Current Thoughts
My children’s school follows a curriculum called LAMPS which stands for Library Art Music Physical Education and STEM. They rotate through these different categories throughout the week (though PE always gets two days a week along with daily recess). The reason it is in the school system is because we recognize how impactful it is to development to expose children to such a variety of creative pathways and that such exposure can be bring about a more full life. In talking with them about what they learn I realized how helpful it would be to adopt this curriculum for a life time.
How would it look for an adult? For Library you simply read a book daily. Vary between fiction, self help, history, etc. Make reading a lifetime pursuit. For Art you simply find an artistic pursuit to enjoy. Painting, writing, playing music, wood working, etc. Whatever it may be, find a path to create something. Music is something we all listen to but the next step in making it more full is to deepen your understanding of the music. One way I’ve found to be helpful is listening to an entire album (or discography) straight through instead of in a mix of different artists or on random. Another is by listening to YouTube reaction videos where artists listen to a song from a different genre and respond and listen to the artist talk about their songs. Physical education gets two days a week for a reason: a healthy body is foundational to the other pursuits. The educational piece of PE for adults should look like exploring a wide range of physical endeavors, gamifying them, and achieving “passing grades”. Combine this with recess which is essentially physical leisure. Finally, STEM as an adult looks being curious about, engaging with, and pursuing knowledge in the latest technology and how things work.
LAMPS for life.
Things I Like
The curse of discipline is that every day looks the same. The curse of lack of discipline is that every year looks the same.-Unknown