I like the article on making connections and would like to contribute an example for use in this article.
During a visit to Vermont I remember walking into the tv room and seeing the tv on, Joe (around 5?) standing in front of it, Sam, Naomi and Ruth milling around the room and Steve standing in the doorway watching as a COLLEGE professor explained how to build a bridge.
My initial reaction upon entering the room and seeing these 4 tiny tots (in my opinion) being “forced” to watch such dull drivel was, “Why on earth would you put your tiny children in front of something so boring, they must hate it, I feel so bad for them!”
However, within 15 minutes I found myself having moved into the room, sitting down on the edge of the seat with my attention glued to the screen, along with at least 1 of the 4 children in the room. (Again, I must mention that all of the 4 children were under 6 years old). It was a fascinating lecture by someone who had the skill to share his love of the subject in such a way that it drew a young child, a 30-plus-year-old woman and a 40-plus-year-old man into watching until its completion.
I left the room thinking, “WOW, that was really really interesting. I’m still not sure what, if anything, the “poor” children will have gotten out of it, but it was worth watching.”
The next day, Joe (5 yrs old), was building a Lego robot about 18” tall. He wanted it to be taller than anything he’d built before and he came into the kitchen frustrated and upset that he couldn’t get it to stand and stay upright. His dad, (my brother-in-law who, the previous day had watched the lecture with us) brought to his attention the video from the previous day. “Do you remember the video you watched yesterday on building a bridge?”
Joe responded affirmatively.
Steve said, “What did they say they had to do to sure up the bridge to strengthen it to stand and raise it higher?”
Joe excitedly exclaimed, “Oh yes, I remember, they had to make the base wider to strengthen the columns to make it stronger”. He ran out of the room and came back a few minutes later with his monster LEGO creation STANDING UPRIGHT. It could stand because Joe had put into practice something he learned from watching a college professor talk about building bridges!
I was flabbergasted. But I remember this from time to time and try to remember that I can do this for my child too. Making connections … it’s how things stick!
