Missus Wookie's post about Organ Donation reminded me of xkcd's strip on the topic. [NB: While the xkcd link I provided is clean, please heed the warning that "this comic occasionally contains strong language" if you decide to browse that site.]
I love simple explanations like that.
Heart
I also love that this fictional interaction took place in the home while playing with Legos. Call it a "teachable moment" if you like, but I see it as yet another natural opportunity for learning in the daily experience of life. More than that, this simple explanation opens up a world of discussion. We could move from organ donation to bioethics and issues surrounding a free market of human tissue. We could--as the alt text shows--discuss life after death and the questions surrounding what makes us us. We could then transition into the Platonic idea of Forms.
...all from thinking about the little colored bricks inside a plastic bin.
These kinds of questions can flow naturally in a homeschool environment throughout the day. Eating, playing and reading literature all lend themselves to talking and sharing ideas together. And so we see that education is not something built out of carefully placed pieces, but rather exists outside the individual elements of study.
If you're looking for an educational solution much like a Lego set--one that comes with all the pieces you need, instructions as well as the ability to make it your own--check out Sonlight's literature-based homeschool curriculum. I have fond memories of playing with Legos while my mom read and discussed with us the fantastic books in Sonlight.
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester
