Wonderment
"Wisdom begins in wonder." -- Socrates
"Wonder is involuntary praise." -- Edward Young
Young children are blessed by seeing a world filled with magic and miracles and every day wonders. Sadly, though, this sense for wonder is all too quickly dulled. When a child's question is answered, the curiosity that brought forth the question dies. What a stimulus it would be to that curiosity, if the child were urged to "imagine" the answer, or to find it in as creative a way as possible.
How sad it is to hear a child say that a fairy tale "isn’t real"? What a gray world this one would be without the magic of Make Believe.
Einstein was brought up on fairy tales and felt that their effect on his life contributed to his creative thinking. Can you imagine how different this world would be if he had been fed only "facts" and all of his questions had been answered?
Wonderment enhances the experience of learning through instilling a sense of awe and curiosity. By imbuing what we teach our children with a "sense of wonderment," it can be made to "sparkle" and, so, be met with enthusiasm. Wonderment enhances who we are. It brings a quality of "light" into life. It broadens horizons, encourages optimism and enlivens curiosity.
The task now is to pass on this "sense of wonderment" to anyone who works with children so they, too, can live with and teach through "a sense of wonderment!"
Visit my website on this topic at www.teachwonderment.com