Cooperative Living October 2015 - 30

KIDS' KORNER by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
The Power of Curiosity
f you grabbed a mirror
and unscrambled
the above sentence, then
I
kudos to you. That means you're a whowhat-where-why-when-and-how
kind of kid who always
likes to find something out!
Inquisitiveness starts with a natural itch to explore
and investigate; cats
and children seem to
do it best.
A feline impulsively
climbs to the top of the
birdbath fountain to
test the water.
Kids, on a whim,
wander down paths
in the woods, looking
under rocks and
poking around in
dead tree holes.
Both the cat and kids
are satisfying their curiosity by probing the unfamiliar
and unknown.
Discovering new and exciting things are the feelgood
moments of childhood, full of awe, wonder and
inquiry. But even though you and your friends are
born hard-wired for curiosity, sometimes the urge to
find out things begins to fade as you get older and
busier.
Once you have the responsibilities of homework,
sports, after-school clubs, etc., there isn't much free
time left for your personal investigations.
Yet, it is possible to stay in touch with your inquisitive
spirit if you will give your brain a little jump-start
now and then.
Find an hour or so in your weekly schedule for trying
new ideas to spark your imagination
and fire-up your nosy nature.
Take Something Apart
Parental permission and some
assistance required.
Ask your parents for an old appliance
that is no longer in use
along with some basic tools:
28
screwdriver, pliers, wrench, etc. In a designated area,
slowly open up the machine and gaze at things
you've probably never seen before. Carefully undo
and sort the pieces.
Can you figure out the functions of all the parts?
The website www.howstuffworks.com may be helpful
identifying parts and researching questions that
will arise.
Can you put the appliance back together again?
Do you have an idea for making this appliance
work more effectively?
Suggested appliances:
* alarm clock
* radio
* DVD player
* tape recorder
* telephone
* electronic toys
* desk calculator
* coffee maker
Create a Curiosity
Cabinet
Parental guidance encouraged.
Hundreds of years ago, before natural-history
museums existed, wealthy
people created private collections of
plants, animals and man-made objects.
The diverse assortment was
displayed in a cabinet and reflected
the owner's interests and
notions of art and science.
Viewers of these exhibits were rewarded
with a sense of curiosity and
wonder, especially when they got to see oddities
like a pickled two-tailed lizard or a two-headed
cat! (The 17th-century discovery of using an alcohol
solution as a preservative made it possible to show
the remains of once-living organisms.)
You can easily make your own cabinet of curiosities.
However, before starting this project, decide
(with your parents) where you will keep your findings.
If you don't have a cabinet, use a box or old drawer
to display your treasures. You might want to start with
Cooperative Living/October 2015
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS' KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!
powerful thing you own.
- James Cameron
Curiosity is the most

http://www.howstuffworks.com

Cooperative Living October 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living October 2015