Sunday Post: Light…Do You See It?

Posted on March 25, 2012 by viviankirkfield

The dictionary has many definitions of the word “light”…usually we think of a lamp that illuminates a room…or the moon and sun that shine outdoors.

But when we say someone sees the light, we imply a mental understanding or spiritual insight.

As a student, I had many instances where I “saw the light” after a particularly helpful professor explained a difficult concept to me.

As a teacher, I observed many pupils “see the light” when something I had been teaching them finally made sense.

And, as a parent and now as a grandparent, I’ve been privileged to watch hundreds of “see the light” moments.

Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post Challenge and every week he provides a theme…this week’s theme is LIGHT.

Last summer we went fly-fishing with our twin grandchildren. Are you looking for a great intergenerational activity? Try fishing! Children love it…our grandchildren listened attentively while we showed them what to do…their faces were alight with joy as they cast their flies into the water.

And, have you ever watched the faces of children as they listen to a picture book story? Intent…attentive…joyful…alight with curiosity!

Or, put some arts and crafts supplies into the hands of young children and watch their faces light up with joy as the spark of creativity ignites!

There are so many things we can do with young children that will help them to “see the light”…reading, crafting, fishing, doing puzzles, taking a nature hike, going for a walk…just engaging them in a conversation. What are some things you enjoy doing with your children?

We only have one more week for the March Positive Parental Participation Reading Challenge! Please leave your comments and share with us the books you are reading with your children. Also, please spread the word about the Reading Challenge…a promise to read every day to a child…someone will be winning a new picture book at the end of every month!

Just a reminder…are you looking for picture book recommendations and other activities that will build self-esteem and reading readiness skills? Please check out my book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking…endorsed by parents, teachers and national organizations like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. There is also only one more week for the March special: free shipping on my website Continental US only (an additional $5 off the price of the book for participants in the PPP Reading Challenge) or you can purchase the book on Amazon.

If you’d like more information about Jake’s Sunday Post:

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

1. Christine: http://imagesoftheheart.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

2. Judy: http://northernnarratives.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

3. Isadora: http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-photo-challenge-by-jake-light/

4. Marcy: http://orples.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-photo-challenge-light/

5. Rois: http://jullianeford.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

6. Marilou: http://imexcited.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/sunday-post-light/

7. Natalie: http://reflectionsinapuddle.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

8. http://truthaboveallreligions.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

9. http://blueberriejournal.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/light/

10. http://diggingher.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/sunday-post-weekly-challenge/

11. http://africatoalgarve.blogspot.pt/2012/03/light.html.

12. http://athoughtfor2012.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/sunday-post-light/

13. Kate: http://believeanyway.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/light/

14. Jo: http://jobryantnz.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/sunday-post-light/

I’ll add more links when more are posted.

37 thoughts on “Sunday Post: Light…Do You See It?”

Rois on March 25, 2012 at 8:48 am said:

Great entry and thanks for the trackback. 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 9:05 am said:
  
  I appreciate the kind words! I need to go to sleep (it’s after 3am here) but I’ll be hopping around to read and comment on all the “light” posts tomorrow. 🙂
  
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dadirri7 on March 25, 2012 at 8:52 am said:

such an interesting and inspiring post, we love playing with our little 2 year old grand daughter, always so much to do we never fit it all in … thanks for the pingback too 😀

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 9:03 am said:
  
  You are so welcome…thanks for stopping by…grandchildren are great fun…we don’t get to see ours too often either…but have a great time when we do. 🙂
  
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Malou on March 25, 2012 at 9:54 am said:

Great post! My daughter loves fishing but so far she’s done only the pretend ones. Can’t wait to introduce her to real fishing this summer. 😉

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 10:46 pm said:
  
  I’m sure you will all have a wonderful time…last summer we took our other grandchild (he was not three years old yet) fishing…he had a ball…and held the rod so carefully. Loved watching the bobber move in the water…but did not like the worms. 🙂
  
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imexcited on March 25, 2012 at 11:08 am said:

Being a mom, this post is inspiring and interesting for me. Thanks for sharing.

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 10:48 pm said:
  
  I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post…now that my own children are grown, I really enjoy volunteering in the local kindergartens…reading and crafting with the kids. 🙂
  
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jakesprinter on March 25, 2012 at 11:39 am said:

Great Entry my friend they are all adorable kids 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 7:36 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Jake! Spending time with young children really keeps you young. 🙂 I just love it!
  
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Colline on March 25, 2012 at 2:11 pm said:

Nothing is more beautiful to a teacher than when we see the light of understanding on a child’s face – makes all the effort worthwhile 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 7:35 pm said:
  
  Yup…you are so right, Colline! It does make all the effort worthwhile. 🙂
  
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Patricia Tilton on March 25, 2012 at 3:42 pm said:

Vivian, enjoyed your post and the theme of “light.” Very creative use and pictures to support. Enjoyed this very much. Your book “Show Me” is about self-esteem? I read the review from the JDRF and wondered about the connection. I’ve been wanting to find a good fiction picture book on juvenile diabetes, but not much luck. Just thinking out loud.

