My family and I enjoyed observing the lunar eclipse of the "super moon" Sunday evening. Did you? As we sat outside, my youngest son asked many questions:
Why does the moon look red?
Why is it called a super moon?
How does the lunar eclipse happen?
Why won't this happen again until 2033?
How do scientists know it will happen again in 2033?
Why is it taking so long?
As a parent, I sometimes feel frustrated and embarrassed not to know the answers to my children's questions. Thanks to modern-day technology, many of the answers are right at our finger tips.
However, I have to be careful not to rush to find the answers to my son's questions for him. I've learned from our teachers that it is very important for the student to have ownership in searching for the answers through their own research, investigation and experimentation.
Our teachers encourage our students to ask many questions and to delight in the process of wondering. It's truly a joy to see the students sharing their curiosities so spontaneously! Just yesterday, after school, a large group of students were huddled in a corner during dismissal.
When I went to see what they were up to, it was a pleasant surprise to see that they had discovered an enormous praying mantis in the grass. Oh, the questions they wondered aloud!
What is that?
How did it get here?
What should we do with it?
Will it bite?
Where does it live?
How will it find its home?
What does it eat?
Why is it so big?
Does it make any noise?
How will it survive?
I truly hope our students maintain this sense of curiosity and wonder throughout their entire lives!
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