One of the many things that separate childhood from adulthood is inquiry. As children, we are actively inquisitive. We wander in our backyard, looking at the grass and the trees. We find a dead animal, we poke it with a stick. We dig through the rocks in our driveway and when we find a pretty one, we pocket it. Inside, we climb on top of chairs and stools to see what the adults are doing on tabletops and counters.
However, as we grow older, we seem to lose some of this inquisitiveness. We don't sit in the grass; we sit on a couch. Instead of looking at what is happening on the countertop, we walk past; unless someone is cooking something that smells good, then we stop. As adults, we are still curious, just not to the same degree as when we were children. Instead of exploring the world on our own, we will watch a documentary or something.
Being inquisitive is how we learn and grow. As children, we do not know much so we are naturally more curious than adults, who know a lot more. So it is important to encourage and reward this inquisitiveness. The media we consumed plays into this natural inquiry that children have. In Macaulay's book, we learn how a cathedral is constructed. Most children would have only seen pictures of cathedrals, so by knowing how they are built can help make them more real. It could also inspire a future architect. I never knew how bells were made, so I found it rather interesting.
The film we screened, To Be and To Have, focuses on a setting designed to promote and reinforce a child's curiousness: the classroom. Here, the teacher instructs the children in all things from learning how to write to being better people.
My favorite part of the movie was when the two younger children were trying to use the copier. They had obviously seen their teacher use it, so they knew its basic function. But they had not been instructed on the copier's proper use. But that did not stop them; they were going to figure it out on their own. They put the book down and copied it. Once they realized it did not work, they repositioned the book and tried again. They each had their ideas on what was wrong and through trial and error, they would eventually figure it out.
This is a prime example of children being inquisitive. They were trying to learn and figure out things on their own. I am reminded of a similar situation from Curious George. George sees the Man with the Yellow Hat use the phone. George decides he wants to try it to and causes a lot of problems. Luckily for the students in To Be and To Have, they were not escorted off to jail for being curious.
Children are naturally curious. But that slowly goes away was they grow older. Good children's media should kindle this inquiry and keep it burning. Here is a guy saying stuff:
However, as we grow older, we seem to lose some of this inquisitiveness. We don't sit in the grass; we sit on a couch. Instead of looking at what is happening on the countertop, we walk past; unless someone is cooking something that smells good, then we stop. As adults, we are still curious, just not to the same degree as when we were children. Instead of exploring the world on our own, we will watch a documentary or something.
Being inquisitive is how we learn and grow. As children, we do not know much so we are naturally more curious than adults, who know a lot more. So it is important to encourage and reward this inquisitiveness. The media we consumed plays into this natural inquiry that children have. In Macaulay's book, we learn how a cathedral is constructed. Most children would have only seen pictures of cathedrals, so by knowing how they are built can help make them more real. It could also inspire a future architect. I never knew how bells were made, so I found it rather interesting.
The film we screened, To Be and To Have, focuses on a setting designed to promote and reinforce a child's curiousness: the classroom. Here, the teacher instructs the children in all things from learning how to write to being better people.
My favorite part of the movie was when the two younger children were trying to use the copier. They had obviously seen their teacher use it, so they knew its basic function. But they had not been instructed on the copier's proper use. But that did not stop them; they were going to figure it out on their own. They put the book down and copied it. Once they realized it did not work, they repositioned the book and tried again. They each had their ideas on what was wrong and through trial and error, they would eventually figure it out.
This is a prime example of children being inquisitive. They were trying to learn and figure out things on their own. I am reminded of a similar situation from Curious George. George sees the Man with the Yellow Hat use the phone. George decides he wants to try it to and causes a lot of problems. Luckily for the students in To Be and To Have, they were not escorted off to jail for being curious.
Children are naturally curious. But that slowly goes away was they grow older. Good children's media should kindle this inquiry and keep it burning. Here is a guy saying stuff:
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