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Comment by phorese | Hacker News Reader

Relevant Carl Sagan: "Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." (http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199601/carl-sagan?pa...)

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True. But it is VERY hard to encourage the enthusiasm of a 4 year old who asks "Why?" 600 times a day. :-)

Well, according to the article you just have to build a computer into the wall and let him/her work it all out on their own ;)

That's what YouTube and Netflix documentaries are for. My kids love them and they give you a break from coming up with all the answers. :)

Don't forget PBS. Lacking cable growing up I pretty much watched nothing but PBS and a few Saturday morning cartoons. I think that worked out pretty well :).

We pitched the TV figuring it would remove our temptation to be lazy and disengaged. We generally reserve computer time for supporting foreign language acquisition. (I feel like I'm rapidly turning into one of THOSE parents)

Asking "Why?" 400 times a day is enthusiasm. The problem is getting them to be self-sufficient and find answers by themselves.

It's tough when they're 4. They can read a little, but too young for Google. And I'm afraid of some of the unfiltered answers. :-)

Nope. It's play-acting. They are learning the question/answer role. You can tell this by the simple fact that a rampaging 3 year old is not listening to the answers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in the unschooling/homeschooling camp, but this isn't evidence of enthusiasm. :)

Do they listen to anything other than accidental F bombs?

I always wondered how old Pinocchio was. In that Disney movie he exhibited this behaviour, so now I know he was the human equivalent of between 4 and 5 years old.

there is a huge difference between having a sense of curiosity about the world and studying science seriously. people love to watch documentaries about the natural world, yet very few attempt to teach themselves mathematics or physics.

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