Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/planting-the-seeds/5023028/
Getting your hands dirty and feeling okay about it is part of a good beginning for young children. By their very nature, both physically and emotionally, young children are close to the earth. They have, as part of who they are, an innate curiosity about the world around them, and a special leaning towards what they see on the ground. Young children are both explorers and investigators, and we adults — parents, caregivers, grandparents, other family members, teachers, and older siblings — can take many pointers from them.
It is both refreshing and rewarding to see the world anew through the eyes of young children. There is an utter fascination for a dust bunny found underneath the bed, a shiny bottle cap spotted on a city sidewalk, or a mouse dropping discovered on the kitchen floor. In their minds there is no such thing as an untouchable — everything calls out to be examined; soft or hard, tiny or small, clean or dirty, whatever is found beneath or around them, wherever young children live.
And, it is the coming together of all these extraordinary drives of natural curiosity, boldness, and learning through their senses that they apply themselves to create this magical partnership ...