“If it’s so great outside, why are all the bugs trying to get in?” -Jim Gaffigan
Mathematics can be programmed into your mind at a young age. Some students are capable of retaining that information for a lifetime, while others struggle for years to keep up. Math contains facts. Facts can be taught.
Children born into bilingual households may theoretically grow up with knowledge of two cultures and fluent speech from both. Young minds are most malleable. Reading and writing are important skills to hone. Facts can be learned, skills can be practiced, but imagination is imbedded in our minds at an early age.
Today, imagination is not so easily accessible. There are children’s television shows based on how to play and how to pretend.
Once Upon a Time, play was important and essential to growing up. Playing fostered social skills. It was a gateway for friendships. Imagination is the root of play. You will not find it on a screen that provides all the answers and causes lethargy in the mind. Imagination seeps through the cracks and slowly fades with brain cells.
Go outside? Why? What is fun about playing outside?
Make real friends, outside of your virtual reality. Create original games with your friends. Climb trees (their bark is worse then their bite). Make forts. Run through the woods. Lay on the grass; have a picnic and read under the shade of a large tree. Swim. Take your time. Appreciate the reality around you and enjoy every minute.
You won’t find this magic inside.
I am grateful for a childhood spent outside, and for my imagination that lives on.
–SJB