This month's theme: Curiosity gori Fuel for the new school year

A mother asked her children last Saturday during breakfast what they had planned for the upcoming school year. “I’ll continue with ballet and violin,” answered Maja. “I’ve signed up for French and the astronomy club.” She added, “And maybe I’ll join the curious math group.” When asked about his plans, Žiga replied, “I’m going to go only to the mountain club for excursions.” “How come?” the mother asked. “I want to see how leaves change color in autumn. I need to know why the sky turns red. When do bears come out of hibernation? Why do voles live underground. And all sorts of other things,” he said, taking a bite of bread. Maja and Ţiga at breakfast. Illustration: Vesna Benedetič Who is right, Maja or Ţiga? Curious children ask questions, observe, experiment, and learn. That’s why curiosity is one of the best helpers in school and in life. Maja is curious, so she attends many activities and clubs. Ţiga is also curious because he will spend a lot of time in nature and learn a great deal from it. Therefore, both are right. Every curiosity that leads to new knowledge is good. So many different ideas? The world has many challenges. At every moment, there's something new. It's right that a person listens to himself and wants to learn something new. Both have done this, Maja and Ţiga. Perhaps Maja might be overdoing it a little and has taken on too much for one school year, after all, school itself takes a lot of time. If we take on too much, we might run out of energy and not manage everything. The school year lasts ten months, which isn’t a cat’s cough! What about Ţiga? Has he perhaps taken on too little? It depends on how he organizes his days. If, on days when he stays home, he does nothing, time will be wasted. But if he doesn't waste time idling instead, and starts doing something new, even that time won't be wasted. Curious children ask questions, observe, experiment, and learn. Illustration: Vesna Benedetič (FOTO: Shutterstock) Why is it worth being curious? Man was created in God’s image. Would God have created the world if He wasn’t curious? So too does man ‘want to know,’ what the world offers him. School builds on this, the place where we learn everything that is useful for us and guides us forward, step by step. It is worthwhile to make an effort, to be curious! What else besides school? Everyone has their talents, and along with them, joy in learning new things. Curiosity helps us discover what delights us and in which we are good. Besides all that, it is important to move and to read. Movement: Our bodies need running, jumping, climbing, walking, and playing outdoors. When we move, our brains become more alert, we learn faster, and we incidentally discover something new. Reading: Books open doors to distant places, past times, and imaginary worlds. Sometimes, one interesting book can inspire a new hobby or even a career we hadn’t thought about before. How much should one read each day? Maybe six or seven minutes? Or even an hour? Choose for yourself, but read every day! Who am I? This question asks everyone. And what role does curiosity play in this? I will learn what I want to know more about, both in school and in my free time. This way, I will grow older and wiser day by day. I will be more experienced and smarter. Let your imagination run and your dreams take flight, and fill out the “questionnaire about your life.” What will I be like in twenty years: Old: _________ years. By profession: ________________________________. I know: ______________________________________. I live in: ______________________________________. My family consists of: ________________________________. What would I like to know and be able to do? Mojca, 12 years old: I play the flute. This school year, I’d like to learn five pages of a long composition. Besides that, I want to learn how to surf and prepare sushi. Arne, 9 years old: I would like to know how to fish, just like my father. I’m interested in science, so I often do experiments at home. I’d like to know how a 3D printer works and learn how to use it. Leja, 12 years old: Last year I started training for volleyball. I’d like to become so good that I could play in competitions. I'll