Gifts and Talents.

Everyday this week we are reading Mirette on the High Wire. After we read it we do activities based on the book to explore the characters and storyline. This story is about a girl who discovers her passion is wire walking. She then studies and practies everyday for hours to increase her talent and finally achieves great sucess. The story also talks about the nature of fear and what it takes to overcome it.

I'm using this story to talk about identifying personal passions and interests. We talk about our talents and how we must perservere when something is difficult. We've had conversations about what interests us the most in the world and how we can explore that topic to its fullest. It is such a good life lesson but it makes me so curious about my kidlets.

I wonder how they will use their interests and passions in life. I wonder how I can best encourage and nurture those talents. I wonder what topics they will persue with zeal and which will prove too great a struggle for them.

Our conversations today over this book reminded me of one of the fundamental reasons we homeschool; To provide an atmosphere of learning that allows them to find thier passions and then let them wallow in it. Come to think of it, that's my hope for myself too!

Hmmmm.... wallowing....
Maybe our school mascot should be a pig instead of a phoenix, eh?