Dinner Conversation…Smalley-Style!

Tonight was another one of those nights when I couldn’t help but giggle and wonder if there were other families who had dinner conversations like ours.

We eat dinner together at the dining room table every night. Besides good food to nourish the body, there is always good conversation to nourish our spirits and relationships, as well as our minds. Tonight was no exception.

As is typical, the conversation started with the expected “How was your day?” and “How was school?” and other general discussion to catch-up and share our days’ accomplishments and occurrences.

This “warm-up” is usually followed by some fun trivia challenge initiated by one of the kids and based on one of their three favorite placemats: World Map, U.S. Map, and U.S. Presidents. Sometimes the discussion centers on a school project or upcoming test. We’ve discussed the water cycle, photosynthesis, rocks and minerals, life cycles, food webs, the Civil War, ancient civilizations, etc.

Tonight’s conversation: (1) The number of times a human heart beats in a year, given a heart rate of 70 beats per minute; and (2) The total number of hours my son has spent sleeping during the first 12 years of his life, given that he sleeps an average of 9½ hours each night. And yes, we included the 3 extra days for the Leap Years he has experienced.

In keeping with the season, (my kids will be taking their end of grade tests this week and next) tonight’s dinner conversation and math exercises incorporated both calculator active and calculator inactive components. : )

Now you understand why I was giggling and wondering if other families have similar dinner time conversations!

My kids love this, by the way. It’s a good thing, too, given their parents are scientists who love to learn and share the marvels of science and learning.

Through discussions like these, our kids are developing a deep understanding and respect for our world. The more they understand about all that it is, all that it does and that everything is connected, the more they realize what a truly glorious, miraculous place it is!

So, what did you discuss over dinner tonight?

Food for thought…
Maria

P.S. Tonight’s dinner festivities also included the kick-off and Day 1 of our annual “Eliminator” game. More about that another time.