What Are You Playing With?!

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius 

I totally agree with the above quote so I always insist that my children get hands on experience as much as possible. 

AND

When I ran into my four year old son, JS, playing with my manual breast pump, what did I do? 

I had to do what I believe was the best.

Even if it is a sensitive one.

So, for this week's activity, I would like to share with you on experimenting or hands on experience.

Children are curious beings and they constantly seek answers to things that arouse their curiosities. There are times when the topic could be quite sensitive and how would you handle it? I always opt to be scientific. I find it the best way to explain things to a child, especially the sensitive ones.

WEEK 8: EXPERIMENTING / HANDS ON EXPERIENCE

TOPIC: ASSEMBLING EQUIPMENT

So, this was what we did.

First, I asked him what he was playing with. Not with a horror expression, nor with embarrassment.

Just asking a question, cool and calm. 

In my heart: I did not now whether to laugh or to be happy about his curiosity. 

He told me he was trying to assemble it but couldn't figure out how. 

So we gathered all the parts and I gave him verbal instructions on how to assemble it. He already learnt how to assemble Lego cars and a set of fire engine with a burning house using the manuals so he was able to take verbal instructions too. 

JS inserting the star valve into the hole at the of the pump body and funnel.

JS fixing the diaphragm and stem piece.

After the star valve, diaphragm and stem piece, he had to fix the pump handle and then test to see whether it could work well. If is was too loose, most probably he had put the star valve in the wrong direction. 

Testing out the pump handle.

Then he put on the pump cover, the cup neck and the cup.

Finally, he put the petal massage cushion on.

Putting on the massage petal cushion.

Hmm... 

But wait, Mummy. I have some questions... 

Of course he had questions, on pumping milk and all. He saw me pumping for his sister. So I had to explain. 

As what I mentioned above, I chose to be scientific.

When you explain things from a scientific point of view, it is much easier.

Do you have any thing to add to this? How would you handle sensitive topics or situations when it comes to answering your children's questions?