‘Sustainable Living’ evolves
For the past two years, it has been a personal pleasure of mine to bring CityLife and Forum readers eco-friendly tips and tools through my “Sustainable Living” column. From where in Shreveport-Bossier City you can find fair-trade products, to creating green-minded holiday decorations, to local, sustainable initiatives, I have shared with you a variety of topics I have equally enjoyed researching as developing.
With that said, it is time for this column to take a new direction. Still geared in the realm of informal (sometimes science) education, “Sustainable Living” will now be called “The Empowering Parent,” with an emphasis on making everyday activities and projects an opportunity to spark your child’s curiosity.
" Furthermore, to encourage informal learning with your child, all you have to do is research the activity and unplug.”
Because let’s face it, learning happens everywhere. In fact, in 1992, Sci-Port:
Louisiana Science Center’s Chief Executive Officer and President Ann Fumarolo and her family held season tickets for the Fort Wayne Fury basketball team. Her son, Tony, who was 4 years old at the time, looked up at the scoreboard during one of the games and exclaimed, “We are losing by eight points!” “I was a bit startled since he was a kid that thought the last letter in the alphabet was ‘D’ for ‘Delicious,’” Fumarolo said, noting the infamous alphabet cereal commercial. She then asked her son how he knew that, to which he responded with, “You take the little one from the big one and that is how much you gotta (sic) score.” This gave Fumarolo an important parental tool: Going to different, informal settings engages the child’s interest. Plus, it allows for the child to want to learn more; Fumarolo added that Tony quickly learned how to divide by two to figure out how many baskets it would take to get back into the game!
Furthermore, to encourage informal learning with your child, all you have to do is research the activity and unplug. Fostering brain development happens best in the natural world, but that doesn’t mean you have to necessarily go outside (remember the Louisiana summer, anyone?). There’s an array of projects you can find online and later do at home with your family that provide your young ones with sensory-rich experiences.
But it doesn’t end at the dining room table; going out into the community also gives one ample opportunity for informal education. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two as well. So, through “The Empowering Parent,” I will give you ideas monthly as to how you can enrich your child’s creativity through budget-friendly crafts, activities and exploring the Shreveport-Bossier City community while stimulating your minds.
For those eager to get started, visit Pinterest and search “Discovery Box.” These boxes, which can easily be assembled and filled, are for children ages 6 months to 7 years, depending on the activity, and are making their mark in the parenting world. Sci-Port currently hosts The Shape of Things Discovery Box in the Center’s Children’s Gallery.
There’s also scientist Steve Spangler to glean some ideas from, and he has hundreds of science experiment videos on YouTube; just search his name to begin.
I look forward to bringing you ideas for engaging your child in informal learning settings. Feel free to send any comments or ideas of your own to me at kwissing@sciport. org.
Karen E. Wissing is the public relations and marketing manager for Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center. Part of Sci-Port’s mission is to spark curiosity about the world around us, including within informal settings. Email your questions, comments or suggestions to kwissing@ sciport.org. Follow us on Facebook at facebook. com/sciport.
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