Be a Sponge

As home schoolers, we strive to be learning all the time, and this month we inadvertently put it to the test. At our karate school, the kids participate in a Character Education program in which they earn “STAR” pins for monthly activities. This month’s was to “Be a Sponge,” and try to learn something every day.

My oldest son interpreted this literally, figuring he needed to make a list of what he learned every day. By the time I found out we didn’t have to be quite that thorough, it was too amusing to stop. He’d worried briefly that by “learning” they meant what you learned in school, but I told him learning is learning, and anything was up for grabs. So, for the month of October, in his own words, this is what he learned:

1. That dad will drink clam juice coffee because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings.
2. Catching snails was easy.
3. That falafels taste better than I thought they would.
4. How to do a Hijikiukierankenski.
5. How to identify a yellow-throated strangler frog.
6. How to draw a human head.
7. That I wouldn’t die if I went out in the woods (with Mom) at night.
8. How to build a set of walls out of pipes.
9. Some red foxes can be black.
10. That sassafras is used to flavor root beer.
11. That the Day of the Dead is October 31 (Halloween).
12. How to play Zum Gali Gali on the accordion.
13. That guinea pig hairs are bigger than human hairs.
14. If you find something in the corner of the bathroom, don’t eat it.
15. How to launch a rocket.
16. That our cat Oreo likes cheese.
17. That guanabana can cure fever.
18. How to make Dia de la Muertos bread.
19. How to make a presentation.
20. How to draw mixed animals.
21. How to do Sanchin in mirror image.
22. Today was Divali, not yesterday.
23. How to perform a good skit.
24. That Queen Elizabeth only got to the throne because all her siblings died.
25. How to sing a cappella.
26. How to convert fractions.
27. How to add suspense to a comic.
28. How scary someone yelling “Gabba Head” could be.
29. How to make frozen peas.
30. How to tell Vinca from Poison Ivy.
31. How to make improper fractions.

When I was done laughing (with him, not at him, but in a separate room) it struck me how utterly random and appropriately sponge-like his list was. Sometimes we learn new, exciting things, things that will impress other people or show up well on a standardized test, but sometimes we really need to learn obvious things, or things that just call out in their own simple glory. But I consider the experiment a success: he had fun, and I got an easy column out of it.

Half-way through this effort, my son raised the stakes. If learning is fun, as I claim, why don’t I see what I can learn every day next month. If my less spongy brain cells are up for the challenge, I’ll report back.