Saturday's Quote

"The chief function of the child - his business in the world during the first six or seven years of his life - is to find out all he can, about whatever comes under his notice, by means of his five senses; that he has an insatiable appetite for knowledge got in this way; and that. therefore, the endeavor of his parents should be to put in the way of making acquaintance freely with Nature and natural objects; that in fact, the intellectual education of the young child should lie in the free exercise of perceptive power, because the first stages of mental effort are marked by the extreme activity of this power; and the wisdom of the educator is to follow the lead of Nature in the evolution of the complete human being."

                                                                                                                  Charlotte Mason
                                                                                                                  Home Education

So much goodness in just one sentence!  When a child has "an insatiable appetite for knowledge" our job is 99% done.  One of the most important things we can do is introduce our young children to nature and give them opportunities to learn for themselves.  There will be plenty of time for essays, timelines, and addition facts, but having that thirst for knowledge is really a strong foundation that will benefit a child on to adulthood.