'Today I Learned’: 50 Interesting Things People Didn't Learn At School (New Pics)

A hunger for knowledge is something we have to nurture throughout our lives. After all, keeping our brains busy with learning new things, like a language, is known to be a powerful antidote against diseases in old age, like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

But our desire to learn starts from an early age as we don’t turn into life-long learners overnight. Previously, Bored Panda talked to Lenore Skenazy, the president of Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence about nurturing our kids’ desire to learn beyond compulsory education.

First, Lenore recommends parents “designate an hour or two each day as ‘outdoor’ time without any electronic devices.” It turns out that this is a crucial step into bringing out the ‘curious child.’

“Put some junk out there—old suitcases, blankets, buckets—whatever you’ve got. Of course, at first, the kids might be bored. Scratch that: They will be bored. They’ll want to come back in and grab the iPad.”

At this point, parents would need to stay strong and resist the temptation to let them in or entertain them. “Give them a stretch of time—and especially if you can send some other kids out there with them—and out of ‘There’s nothing to do,’ something will catch their interest. And a curious kid is born,” said Lenore.

Lenore also said that even though we don’t always see it, curiosity is truly a very pleasurable emotion. In fact, we do many things because of it.

“That’s why people travel—to see how other people do things, to try new foods and new experiences. Doing something new or unfamiliar brings our senses back to life.”

This is something dulled-out kids also benefit from greatly.

“Send them to do something they haven’t done on their own before. Have them run an errand, visit a neighbor, get something from the woods or the store—something that puts them in a new environment where they have to figure out some stuff on their own,” she concluded.

According to Lenore, part of the equation is authority figures like parents and teachers introducing children to all the various things they might come to love: from art and music and language to sports and nature and animals. So before taking care of our kids' desire for knowledge, don't forget to spark your inner child as well.