Of course when you go to the beach and find a seashell
you may pick it up and take it with you. In fact, more often enough, that is
why some people go to the beach.
What happens when a seashell is taken to school and is
then lost?
A seven year old boy took a seashell he found, while on
his family’s summer vacation to school. The class was to use it in an
experiment to see what happens when it is placed in the snow that had covered
the schoolyard. Naturally, the seashell freezes and sinks deeper and deeper
into the snow until it is no longer seen.
Sooner or later the snow melts and the seashell is seen
by a seven year old classmate. Knowing who it originally belonged to, he picks
it up and brings it inside saying, “I found John’s seashell but it’s mine now.”
Is it? According to the finders keepers losers weepers
law, the boy would be right but logic says otherwise.
Do children at this age use logic or do they just want to
keep what they find? Their teacher turned this situation into a class
discussion asking, “If you know who it belonged to originally, should you
return it?” The students were divided in their opinions as to who should get to
keep the seashell so she let the two boys talk it out. When she realized they
weren’t coming to an agreement she asked, “If I give you a new one, will
you give John’s seashell back to him?”
The boy agreed and later that day he was given a new
shell and returned the one he found.
The teacher also gave the other students a seashell with
the hope that when they looked at it, they’d remember to ask who it belonged to
and give back the things they find.
Ask your children what they would do if they found
something. Their answer and their reasoning will astound you.
