Remember that I talked about going through your home room by room to find what you already have in your house that can excite and inspire your children. Let’s continue the tour of my home with the living room.
1. I have a frog made of wood from some foreign country. When you rub its back with a little stick it croaks. Add it to The Spark Station with a book on frogs.
2. I also have a rain stick, a musical instrument made from a piece of cactus. When you tip it over the tiny seeds inside sound like falling rain. Add a book on the instruments found in the percussion section of a band or orchestra. Provide materials for making a few instruments. Have a family band concert for dad. Go to a concert. Get a CD of percussion instrument music.
3. I have two wonderful kaleidoscopes. When I add these to the closet being present is a must to keep them and the children safe. One is shaped like an egg. They are easy to make.
4. I have a shelf of minerals and crystals that my daughter has collected from around the world and given to me. These would begreat in a box with a book about rocks and minerals. Then the children could find and name them. They could be mounted on a board,
labeled and hung up. You can purchase minerals at rock shops and in souvenir shops or go rock collecting.
5. I collect eggs. I have some beautiful mounted eggs in frames. I could add them to the closet and then when my grandchildren show interest carefully share them. I can talk about why I collect them, how magnificent I think they are. I could have a book of eggs and we could find and name them. If you have a collection, find a safe way to share it with your children. Help them start a collection.
6. I have a harpsichord. It sits in the corner and no one notices it. If I put it in The Spark Station and added a beginner book who knows what might happen.
7. I have a basket of assorted pine cones. Some are still shedding seeds. I would add a book on pine trees and their cones. In our yard is a pine tree that drops tiny cones. If these were put in the closet they would make a great picture collage.
8. Of course I have a whole wall of book cases in the living room. They are available all the time. However, if I pull a few out and add them to the closet they all of a sudden become interesting and get read.
Do you see how you can come up with the most amazing things? All these items are in my home all the time but my grandchildren never notice them. However, when they are put away in the closet and only available at special times, when a parent is emotionally and mentally present they take on a whole new aura, they become fascinating. Then these simple items can be a jumping off point to go on to some other related topic of interest.
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