Books have a way of shaping who we are. As a former second grade teacher, I know first-hand what impact reading can have on a young mind. There are, of course, the essential literacy skills built through reading from exposure to books from the earliest years of a child's life and through elementary school. But of equal value to literacy skills are the ideas presented in children's books, lessons about life, that influence a child and help to shape who they are.

No matter what education or career background we as parents have, it is possible for us to raise our kids as young scientists. We've actually been exposed to the steps of the scientific method from an early age ourselves. By learning to identify this process in our lives, and helping our kids to engage in the scientific method in their own experiences, we can empower and encourage their ability to solve problems and make discoveries.

I've always considered myself to be an indoorsy person. I don’t know, but maybe being indoorsy is inherited. Early in marriage, my husband and I joked that it was a good thing we found each other so that we could be indoorsy together. And four children later, we have cultivated a very indoorsy family, contending that there’s nothing else we would rather do than cozy up on the couch with a good book to read aloud.