So Rohan is 4 years old. A couple months ago actually about a month before he turned four, he came over to me from where he’s playing and asks “Mommy, can I see the Kiber Belt please?” I said “huh?” He said “The Kiber belt, I want to see a picture. Can you show me?”
So being the good mommy I am (::look::) I go on google and enter Kiber Belt. Rohan’s face is bright and beaming, excited to see what’s to pop up on my laptop screen. Google catches an attitude and is all: Did you mean Khyber belt? Did you mean Kuiper belt?
Rude!
Ummmm I don’t freaking know, google. It’s an accessory I think…it holds pants up. My kid wants to see a belt, that’s all I know. Sheesh.
Turns out:
So of course I ask Rohan how he knows about the Kuiper belt and he starts singing me a song about the solar system, and explaining the suns pull on the little asteroids… and I’m there, mouth agape… realizing my son is already smarter than me. (how am I gunna homeschool him again?)
Ha!
So with our learning through play we do let Rohan have screen time (sometimes more than I’d like, but I digress) and he is obsessed with anything space right now. Solar system, all the planets, dwarf planets (did you know that was a thing? I didn’t) galaxies…all of it. He plays many solar system songs over and over on youtube too. We’re both learning a lot about outer space! hehe
Library trips used to be all about finding books with trucks and cars…not anymore. He’s looking for anything with a planet on the cover, or a rocket. My little brother was big into space stuff and transitioned into science fiction books. My mom recently brought down some of his old sci fi chapter books and Rohan and I are reading those together. Since there are no pictures he can only stand it for a few pages at a time before the questions start rolling in (i inevitably ave to google for answers) and all hope for reading is lost.
I know kids go through phases, and I’m sure he’ll be on to something new soon, but I’m also certain the space/sci-fi/solar system phase is going to come back around again and I can’t wait until it does. This time I’ll be ready!
PS: Did you know that they found organic compounds on an comet like a month or so ago? There’s life out there guys! *gulp*
On that note….
L Ron Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth originally came out in 1982 and has been relaunched this year. It mixes actual historic events with an exciting fiction story that kids/teens/adults will enjoy. Once a kid is interested and passionate about something they’re more likely to want to read about it and learn about it. (click here to visit the Battlefield Earth Facebook page)
I went through a sci-fi+horror phase in reading as a preteen. I am 1000% sure Rohan is going to want to read this in a few years.
Kids are fascinated by space travel and the probability that intelligent life exists beyond our solar system. Feeding this natural interest and curiosity with a modern classic novel is a great way to get, or keep, your teens interested in reading.
Real Life:
In 1977, NASA launched the space probe Voyager. One of its missions was to answer the question is there intelligent life beyond our planet. Residing on the Voyager was golden disc containing voices, music, images of plants and animals on Earth—it also contained an interstellar map to Earth. Since at least 2010, Stephen Hawking, famed physicist, has spoken publicly about his fears that an advanced alien civilization would have no problem wiping out the human race the way a human might wipe out a colony of ants.
Sci Fi:
In his international bestselling novel, Battlefield Earth, author L. Ron Hubbard outlines the scenario of getting an answer from outer space, where the Voyager was picked up by an alien probe which resulted in Man becoming an endangered species.
Battlefield Earth was reissued with expanded author notes by Galaxy Press on June 14, 2016, along with CD Audio Set. (Click Here to purchase a copy today)
What would YOU do if aliens came to earth? (After peeing your pants I mean.)
You can have fun discussions with your kids about Science Fiction, and encourage them to write themselves, as some of their ideas may someday become reality, like automatic doors conceived by H.G. Wells, voice controlled computers conceived by Arthur C. Clarke, submarines conceived by Jules Verne, handheld devices to read books conceived by L. Ron Hubbard!
If you’re still working on your #52booksin2016 challenge, check this book out. Read it alone or with your teens!
Have you read Battlefield Earth?
This is a sponsored blog post. While all thoughts above are mine, consideration was paid to me by Galaxy Press to review this book
This is a great post! I am the book’s publisher and have had many educators, science teachers, home schoolers discuss the value of Battlefield Earth as a tool to encourage reading in general, but to also engender a desire to learn more about the many topics this book addresses. And whether young or adult, the idea that the human spirit will ultimately prevail has been a universal appeal.
So thank you very much and I wanted to let you know how much this is appreciated.