, being enthralled by one of the countries, studying the beauty in that countries culture, looking at the music and art of the country and continuing on a wild adventure as more interest and questions arise, all started by a single interest in a butterfly that enters your yard. Learning is a natural process that should not be restricted by a single topic, it is never ending and can lead to the most magical, unknown, adventures. Children are naturally drawn to investigate the wonder and beauty of our world. Our role as educators is to encourage and harness that wonder and turn it into a life-long passion for learning.
