It snowed today!!! I realize this is an overdo of the exclamation point, but it snowed today!!! And not just a skiff in the morning that we woke up to and was melted by noon. This snow stayed and then more came down in the afternoon. Whatever?! It is October! But, the snow is directly related to my post tonight.
After dinner, the four older girls headed out for their Young Women's activity. Doug is in Houston, Texas (where, by the way, it is 80 degrees) and I was talking to him on the telephone. I was whining about being cold and he told me to start a fire. I complained that I didn't want to start a fire, so he suggested I ask Benjamin to do it. Every boy always wants to start a fire. So, Benjamin started a fire. He did a great job, too, and within a few minutes the little girls and I were all sitting in front of it enjoying the wonderful enveloping warmth. Than Benjamin said, "Can I get a blanket and spread it out in front of the wood stove and you can read us a book? That is my favorite thing to do." Oh, yes. We spend many wonderful evenings (and afternoons and mornings) during the winter relaxing on a blanket in front of the fire and reading and talking and learning. He said, "I'm sure you have a book to read to us. You always you have something you want to read."
"Well, now that you ask....." Of course I have something to read! That's my job.
Two hours and two wide-eyed children later (Three year old Brecklyn was turning around and around on her back hitting everyone with her feet by the time we were done.) I finished the story and shooed everyone off to bed. What kept a nine year old and a seven year old interested for two hours? "The Toothpaste Millionaire" by Jean Merrill. Actually, we stole it from the bedside of Amanda (12), who has been loving it, and I'm sure older children would like it as well. Don't worry, we returned the book to its spot before she got home and so she is none the wiser.
This book tells the story of a 12 year old millionaire, his ideas and his business sense. There is truly so much useful business information in here, I think this book would be a great jumping-off place for a class on entrepreneurship for young people, or old for that matter. It clearly explains overhead costs, business loans, company stock and shareholders, boards of directors, and management. There is plenty of honest-to-goodness math in the story that is not forced or boring, just part of the excitement. I am quite certain that much of this went over Benjamin's and Bethany's heads, but the story was entertaining enough that didn't even matter. If I were reading it to older children, I would take time to talk about all the other ideas, but for this group the story was just right.
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