Oddbean

My kids don't have access to screens and won't for a while. They know the internet exists, but when there's a question that requires research the answer typically is "I wonder what books they have at the library on this subject..."

This morning my daughters asked why are there white people in Southern Africa. I started at mountians in Turkey on google maps. Went all about the Mediteranean coast. Showed them Asterix comics and the Roman Empire. Showed the Gibraltar passage and Pillars of Hercules. Told them about Marco Polo and the silk roads history. Then I explained how fucked Portugal is in the whole trading with the East deal. How Bartolomias Dias halfway circumnavigated Africa planting crosses all along the coast. Then I used a tennis ball as Earth, light bulb as polaris and a pencil for the southern cross. They loved scurvy. Then I had to throw in the Suez canal but I digressed. Went on to Vasco De Gama being the first european to reach India by boat. And then The Dutch East India company, Jan Van Riebeeck closed the deal. I also had a tangent on tundra, rainforest and desserts, weather, oceans and currents. To put it simply. When I finally finished they were like. Cool, makes sense. That was supposed to be a Bible study.

“Why do you think, what’s your best guess? Why is that your guess?” Don’t forget to turn it around sometimes, it’s good for them too. Keep up the good work! IMO, conversation got more interesting and more fun as my kids grew and the early years establish the Commo channels.