There are times that I feel like a total mama failure (I remember the potty training days), and there are times that I feel like I’ve done something RIGHT! I’m just going to have to brag a little bit, so bear with me.

Grant (age 6) is really into learning.  He loves math and science.  Math is sort of a newer passion, but he’s been a science guy since he was about 2.

I think it all started with Finding Nemo.  He LOVED Bruce, the Great White Shark.  (“Name’s Bruce!”)  We actually purchased Finding Nemo when Grant was a baby.  As new parents, Mitch and I would watch it and get all choked up.  If you haven’t seen Finding Nemo, you really must.  So heartwarming.

Thus began Grant’s obsession interest in all things “under the sea”. Sharks, especially.  By the age of 3, Grant and I would go to the library to check out books and Grant would bee-line straight to the animal science section to find shark books.  He knew the names of ALL of the sharks, and he named their fins: dorsal, caudal, etc.  His 3rd birthday was a shark birthday, and I attempted to make a shark cake. Pretty sad cake, but he was thrilled.

Um, we actually own a movie called “Great White Death”.  Yes, we do.  However, his favorite shark movie has Mark and Rob in it (who have become friends).

Since the initial shark interest, Grant has discovered jelly fish, turtles, shells, fish, crabs, deep sea creatures and most recently, octopus.

A few weeks ago, we went to the library, where we checked out almost all of the books about octopus in the entire library.  He and Mitch have been reading all about octopus (“They’re Cephalopods, Mom.”) every night before he goes to bed.  One night, Mitch suggested that we might be able to go to the coast (that’s what we call the beach here in Oregon) to see the octopus at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.  Grant’s eyes lit up, so we went!

I used the Lost in Paradise digital kit by JanaM (The Digichick) and my own handwriting font created by Darcy Baldwin (Sweet Shoppe).

We had a wonderful time, and the boys got to touch some sea creatures and learn about all kinds of undersea life. We saw the big octopus and a bunch of smaller ones.  There was a shark movie and everything!!

Afterward, we went out for dinner and Grant ate some calamari.  It just sort of seemed to fit with the day!

Grant has share day on Tuesdays, so on Monday night he asked me to print out some pictures of our trip to the coast so he could talk about the octopus.  I asked if I could do a layout instead, and he was a little less than thrilled.  However, once he saw what I came up with, he was so excited!  I printed these digital layouts onto 8.5 x 11 paper (making them 8×8) and slipped them into an album so he could take them to school.

He said it was a hit!  He felt really special and he told them ALL about our trip to the Science Center.

Sometimes, I feel like we do the right thing with our kids. We do our best to nurture learning and provide activities that will cause them to dig deeper and learn more.  When Grant catches a bug, he and Mitch hop on the computer to discover what kind of bug it is.  When Grant learns about penguins in school, we watch March of the Penguins at home.  I just picked a silk worm off of Mitch’s shirt, and he said. “The boys might want to see that!”  He is so instrumental in nurturing their passions and I’m so thankful for that.

While I was in graduate school, one of my fellow teachers did her Master’s thesis on this subject, and ever since then I’ve vowed to make sure my kids are exposed to as many learning opportunities as possible.  My friend’s theory was that talented and gifted students are those students whose parents take an interest in their learning and provide them with educational family “field trips” outside of school.  Trips to the Grand Canyon, museums, national monuments, state parks, etc expand a child’s world view and make them excited to learn more.  I love that idea, and I think there is a lot of truth to it! How many road trips did I take as a kid?  A LOT!  And, I loved it.  Learning came naturally to me, and the thirst for knowledge grew in me.  I hope that my children experience the same thing.