Learning By The Way

I was feeling quite blah today, fighting off a virus that has been going around. I think maybe Elsie and Peter have a touch of it as well, as they have been tired and cranky. So I decided to stay home from the library with them, and Samuel elected to stay with us. Raquel took Moriah and Toby to the thrift store, and then on to the library. They participated in an event there, a homeschool fun day. The theme was New Year’s Day celebrations around the world. They learned about how different cultures celebrate New Year’s, made a calendar, planted a bean, and ate cinnamon buns.

They then returned home full of excitement over their fun time, and eager to show me their thrift store purchases. Moriah bought a present for Noah’s birthday, one for Elsie’s, a bag of yarn, and an elegant cup and saucer shaped like flowers. (She fixed herself a cup of peppermint tea to try it out). Toby was thrilled to be able to buy a terribly macabre sword, adorned by a spiky toothed skull and filled with a red liquid reminiscent of blood. I tried to be thrilled for him, but find myself unconvinced that it has a purpose for existing. (He started a loud, rambunctious, game with his brother to try it out. I believe they find it quite satisfactory).

An important learning moment occured yesterday which I believe I should record. I’m not sure if I can do it justice, but I will try. While working on his story, Toby said “Oh, mum, what’s a square root?” I told him I would explain in a moment, and he went on to tell me why he wanted to know. A boy at church starting spouting numbers and asking him what the square root of the number is. Of course, Toby didn’t know and he remembered to ask me. It’s not difficult to understand- I explained ’squaring’ a number, complete with a sketch of squares (!), and then of course the root of the square is the original number. Toby, Moriah and Samuel grasped this with no problems. “Oh, and Toby? You don’t need to tell any of the boys at church about this. Because learning things is for helping people, not for showing off how much we know.” Toby flashed me his trademark grin and I knew he understood. This is truly the more important and more difficult lesson. Even as a little child it is to easy to become prideful in our knowledge, to use it to gain an edge or status over other people. How much more beautiful to use what we know to help people, to heal, to encourage, to love. If my children learn to use what they know for God’s glory and not to toot their own horn, then I will be blessed indeed.

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” I Corinthians 8:1b