May the Fourth Be With You

"The seeds of great discoveries are constantly floating around us, but they only take root in minds well prepared to receive them." Joseph Henry, first head of the Smithsonian Institute

When I read this quote, I thought about my kindergartners. What great discoveries might they make when they grow up?

On May the 4th, we had fun with Star Wars day. It was a chance to capitalize on the children's interest in Star Wars, but I hope it went beyond that and peaked their interest in science and technology.

I hope it planted in their little minds a desire to learn more about God's creation: the solar system, the stars, the universe. I hope they've tucked away in their hearts the notion that one day they might invent something, build something, discover something.

We had a visit from our Mr. Liner and two members of our PBS Robotics Team.  They brought a robot that our high school kids designed, built, and brought to an international competition. The kindergartners were fascinated by the robot and by the motorized scooter that the team built.

Our children asked some good questions.

"What is it made of?" (Mostly aluminum)

"How much does it cost to build?" (about $2000)

"How high can it lift the box?" (about 7 feet)

"What is the cord for?" "What does the gray piece do?" "Why do you have that clear piece there?"

"Why did you put rainbow lights on it?" (Because we liked them. Because we could.)

Some of the children still don't distinguish between a question and a statement. They wanted to tell about their remote control car or their BB8 toy. But those statements revealed that they were making connections to experiences they had.

The kids were excited to go back to class and make their own models of paper cup robots. I didn't give them much direction---just Styrofoam cups, craft sticks, and wiggly eyes. They were proud of their creations.

Some of the students were more intrigued with the Star Wars story than with the Science. Even at a young age, they are captivated by the perennial battle of good versus evil.

 I hope they will come to understand that, although the Force in Star Wars is fictional, we as Christians have a "force" within us that gives us the power to overcome evil.

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the world." Acts 1:8

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

May the Real Force, the power of the Holy Spirit, be with you!