Today is The first of January. Typically a day for resolutions. I was reading somewhere recently that every year needs a defining word. I’ve decided that my word for 2020 is going to be VISION. Yes, it’s cringy (as my teenagers would refer to it) but it is something I have thought about a while and realized that with clear vision, goals and priorities can really get set straight. With that in mind, this post is geared at helping our kids find some vision about the world around us.
Most of our children’s lives is spent in school - sad but true fact. Once they start kindergarten, they’re in school more of their waking hours than they are home. School works for some children and they learn vast amounts of useful knowledge...and not so well for others. Whichever type of learner your child is - everyone benefits from experiential learning.
With a family of our size, I’m the last person to say everyone can travel - traveling is expensive and hard to work out. Most regular people don’t get the opportunity to travel often and that’s just reality. But recently we had the amazing opportunity to travel with our family. It was the first time we actually flew with all of the kids at once (for tips on how to make it possible...well that is a subject for an entirely separate post but it involved a lot of strategic credit cards and mileage points). But here is what I realized from the experience- traveling to a new place, seeing a different side of the world where the nature and culture is different - it’s the real classroom for the kids. It opens their eyes and moves their souls. And it got me thinking about how we can integrate more experience based learning into our children’s lives. We aren’t going to single-handedly change our school systems to have experience based learning as their primary method of teaching, so if we want our children to benefit from this we have to create opportunities.
Obviously if you have the means to take them traveling - go for it! I honestly think my kids were able to appreciate it in a different way because they knew it was such a priceless and unique opportunity but even if you take them often, make it count. Don’t just run to a resort or Disney, find places and people that live differently. Have them see and experience different living conditions. Show them what is out there.
And for the rest of us, who don’t get that chance often - there are still ways to do that right in your home towns.
First, festivals. Almost every city has several that run throughout the year. Look them up and go check them out. I know here in DC the Smithsonian runs a folk life festival every year. It’s always amazing to see the people from all over the world and their crafts and traditions. Get involved!
Second, remember when we were younger and our teachers set up pen pals? Why did that ever stop? What a way to meet kids in other places and realize they’re just like you yet have totally different lives. We can pick a place with our kids and study it. Figure things out. If you can’t experience the real thing - virtually experience. The internet has so much to offer! Virtual reality devices even let you feel as if you’re there. And bring it to life with projects and recipes from that country! Find ways to experience a place before you get the chance to visit. It might take some effort, but I believe the benefits outweigh the time it’ll take to invest. And it doesn’t have to be all at once - you can set a goal to spend 6 months on one locale - no one is rushing you to fit it in in seven days like you would have to on a trip!
Third, remember that even your own city or neighborhood has a lot more diversity than you may be aware of. Even if you are living one type of lifestyle, I’d venture to guess there are a lot of people not far from you who live differently. Some have different traditions, others different means. Open their eyes to a less sheltered version of the world around you. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, try to befriend someone who is different than your family and has different traditions. The possibilities are endless when we open our eyes to the different things around us.
When the world is our classroom, there are always opportunities to learn.
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