National Resources Defense Council

For a long time I heard other mom's talking about their children and self-directed learning. I would hear stories about a son being interested in Egypt and not being able to read enough about it or a daugher being interested in sword making and looking for every book she could on the subject.

I wondered if my son would ever do this. I tried a couple of times to suggest topics and for awhile he was interested in planets and stars and astronomy. But now we are studying endangered species at both of my children's request.

So yesterday, Jack says, "Come here please, I want to show you something." And as I walked toward the computer, he assured me it wasn't something on Ebay. He had gotten $10 from his great grandmother for his birthday and was itching to spend it and had been looking at Pokemon and Yugi-Oh cards on Ebay.

I took a look at the screen and it was the National Resources Defense Council website looking back at me. Before I could figure out what I was really looking at, Jack said he wanted to donate his $10 to save animals. I cannot tell you how proud I was of him that he had put aside his consumerism, that he wanted to do something about the state of things on our planet.

We signed up right away and he was pleased as punch to be a member. He also got a cool screen saver and could have gotten a tote bag (but decided to pass on that so that they could use all of his donation for the animals) and he will receive a newsletter.

WOW...add to that that he was researching endangered animals on the computer, on his own ,on a Sunday:) It just doesn't get any better than this.