You must remember this....

Does the scene from Casablanca play in your head when you see those lyrics?    My memory (or lack thereof) was highlighted yesterday.  Schickelfritz and I went with his grandparents on a lovely drive through the country to an all you can eat fried chicken and pork steak dinner hosted by the VFW.  To amuse himself (at the old folks' expense) he pulled the highway atlas out and began playing "Name the capital."   Between the three of us we could usually come up with a correct answer (Carson City, Nevada stumped us all). We're in good company though, the NATO video promoting the upcoming summit stated Chicago was the capital of Illinois.  It was considerably easier when he said the city and we had to come up with the state.  Of course after 50 states and still some miles to go he turned to the Canadian Territories and Provinces.  "Foul!" I cried, "I never had to learn those in school."   My best guess was to add "City" to the end of whatever province he named (which only worked for Quebec).

We had a lot more laughs than correct answers--I can't tell you how bad it got when we switched to Mexico.  It reminded me of watching "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"  I'm sure it was covered somewhere in my education, but those files have been pushed to the back of the cabinet in my mind  to make room for "Where are my car keys?" and "Have I paid all the bills this month?" Anything I really need to know I can look up--although what you see in print isn't always true either.  The Route 66 placemat my son has says Springfield, IL is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. 

As a homeschooler I try to come up with fun and innovative ways to present information.  Taking a field trip to a cave or battlefield, doing a hands-on project, are much more memorable than just reading a book.

I spend a lot of time trying to fill my son's head with facts--multiplication tables, dates from history, the taxonomy of a leopard, don't take candy from strangers.  What sticks should serve him well some day.   But the one thing I hope he remembers from his childhood is that I love him and God loves him more. 

You can read how other Homeschool Crew answer the question "What’s the one thing you hope your children remember from their childhood?" by clicking here.