Initiative Imagination and Inspiration
﻿God is the Author of Imagination. Some of the most imaginative and fantastic things can be found in the Bible. From the very depths of Creation to the amazing heavenly creatures around His throne. Just think; “In the beginning… the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-3 incompases profound imagination and initiative.
Void & Darkness ~ Can you imagine? Nothingness. When we visit Alabaster Caverns, they always take a moment to turn out the lights and let us experience complete darkness. It’s hard to take. We can still feel and hear. I don’t think we can really imagine “nothing.”
Homeschooling can seem like a lonely, empty nothingness. It is hard to step out into the unknown and swim against the tide. As rewarding as it can be and as important as the reasons for doing it are, it can seem like walking up a long steep hill.
Initiative is the first step to enterprise and determination. Taking that first step toward a dream or goal always seems like the very hardest part of the journey. Recognize what needs to be done. Act with confidence. Be ready to respond to situations with wisdom and grace. All the preparation you need can be found in the pages of Scripture.
Imagination is fun but can be a bit frightening too. You never know where your imagination might take you! In homeschooling, many moms get burnt out because they are trying to follow the rules and guidelines of a curriculum (or several different curriculums). After all, we need to make sure our children are learning everything they are supposed to. I have news for you. You’re children will not learn everything you teach them or everything in the book or curriculum you are using. Some things will go right through them, over them, or they will jump right over it and on to something completely different. You know what? It’s OKAY! Journey outside of the box! Curriculum is a tool, not something to control you, your children, or your time. Your children are precious and your time is precious. Let your imagination spark creativity in your family. Expand your line of vision. Explore new possibilities.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. We get inspiration from books, websites, movies we watch, and yes, sometimes even from curriculum. There is nothing like one of the children asking a question about something I have no clue about. We notoriously end up on an adventure of learning. Before I know it, we are hungry and realizing we forgot about lunch! I have some moms tell me, “But I’m not creative like you are.” I usually stand dumbfounded for a moment. What does that have to do with it? You’re children ask you questions just like mine do me. Now days with Wikipedia at our fingertips and YouTube videos on everything under the sun, there is really no excuse. You don't have to be creative or crafty. This is all you have to do:
Look up the information.
Share it with your children.
Watch and see where it leads them.
I do require my children do something to document what they have learned. If they do a craft or experiment, we take pictures. We write down the books or videos used. We also print out information off the web. Our girls are artistic and crafty, so they do lots of drawings, paintings and craft projects. The boys build things with legos, act out battles, and usually end up having to take it outside! They really do retain more information this way than with a workbook page. As they grow and develop, they start pursuing knowledge on their own. Then I watch, ready to guide and direct where needed. Sometimes they need a course correction or motivation of some sort. As long as I see improvement and growth, I know they are learning what they really “need” to learn at that time. With Initiative, Imagination, and Inspiration anything is possible!