Day 42We visited Race Point Beach in Provincetown today. Simply stunning. There was actually a heat advisory on the Cape today (which almost never happens) but it was breezy and comfortable under the shade of my beach umbrella at Race Point. Old Harbor Life-Saving Station Museum is adjacent to the beach. Once we finished lunch, I noticed my son check his watch every so often. When I asked him why, wondering if he'd had enough of the beach, he explained that he had noticed a sign on the trek down to the beach that said that the museum was open daily at 2:00. He wanted to go find out what it was all about. He did just that. My son is curious.
Later that night, over burgers in Wellfleet, Owen explained all about the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station. He took so much in during his short visit. He told us that the museum predated the Cape Cod Canal during a time when shipwrecks were all too commonplace. This particular station had been moved to its new location in Provincetown in the 1970s. Previously it was located in Chatham and was moved by barge. It was home to the U.S. Life Saving Service, precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard. He was impressed by the efforts to preserve it just as it once was. Tonight I wondered for a bit about curiosity. What makes some humans more curious than others? I wondered why my son seemed more curious than my daughter. He has always been rather bookish and seeks out opportunities to learn new things. He is a regular visitor of the Cape Cod Visitor's Center at Salt Marsh which is the Gateway to the National Seashore. He says he learns something new every time he visits. He used to attend camp at the National Audubon Society and LOVED it. He really does love to learn. After reflecting on my daughter's curiosity, I felt guilty. I shortchanged her. Caroline is curious too. She is just into different things. For example, she has been making braided bracelets all summer long by weaving colored strings together. Today she wanted to learn a new weave or pattern. She went to YouTube to check out a demonstration video and then worked her own strings as she played, rewound, played, etc. the video again and again. Caroline is often curious about how to "do" things and will often do the research necessary to figure things out. While her interests seem less academic, because she is curious about jewelry making, hairstyling, and dance moves, I know that she has the skills to figure out any practical question she may have as she gets older. I won't be surprised if she becomes a master DIY-type of adult. The important thing is that we allow ourselves time to be curious and explore those things that interest us. On a somewhat unrelated note: I found out what is in Wicked Mud Flats! You might be wondering how I found out. I did what I do when I'm curious. I asked someone who might know the answer or at least have the resources to find out. I asked the cashier at Sweet Escape in Truro where they make this ice cream homemade. I always assumed that this guy was the owner. He has stone gray hair which he wears under a baseball hat, worn backwards (always), and tied in a tiny and tidy pony tail. He is salty looking and handsome at the same time. You can imagine my surprise when he said he had no idea. BUT he looked it up for me. It is the most amazing ice cream flavor ever! Here are the ingredients: Base flavor: Espresso! Mixed in: Chocolate chips, heath bar, brownie, fudge swirl. It is ridiculous. I'm glad I was curious enough to ask. I'm glad I now know. We three Brighams are all curious. It just looks different in each of us. When I'm back in the classroom in just a few short weeks I'm going to seek out all the different ways that fourth graders get curious and how they satisfy their curiosity. I'll work to acknowledge and celebrate each and every one. (Even watching YouTube videos to get better at Fortnite.)
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Marie McManus BrighamA public school teacher who gets to wonder alongside fourth-graders. Archives
December 2018
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