28 May 2011

Brain-Powered Curiosity

Ever since the children were babies, we've had a loose "no batteries" rule. What does this mean? That by and large, we want them to provide the juice that powers the play.

Now, do they ever watch movies? We love our DVD player and the controllable entertainment options it provides. Robin Hood, Andy Griffith, Princess Bride, and Swiss Family Robinson are in current high-rotation. Do they ever play video games? Well, not much, but Carmen SanDiego, Typing Instructor, and Tetris-esque games are known to entrance the children (setting the kitchen timer is a must!). Do they have any motorized toys? Yes, we love the remote-controlled airplane Peter received for his birthday last year.

So you see, it's a "loose" rule. But the effort to steer the children towards interactive, kid-powered play has really paid off for us. They will build a city out of blocks, read mounds of books, piece together puzzles, sail on zip-lines and rope swings, bake cookies, learn to draw unicorns, dig holes that could swallow a grown man, kick balls, ride bikes, launch rockets that threaten the federal air-space laws, and just be plain ol' curious.

If you ask me, childhood curiosity is a beautiful thing.