Childhood Wonder

‘This famous doctor once said, “Adults are just outdated children.” Dr. Seuss sure got that right. Everyone can’t get enough of pointing out what’s wrong – editors, TAs, any proofreader imaginable, they tell you what’s wrong with your work. WAGiLabs was the first program I’ve ever encountered emphasizing the importance of what’s right.

Too often, kids are looked down upon for not being realistic, having too many ideas, or simply spouting them uncontrollably. ‘A rocket ship from a trash can, spaghetti that’s a rope, a water bottle that fills itself out of thin air…’ just in the past week, the little entrepreneurs in my personal life have bestowed these wondrous thoughts unto me. You know what? Take a moment – think back to something you’ve heard a child say recently, something seemingly ridiculous, that you shot down because your mind has been bogged down by this whole ‘adult’ thing. Got it? Now think, hey, what if I listened? More so, what if I encouraged that train of thought, put oil in the reserves and kept it going to the end?

Anyone can have an idea, a great idea, if you will. I encourage you try it if you haven’t before, it can be fun. WAGiLabs is spectacular in that, not only does it take 8 year olds’ ideas and turn them into reality but encourages them to think about the why of the idea. Why would a water bottle that fills itself out of thin air be helpful? WAGiLabs preaches empathetic thinking – with the type of play (adults call this ‘learning’) we do, kids can deduce, all on their own, that Hey, there are people out there without fresh water coming out of a sink like me? This idea could help so many people! See what I did there? I followed through that train of thought, teaching myself to be empathetic to a child’s ever-complex mind. I could stop there, but WAGiLabs gives the opportunity, gives the magic, of planting this idea into fertile soil and making it a reality. This is the first program by kids, for kids, for the world. I can’t enough express how personally fulfilling and enriching it is to watch a child feel validated and contribute as an important, relevant member of society.

I chose WAGiLabs just for that reason. My mind, your mind, has the capacity to be limitless, free from all bounds, if we simply listen to children and climb aboard their extraordinary trains of thought. My focus has all too long been: what can I teach them? Yes, and what can they teach me? For far too long, I’ve been an outdated child – it’s time that childhood wonder is brought back to me.’

-Danya Abutaleb