The questions from my 5 year old are flying at me faster than I can keep up:
"Does a squid have lungs or gills?"
"How many eggs does a Platypus lay?"
"How does a cat drink water without it spilling from it's mouth?"
"What is the defense mechanism of a Walrus?"
"Why do female ducks look different than males?"
"Why do Octopus squirt ink?"
At first it was really overwhelming for me, especially to think that my child actually believed that I knew all these answers! I started keeping a running list on the kitchen counter, of all the things he was asking me, so I could look them up and tell him later. Wouldn't that make me look so smart? ha ha. But that really isn't the point, is it?
These past few months a light has ignited within our 5 year old, spreading into a giant, burning, bonfire, of learning more about everything animals!
It has been really exciting to see him begin to focus on learning about something he feels truly passionate about.
I just keep thinking over and over, "So this is when the homeschooling fun begins!"
Well, our goal is really to help him learn how he can expand on that passion to learn more. I don't want to provide all the answers. I couldn't even if I wanted to! I want him to reach out into the world and find the resources he needs to learn more, get excited more, and do more!
It is all just really cool.
Some things we have been doing to enhance his desires, and encourage him to learn:
Observing animals in natural habitats and farms,
Reading animal books from the library,
Watching animal-nature movies and TV shows,
Frequent trips to the Zoo,
Keeping an animal-science journal,
Incorporating animal facts and stories into everyday life
Pretending to be animals and putting on puppet shows
Talking about our personal experiences with animals (With an ex-zookeeper Dad, that isn't too hard, and Zadok adores all his animal stories.)
But most importantly, we are allowing him the freedom to learn all these things with his own creativity attached! You see, one of his sole motivations in learning more about animals, is because he wants to build "creature power suits". He is pretty serious about it, and it is no laughing matter in our house. He is collecting the data he needs to build the greatest, most powerful creature power suits in the world!
Right now he is making blue-prints for a dolphin and a Giant squid:
Here's the owls, and Draco-gliding suits:
And every morning when I wake up, I don't know what animal he will be
pretending to be that day. Will he be a duck, a wombat, a shark, an alligator? Usually something with a great defense mechanism.
I love this. I love all of it! I love that the excitement to learn more about animals from our 5 year old son, has involved the whole family to learn and get excited, together. I mean, I never imagined that I would be so intrigued to know that a Platypus is one of two mammals in the world that lays eggs and makes milk! But, it's cool! And homeschooling is cool, too. :)
