Today we are all enjoying Mr.G’s sharing of his new kit on space exploration that we gave him for his birthday. Last night he started putting it together. Today he is reading to us about the solar system & getting show off one of his gifts.
I have also never seen a birthday kid so excited to open a space model or put together a model of the Mars Rover. But boy was he busting with joy. May he always have that joy of exploration and learning about the universe that surrounds us!
And I am so filled with gratitude to have him as my son.
I cannot believe that seven years ago he was small enough to hold in my arms for the first time. My sweet second baby boy is growing up into a gentle heart and soul.
We went on a field trip to Henry Ford Museum. We had been talking for a while about going this year and we finally made it. I love that place it is an amazing experience as you walk through history and learn about the way we have lived in the United States through our technological artifacts. I remember going as a kid both with school and my parents. The ability to walk through and feel like I was part of times gone past. I remember vividly every trip there and all the fun that we had.
I am a big believer in trying to provide hands on experiences with learning, from science to history to art and everything in between. The world becomes part of your classroom. Don’t you remember those field trips or family outings as a kid? The impression those days allowing you to feel like you were part of the experience and all the fun that goes along with it.
Long before we ever dove into homeschooling hands on learning experiences have always been valued by Mike & I. He agrees that the impact of being part of the experience through all the senses is a great way to learn and it is something we do throughout the course of our entire lives! By living learning and learning as a family we get to delve deeper into topics and interests. We are also a house of nerds, which oddly (or not so oddly) enough makes being a House of Sheldon a pretty easy (and often uncomfortable) fit.
However, I must admit it was a little disturbing to see a display case before we left that featured the late 90s! Yes, the LATE 90s. Not even just the early 90s. But the late 90s!
Especially when the items were dated AFTER Mike & I began to date or AFTER we were engaged. Mike & I were reading the dates and joking that we had some of the items (like pagers) probably in a box somewhere in the basement we could donate. Our kids upon hearing us then beamed with big smiles while shouting with glee:
“WOW, that means you guys are really, really old! You are museum worthy old!”
Um, thanks kids.
Hearing that from your kids gives a whole new meaning to being a part of history!