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 7:32 pm said:
  
  Hi Pat,
  Thanks for stopping by this post. 🙂
  Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking is actually a parent/teacher resource of 100 picture book recommendations…for each recommended title I provide a story summary, gentle parenting tip on why that story will help build self-esteem, eco-friendly quick and easy craft project and simple healthful child-friendly cooking activity.
  The connection with JDRF came about because I wanted to support that cause with donations of a portion of the proceeds from the sale of my book. I contacted one of their staff and was put in touch with Renata Lanoix, who loved the book, reviewed it in their Winter 2010 Outreach Newsletter and recommended that JDRF chapters nationwide buy it for each of their headquarters…to have on hand to help families who use their facilities. As you well know, children with special needs or health issues are often victims of low self-esteem…and JDRF felt that the activities would benefit the families and the healthful recipes were a plus! The Las Vegas JDRF chapter did buy 15 copies, which was great…but I haven’t heard from the other chapters yet…although the Dallas chapter did a lovely article on it.
  
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  - Patricia Tilton on March 26, 2012 at 4:01 am said:
    
    Thank you. I was hoping we might connect on this one. – Pat
    
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orples on March 25, 2012 at 4:22 pm said:

Thank you for the trackback, Vivian. It is always so refreshing to come see what you and the young’ns are up to! 😉

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 7:34 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Marcy! I really have so much fun reading and crafting with kids. 🙂 And they have so much to say…the discussion during and after the story and craft is probably the best part of it all. 🙂
  
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Northern Narratives on March 25, 2012 at 7:39 pm said:

Very creative and wonderful post. Thanks for the pingback 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 10:49 pm said:
  
  You are so welcome! Glad you stopped by to take a peek at mine. 🙂
  
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Stacy S. Jensen on March 25, 2012 at 8:18 pm said:

Hubby loves fishing, but we haven’t ventured out as a family yet. After seeing your post it makes me think we should try someday soon.

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 10:53 pm said:
  
  Hi Stacy…thanks for stopping by today! There are so many sweet and lovely places an hour or so away from the Springs. 🙂 You may not catch any fish, but it would be a beautiful day out…and I’m sure Enzo would really enjoy it. Jeremy loved it last year when they were visiting…and had as much fun sitting in the tall grass, making weed bouquets as he did holding the rod and admiring the way the bobber floated on the water. 🙂
  
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reflectionsinapuddle on March 25, 2012 at 10:27 pm said:

I like your creative approach to the theme! And thanks for stopping by my blog 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on March 25, 2012 at 10:54 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much…I love relating every theme to helping young children developing true self-esteem…I guess you could say it is my mission in life. 🙂
  
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Kate Kresse on March 26, 2012 at 5:46 am said:

I love your interpretation of ‘light’; as a tutor, I know exactly the light on the students’ faces when they understand something. It is magnificent! I remember when my dad taught my son to fish when my son was a young lad…..thanks for bringing to mind a very precious memory.

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- viviankirkfield on March 26, 2012 at 7:08 am said:
  
  And thank you, Kate, for sharing your memory here. 🙂
  I’m passionate about encouraging parents to form a strong connection with their children early on…they don’t always agree with us as they grow up…but parents can have amazing relationships with their adult children…our younger son (he is 36 now) is flying here in May (Mother’s Day weekend) and we will go fly-fishing with him…I’m so looking forward to it…we always have a wonderful time!
  
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diggingher on March 26, 2012 at 11:41 pm said:

Nice snaps. I really like the look of your blog too, visually inspiring. Your child photo’s and comment brought to mind the scripture that we are to have childlike faith to enter the kingdom of heaven.

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- viviankirkfield on March 27, 2012 at 3:54 am said:
  
  Thank you so much for stopping by and I appreciate the kind words! You are so right…I am reminded of that as well. 🙂
  
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nrhatch on March 27, 2012 at 12:23 am said:

Wonderful tie in to the theme, Vivian. I like talking, laughing, and giggling with young children . . . kids say the darndest things. 😀

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- viviankirkfield on March 27, 2012 at 3:53 am said:
  
  Thanks, Nancy! Gotta love those little ones…they keep us on our toes! And yes, they say the darndest things…I guess it’s because the very young ones have no subterfuge or pretense. 🙂
  
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julierowanzoch on March 28, 2012 at 1:00 pm said:

I love the fishing photos! Where was this if I might ask?

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- viviankirkfield on March 28, 2012 at 2:29 pm said:
  
  Hi Julie,
  We had so much fun! We went to Rocky Mountain National Park…right outside of Estes Park, Colorado. I’m in Colorado Springs…my son lives just south of Boulder. It always amazes me that we live only a couple of hours away from a National Park…what an unbelievable resource!
  
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Judee on March 29, 2012 at 8:45 am said:

Great post. I love watching children learn and that special look when they see the light. Such precious moments!

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- viviankirkfield on March 29, 2012 at 6:59 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting…yes, young children are amazing to be with…their souls are light…and a joy to watch!
  
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