After some cave tourism in the Black Hills (i.e., Jewel Cave, Wind Cave), James has become *obsessed* with caves. I don't think I have ever felt so frightened and terrified as the moment in the Jewel Cave when the guide turned off all illumination in the darkest recesses of the cave. Total eclipse…no sun, no moon, all dark (so goes the totally gorgeous aria from Handel's Samson). Meanwhile, James thought it was awesome…
Since then we have made many field trips to the library to find books, dvds, and magazine articles on caves. Not knowing if it would appeal to a six-year-old, I suggested Werner Herzog's art film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams. So…James loved it! We have now watched it three times, and it became the basis of James's Lego Club model for the upcoming Jr.FLL Showcase. James's "cave paintings" are actually Lego depictions of the Super Mario Brothers---anachronistic to say the least---but I am still excited by James's interest in the earliest human drawings, the mysteries of ancient places, and his undeterred kindergarten imagination. What luck too that our most recent edition of National Geographic also had a feature article featuring the Chauvet Cave of Herzog's famed documentary. Inspired, we are plotting a family trip to Mammoth Cave or Carlsbad Caverns…spelunker adventures for everyone!
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