Children often have a keen sense of wonder. What is your wonder quotient? Are you alert to the splendor in everyday events? What amazes you? Your own wonder awareness may have been stolen by adversity. Or neglect. Stir it again with this parenting ideas resource.
Wonder is “something we see or perceive that causes our spirits to soar and our minds to marvel.” Awakening Your Sense of Wonder stimulates the adventure of discovery of the wonders of the world we live in. Great ideas for homeschoolers. Discussion questions for individuals, study groups and book clubs.
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush aflame with God. But only those who see take off their shoes. The rest sit around and pluck blackberries.” ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
We learn to see again when we appreciate small, everyday pleasures. Going through a door and being welcomed in, becoming a part. Digging deep into moist, rich soil. Biting into a tipe, juicy fruit. Sniffing freshly baked goods. A long, cool drink on a sweaty, stuffy day. A single bird-of-paradise flower. Jet streams like chalk marks scraping the horizon. A child helping her littl brother across the street. To receive a kindness, to discover a new friend. Stillness and a moment of rest.
Excerpt from the book:
The sun briefly burned off the foggy haze and pushed through the clouds. The snows drained into splashing puddles and trickling creeks. Not a day for sensible people to be sloshing outside, muddying our shoes. And I had a full to-do list at home.But granddaughter Miranda wanted to hike to the bridge.
So we set out for the state park just down the road, stopping to read signs, guessing who or what had made prints in the drifts, and picking up treassures and littler, egg-shaped stones and pop cans. When we reached the bridge, I stood a moment with the four-year-old, then turned to go back. “But, Grandma,” a small voice said, “look at all the trails on the other side. I’ve never been on those.”
Miranda was the leader ass she plowed down narrow, winding paths, ove boulders, and around fallen timbers. Then, she suddenly stopped. “Look, an F-stick!” She picked up a small limb with two horizontal bends. A few steps later she reached for another stick, insisting it was an I. “Grandma,” she exclaimed, “this forest has letters in it. Let’s find all the words and make a story!”
Discovering God in the ordinary. How we lost it and why. Developing the spiritual senses. The wonder of creation. And creativity. The wonder of childhood. And being human. The wonder of loving. The wonder of the big plan. And the wonder of small things or big awakenings.
