Last night, while we were getting the kids in bed we let them choose two books. Every night they get either one or two books to read before lights out. Usually Little Man will just read the chapter book he is in the middle of until it is time to turn out the light. Last night he decided to read the Student Atlas of North America and a college algebra text book, my silly man. I did not realize until it was time to turn the lights out and he informed me that he was studying. I asked him what he was studying and he told me that he was studying geography and algebra. Oh my goodness, talk about your bedtime story.
I realized that I was teaching them what needed to be taught - how to get information on their own. I am not just spoon feeding them information for them to regurgitate later. I am teaching them how discover things on their own. And I am giving them a love for learning and knowledge. So much of what gets taught, gets forgotten. Think about all the times you crammed for a test only to forget the information when it was time to put the pencil down. I am not fooling myself though. I know that they will forget stuff they learn, everyone does. If you don't use it, you loose it. But, after last night, I am no longer worried. If I forget to include the feeding patterns of the mongoose, they will look it up on their own if they are curious. At least my little man will, as he has taken a liking to reading college text books.
Oh and encyclopedias, I cannot tell you how many times the kids sit around an encyclopedia just to see what it says about someone or something. If you don't have encyclopedias you should get some, they are a priceless necessity in any home.
