One of my favorite things about life is the ability to learn. From a young age my parents instilled in me and my siblings the fact that learning is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. We were never allowed to take school for granted and we were always encouraged to do extra learning. My mom could magically turn almost any activity into an opportunity for learning something new. I loved that about her. She was always bringing us out into the garden with her to learn about growing good vegetables or she was taking us to the market to practice our addition skills. On my thirteenth birthday my parents got me an atlas and told me to enjoy learning about the world from it. I still own the atlas I got on that birthday.

My parents words came true and it became one of my favorite ways to study and learn. My atlas symbolized for me all of the wonder I held about different parts of the world. My desire to travel and experience other cultures began as I read and studied other countries and continents in my atlas. I wasn't sure where Namibia was, but I was quite sure that someday I wanted to visit Namibia and see the cities that I read in the atlas.

I'm convinced that one of the best things that parents can do for their children is to instill a wonder and a curiousity about the world in them. We cannot afford to keep our children sheltered in our own towns, states or even countries. We must teach them to think about and care about places and peoples that are all around the world. Buying an atlas and studying it together can be a great first step to teaching your children about the world. Or head to a local library and study the atlas there. Get your children asking questions about places they see and then find sources that will teach you about those places. Keep them asking questions even if you cannot answer the questions.

Learning about the world will benefit your children no matter what they end up doing or being. Make a commitment to getting them an atlas and asking them to learn a new country or a new capital city every so often. Teach them to be global thinkers and to care about what is happening in the countries they are learning in the atlas. What a great gift you can give your children. And the world.