For a boy who turns five this week, something like gravity has to be felt, tasted, heard. As Zekiah was helping dig the foundation trench for our garage-->rental suite reno, he was exploring the concept of gravity, using the word interchangeably to mean, in adult words, dirt, weight, heavy, and the force of gravity. Rather than correct him, I managed to just hold onto and confirm his meanderings, wondering at the intricate manipulations his mind was making around such an amorphous concept.
- This gravity is heavy. It's hard to lift, so i'm using this smaller shovel so there's not as much gravity.
- The red clay is more gravity than the black dirt.
- Rick (spoken in the long drawl that precedes a deep statement Reeeeeeeeeeeck!), you're stronger than gravity.
- I have too much gravity on my hands - I'll wash before dinner.
Learning through doing, that's what this age is all about. I could have read many clever stories or educational books about gravitational forces, but never would he have even started to understand it as much as just letting his hands get dirty.
Bonus points to anyone who can name the broadway musical song I'm changing the lyrics to in this title. Hint - it's an adaptation of a James Mitchener novel.
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