Through the Eyes of a Child

In May, my husband and I went to Ireland. My daughter asked if I would take a Flat Stanley with me so that my grandchildren could experience and hear about Ireland from that perspective.

If you haven’t heard of flat Stanley, here’s the link http://www.flatstanleyproject.com. It’s a literacy project that you might be interested in.

Well, I decided to take a “Flat Sally” with me, since I have three granddaughters, and it added a special dimension to our nearly 1300-mile trip around Ireland. The trip was an amazing experience that I believe will strengthen and enlarge my Irish Quilt Legacy books.

But taking Flat Sally to Ireland added another dimension to our trip. It helped me to experience Ireland through the eyes of a child—to see what a child would see, to smell what a child would smell, to hear what a child would hear, to taste what a child would taste. It was an amazing experience, and because I was trying to get pictures and capture experiences with Flat Sally, I gained much more from the trip than I ever thought possible.

When I got home and made my photo book of Ireland, I decided that I needed to make a separate photo book for the grandgirls. I have to admit that I went a little farther than I had planned, because I decided to write story about Flat Sally’s travels through Ireland—in limerick! Amazingly enough, it worked. I guess that just shows that you never know how you might get inspired.

So my advice is that when you travel, look through the eyes of a child, not just through the eyes of an adult. You’ll see, hear, smell, feel, and taste much more than you would as an adult, and you will be the better for it. Your trip will be richer and more fun then you ever expected.

How does looking through the eyes of a child enlarge you? I’d love to know!