Wednesday, December 7, 2011

15) The Whys

We are full force into the "Why" phase at our house and I have to say that I love it. While I could do with a few less actual whys a day, I do love the wonder part. Hearing what the Bee is thinking about as she begins to comprehend the how and whys of the world is amazing. She so often comes up with things I would have never thought of and as a result her questions often catch me off guard. For example a few weeks ago while in the car I was focusing on traffic and directions when The Bee from the backseat asked " How could I get a fairy godmother?" I was stumped and unprepared, however I wanted to make sure to honor her question with an answer. This scenario has happened a lot lately, and has led me to come up with a few tactics to help out with the Whys.
1) Find the Answer: Fortunately we live in a world of the Internet where the answer to any question can usually be found in just a few minutes. The Bee already knows that if you don't know you can Google it. We have also been enjoying the site Wonderopolis a lot lately, it is a great resource for all kinds of whys. With information, images and often a video clip it is a good way to answer a question. I also like the old fashioned, look in a book method. We have a few good books like The Way Things Work By David Maccauly or Almost Everything By Joelle Jolivet that have great images that can answer lots of questions.
2) Try It: I am a big believer in the best way to learn something is by doing it. So if the question is something that can be answered with an experience I always like that method. However, this method is way easier said then done. The Bee frequently asks me questions that I could easily give her the answer to and move on. It takes way more time and effort for me to stop, not answer and let her figure it out herself. I know that her figuring it our herself is much more valuable so I am working on trying this route more often.
3) Ask the Question Back: When all else fails I  ask the question back. Especially when it is one that really has me stumped. I often find that the answer The Bee comes up with is way better then anything I would have said anyway.
How do you handle the Whys at your house? What are some of the questions that have stumped you most?

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