Christmas: A time for giving and learning

First of all I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours. I know COVID has been challenging for everyone but it's been good to spend some quality time with friends and family over the holiday period.

Here's hoping for no major COVID outbreaks and we can continue living life like normal and not endure anymore restrictions.

The best thing I love about Christmas is watching my kids reactions when they get to open all their presents on Christmas morning. The early morning excitement wake where there is no time to make a coffee or anything else. It's just straight to the Christmas tree to see what Santa brought us!

I kind of feel pretty crap letting a fake guy in a red suite take all my credit but it isn't in the Christmas spirit to tell your kids the truth 🤣

Amongst the toys we give the little ones it's important that we also include educational gifts as well. For this Christmas I also got little miss an educational globe one that also includes all the continent names and native animals so she can learn about where all the animals are native to.

We've also been talking a lot about countries, continents, earth, space and other planets. Her eyes light up when we talk about the world and what is beyond it, I remember that feeling as a kid. I always wanted to be an astronaut and explore outer space but unfortunately it's a small sector and you have to be top of your class to be able to do something like that. For me it's just a dream and perhaps little Miss might one day achieve it.

I gave her her first test with the globe today I asked her where Australia was which is our country and where we lived on the map.

She quickly spun the global and without hesitation flung her finger up and pressed Australia. She did roll her finger down to Melbourne and shouter HERE! Which I found pretty exciting.

We spoke some more about other countries and without hesitation she quickly went in search. I asked her what she was looking for and she responded with Where Nonna was born My mum is Italian and was born in Calabria, Italy. Little Miss finds this fact mind blowing that someone in her family was born in another country.

She asks if we can visit one day and I say yes, hopefully that gives me enough time for Hive to moon and perhaps I can fund a holiday to Calabria with Hive 🤩

A bit of time and puzzle pieces began to click with little miss as she found a Lion on the map. She asked me if Lions are in Africa how come I tell her to stay close when we go bush walking because of lions if we don't have lions.

I haven't responded to that question as yet as it has been my safety mechanism to ensure little Miss doesn't stray to far from me on bush walks.

I also use crocodiles for water ways so she doesn't get too close and fall in 🤣

I personally think Geography is an important part of Education we should be fitting our children with. One thing that has always stuck in my mind was 2019 new years where there were a barrage of Snapchats and online videos being produced by young people in other nations.

They were expressing their anger that Australia was celebrating Christmas and New Years before them. They called us selfish and didn't understand time zones or where countries sat.

I thought to myself at that time, if I have kids I never want them to do something like that or not have a basic understanding of the world and how things work.

What did you get your kids for Christmas this year? Was education apart of the gifting?