Where I got my wondering from.....

After being selected to be a Wonder Lead for wonderopolis.org, I began thinking about where I got my drive to "wonder" from.  All of my thoughts led back to my mom who still does quite a bit of wondering at the age of seventy.  Below is a picture of her with her seven grandchildren on her 70th birthday.  She has instilled in all four of her children to wonder and learn.  She is also passing this down to her grandchildren.  

One example of how she is instilling wonder in her grandchildren occurred this past Christmas Eve.  Early last year a strange piece appeared in my mom and dad's living room.  My mom enjoyed sharing with her grandchildren that it was called a German Christmas candle pyramid.  She also shared with them the research she had done and what she had learned about it.  Just before Christmas my mom spent time shopping for just the right candles to use with the candle pyramid to make the paddles go, so the pyramid would rotate.  After dinner, we all gathered around the dining room table for the candles to be lit.  We were all wondering how long it would take for the paddles to start and the pyramid to rotate.

We sat and waited and waited and waited for the spinning to start.  Unfortunately nothing happened. As we were waiting, everybody was wondering why the pyramid wasn't working.  We wondered if the candles were too short, we wondered if it was everyone moving around so the candle flames couldn't heat up the paddles and we also wondered if we were doing something wrong.  Everyone was rather disappointed but we enjoyed our time spent together wondering as a family (all 17 of us).

Later after everyone left my mom researched why it wasn't working.  She again shared her findings with us.  She learned that there is a piston in the center and it could be damaged.  She also learned that the paddles have to be at a 30 degree angle.

In closing I would like to borrow a quote from a fellow Wonder Lead, Sarah Nichols.  She sums it up best by saying, "Wonder is the first part of learning.  You must be inspired by somthing in order to investigate the 'Why?' that fuels all aspects of learning."  I am fortunate to have a mom that still models wonder and learning for not only me but my children too.

If you like to wonder and learn, I encourage you to visit wonderopolis.org with your family and/or students.