Daniel demonstrated learning by example today.  We have recycling pickup at our house for paper, metal and plastic bottles.  In the kitchen pantry we have a regular trash can and a recycling can.  I’ve never talked to Daniel about it, but I’m sure he has observed which items I would put in which place.

Daniel loves to help out around the house.  He loves to throw things away.  He finds a scrap of paper or a tracked in leaf and takes it to the pantry door asking for it to be opened. 

Today I was in the kitchen and had a box that I collapsed to put in the recycling can.  Daniel saw it and wanted to throw it away.  I assumed it would go in the regular trash, but it wasn’t worth disappointing him by not letting him have it, so I gave it to him.  I handed him a few other things over the next few minutes for him to throw away.

Later on, I happened to be in the pantry for something else and looked at the recycling can and there was that box.  Daniel had known to put in there and the rest of the trash in the trash can.  I was completely amazed.  So even though I’ve never specifically talked to him about what goes in each place, he’d been quietly observing what I was doing.