Teachable moments and everyday magic are what my first SPECIAL GUEST will be sharing with us today.
I am so excited to be collaborating with the magical Ellie Lieberman!
I met Ellie after my previous blog post about fairy garden, which you can find here:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/fairy-garden/
Ellie and I began speaking and I realized how much we have in common.
Most importantly, we both love encouraging children through teachable moments and everyday magic.
Her belief that childhood is a magical time is what spurred my idea of including special guests in my blog.
My hope is that she will encourage you as much as she has me.
So, without further ado, HERE’S ELLIE LIEBERMAN!
It is inherent in childhood to appreciate the small wonders one so often comes across in their everyday. Yet, it is something so easily ignored in the hustle-and-bustle of adulthood and in the midst of growing up. We don’t reward it. We don’t appreciate it. And, we certainly don’t encourage it. It’s a shame, too, because this is where the true magic and learning take place.
Another word for these experiences is teachable moments. These are the moments that often are far more impactful and create lasting impressions. Part of the reason is the connection to what is happening, the real-world examples of lessons. Reading about a plant growing or the individual parts is necessary but, to truly understand, experience will offer concepts more concrete than rote memorization and fill-in-the-blank worksheets. To plant a seed, to watch it grow, to interact with it also makes it fun and magical and more meaningful, which encourages more curiosity and exploration. As Rilke says in Letters to a Young Poet, “If you will cling to Nature, to the simple in Nature, to the little things that hardly anyone sees… if you have this love for the inconsiderable things… Then everything will become easier, more coherent, and somehow more conciliatory for you… in your inmost consciousness.”
Connection to small, everyday magic and to nature, as a whole, also, leads to better care of nature and our environment. We see this around the world in areas that have maintained cultures that still center around nature spirits, like fairies or elves. According to the BBC Ideas: Iceland’s Magical World of Elves video, “The authorities are so keen to not disturb suspected elf habitats, that building projects have been adapted and major roads have been diverted.” The video goes on to say, “…belief in elves may help Iceland take care of its unique environment.” A simple act, such as putting a fairy door at the base of a tree, furthers that magic, the imagination, helps broaden our perspectives to something larger than ourselves, reconnects us to nature, and in turn makes us want to take care of it.
Another reason teachable moments are essential to a child’s learning is the control it gives them over themselves, the world around them, and their education, as well as a stronger sense of natural responsibility for these things. Childhood is often a time of frustration. How many things happen in a day that a child has no say over, especially where their education is concerned? Teachable moments allow the child to be the guide and respond to the lesson or the magical wonder. The more in control of the situation the child feels and the more connected they are, the more responsible they will feel for being a part of it; the more they will feel they can make an impact themselves.
An upcoming children’s book of mine, Barb’s Little Bee, is about a conversation between the little boy the series centers on, Ben, and his mother about bees. Like in the story, children are well aware of their environment – the everyday magic, and, like in the story, the mother encourages the natural flow of questions and answers that come from the observations of the little, everyday wonder – the teachable moment. By the end of the story, Ben rescues a bee from drowning in the birdbath – the connection and responsibility and care. Natural curiosity turns to learning, which in turn becomes action, with a lasting impression on both the child and the very thing they observed.
As much as adults often ignore the everyday magic and society often forces us to overlook these small wonders and moments, they are still there and it’s important for us to tap into our inner child when we can. After all, children will follow our examples. If they see us admire the crocus pushing through the snow or the hawk gliding on the wind above, they will follow our lead and realize teachable moments and everyday magic should not be outgrown. They will live a life of curiosity, imagination, education, responsibility, and care; just as they will connect a life-long love of reading to bedtime stories or being read to in the lap of a caring adult. A shared experience is only made stronger.
As Yeats puts it, “The world is full of magic things patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” Children inherently have this and it’s the greatest tool for their education and a life-long love of learning.
Special Guest post by Ellie Lieberman
A New Jersey transplant, Ellie Lieberman lives now in sunny Southern California. She works with the fairies on her handmade business, Acorn Tops, when not writing or illustrating. In both endeavors, she utilizes the gifts handed down to her from her grandparents and her mother. An avid reader with a bedroom that has always looked like a mini library and a garden as big and full as her imagination, Ellie is a lover of all things magical and, especially, finding the magic in the everyday.
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