Recently Miss 16 and I were dropped off at a university’s student center, not for a traditional ‘university visit’ of the kind US parents and teens focus on, but to attend a poster session put on by undergraduate researchers just a few years older than my daughter.
Two hours later, our minds spinning with concepts, ideas, projects, discoveries, and possibilities, we stopped off at a tiny campus shop, bought typical student food for lunch (chips and pop) and headed home.
Charlotte Mason talks about laying a feast before our children. People often take this as referring to a wide array of living books, but it also means so much more. The average university is a buffet of delicious and wholesome food, mixed with garbage, poison, and even vomit. During the high school years, we can sift through that table and help our teens find the best tidbits to feast on.
…
How does one access these events? That depends on the university, but in most cases it is not easy to find out what is going on. You will need to do some sleuthing, call around, ask students you know, keep your eyes on the newspapers, and search websites.
It will take effort, yes, but it is so worthwhile when, for example, recent biology classes come to life in an exploration of a mouse model of autism, or some basic ideas of physics are explained by a Nobel Prize winner, or students get to touch a shard of a pot that was used by people in ancient Rome.
Even attending just a few events can broaden your high schoolers’ horizons, contribute to their education, and inspire them to use their talents for God in this broken world.
You can read the entire article, with a description of events we have enjoyed, at the Curriculum Choice.
(Photo by Rick Cavasin and used with permission.)