Well, here's the finished 2,000 piece puzzle of Times Square! When I bought it, I wasn't thinking they'd be putting it together around the time of New Year's Eve, but the themes went along perfectly! Life is full of little coincidences, isn't it?
Life is about making connections. The people we meet, the places we visit, the books we read, the games we play, the puzzles we complete...They make us who we are.
Learning is the same way. Let's say your child is learning about New York City, for example. It would be great to take a trip there, but if you can't, there are so many other ways to connect the dots. Here are some examples:
- Seek out many different genres of books which relate to New York City. They don't all have to be nonfiction, but a photographic book which specifically describes the history would be a great springboard for other books which relate to the subject. Historical fiction, poetry, and pretty much any book with a setting or reference to NYC would enable you to learn more about the subject. It might take some time to find a high quality piece of children's literature that has something to do with New York City, but it might be fun to seek one out! What a great learning experience for your child, too...
- Talk to people who have visited or lived in New York City. Interviews by phone or email are a great way to have your child practice listening, speaking, writing, critical thinking, manners, etc...
- Visit a web site relating to popular tourist attractions, and pick one to research further (for example, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building). Many of the museums have great sites, too.
- Look at a map of Manhattan and find a few different points of interest (you could even use Google Earth to locate them). Then, find Manhattan on map of New York State and the USA. Talk about how such a small place could leave such a big impression!
- Complete a puzzle of Manhattan, or even a specific point of interest, such as Times Square. There are even three-dimensional puzzles available for some buildings.
- Talk about special events, such as the ball dropping in Times Square on New Year's Eve, that might help your child relate to the subject on a more personal level. You could even extend that learning to a study of how the holiday is celebrated in other countries.
- Follow your child's lead, and research other related questions together. For example, your child might be interested in the architecture of the buildings in New York City.
- Try to link in science (i.e., how does that big ball drop), and math (the timing of the ball dropping, not only in real time, but around the world), music, art, etc...You get the idea.
When parents model a love of learning for their children, there's no limit to what they can do! There are so many resources out there, just waiting to be discovered. So, all I can say is the best way to raise a lifelong learner is to be one yourself first.
Ask the questions. Connect the dots. Never stop. That's what lifelong learning means to me.
What does it mean to you?
For the first post relating to the creation of this puzzle, click here.