The other day, my daughter studied dragonflies. Many kids would study dragonflies by taking a look at a book and learning about the coloration and flight habits of dragonflies. She studied dragonflies by taking a long, hard look at one. It was on its last legs, and she studied its colors very closely, debated whether or not she could hold it without injuring it, and watched it fly away.
This reminds me of a debate I had with myself at age eighteen, when I was trying to decide whether to go to China on a Mandarin study tour. I was interested in Chinese culture and history, but I didn’t know much about them. I happened to have some money and was financially able to go, barely. I thought that it might be better to visit after my second year at university, after I’d studied Chinese history and culture and gotten an introduction to the language. I thought that would enhance my appreciation of the trip.
Then again, the trip was available right then, and I wanted to go. I went. I explored several places in China, learned about its culture from students at the university where I stayed, learned about Chinese food by eating it, and learned Mandarin and Tai Chi. I came back excited to learn more about Chinese history and culture and decided to go into Geography as a degree program so that I could understand the changing nature of societies moving from rural to urban living.
I think that you can do both types of learning. However, while studying and then experiencing is valued by our culture, experiencing and using that to lead to in depth study is not nearly as valued.
What do your children start with? Or do you do a bit of both?