Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2020 is, of course, pandemic. Shocking, I know. The thought of being stuck at home for the tenth month in a row because of that particular word, and during the Christmas season, no less, has wrapped my holiday plans in monochromatic colors. Not to mention the fact that the nation is still shrouded in a blanket of political unrest.
Creating an atmosphere of learning takes some intentionality. Like a farmer who sprinkles seeds here and there expecting some, but not all, to sprout into something good, you'll want to strew educationally-rich books, games, toys, and tools all around your house, nurturing the God-given curiosity in each of your kids.
The other day, my youngest three sons asked if they could have a later bedtime in order that they could stay up to read.
Of course, I let them. Since we homeschool and are never at the mercy of someone else's arbitrary start time, my husband and I are pretty flexible with both bedtimes and wake up calls, especially when books are involved.
Trouble was, while the older of the two boys already had books in hand and were ready to hunker down under the covers to enjoy one literary adventure or another, their younger brother couldn't seem to find a book that looked interesting.
To say that I'm an avid reader is a bit of an understatement. On any given day, I can have ten or so books stacked up on my nightstand awaiting my attention. My TBR list feels more substantial and overwhelming than the national debt. (That may or may not be a bit of an exaggeration. I'll let you decide.)
For years, I gravitated towards non-fiction. As a Christian woman who's compelled to honor the directives found in Philippians 4:8, I found fiction books to be tricky to navigate. They were either clean but not very captivating or captivating but not at all clean.
