I received this email in the early days of teaching parents how to use The Spark Station.
“You may have seen this. It’s a picture book called The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan. This illustrates the secret of the Spark Station in an inspiring way. A junk dealer who likes to do–not much–finds a pink refrigerator that holds something new for him every day, and he gets excited about life and learning, closes shop, and sets off to explore the world. I thought you might enjoy this if you hadn’t seen it. Happy reading, Cathy D.”
I was intrigued, so I went to the library and found the book. Cathy’s description was spot on. The Pink Refrigerator is the Spark Station. It’s a beautiful story about how we can inspire children to explore things that might not have occurred to them before. You don’t know what greatness is hiding inside a child until they can explore options.
When I was a girl, one of my favorite summer activities was to cover large rocks with thick mud. These were my ‘cakes,’ and I took great pains to decorate them with flowers, leaves, and grass. I spent considerable time doing this activity, and I was inordinately proud of the results. To the casual onlooker, it may have seemed as if I was wasting time. P. S. This would make a fun family activity!
When I was in 9th grade, I saw a project the seniors were doing in Home Economics, Panorama Sugar Eggs. I was taking Home Economics and wanted to make one, but it was reserved for seniors. I knew that I wouldn’t be in the same school when I was a senior. We moved a lot! So, I bravely asked the Home Economics teacher if I could have the directions. I must have seemed sincere or desperate because she gave them to me. : )
I had none of the required tools. I had no help, no experience. But I knew without doubt that I could do this project because I had made so many fabulous “cakes” in the past. Don’t ask me how I could think that frosting and sugar were anything like rocks and mud, but frankly, I did. I had learned that I could make stuff! I did make a panorama egg. It wasn’t very good, but I thought it was fantastic. I saw it years later, stored in my mom’s cedar chest. I cannot tell you how many children I have taught to do this project over the years. In fact, for the next 50+ years, I made beautiful “stuff” and taught my grands and other children to do the same.
It doesn’t matter what you put into the Spark Station, whether it’s in your home or traveling. The very act of opening it, anticipating something new, is all it takes to generate excitement and enthusiasm.
If you haven’t read the Pink Refrigerator, take a trip to the library. You’ll be glad you did, and I believe you’ll be inspired!
After reading the story, share it with a child you love. Have them write their own note about something they would like to know more about or learn how to do. It’s fun to see how excited children get about the activity! One group of children I worked with, who heard the story and did the activity, had ideas like these:
• learn to jump better
• play the flute
• skydive
• learn how to care for animals
• run a profitable business
• go to Brazil
• be a librarian
Just imagine where you could go with these ideas.
