Some people believe that learning begins when you enter kindergarten. That isn’t correct. Learning begins long before kindergarten.

Some people even believe that learning ends when school ends. Wrong again. Hopefully, learning goes on throughout your life.

There are things to learn every day. Sometimes it is just a matter of focusing on what you are doing. If you are watching television, you can learn a lot. Yesterday I watched a show about a female wolf who was leader of her pack. I learned quite a bit from this multiple-year-old National Geographic television program. You also can just watch one kind of show and learn less. Obviously you can learn watching the news.

You can learn from the drive you take to the store or the gas station. Pay attention to the new lines they are painting on the roads. See where there are new signs or new buildings.

Paying attention to the new things you find is a learning adventure.

I even learned something new when my children gave me a bird feeder for Mother’s Day. I learned from my father who had a bird feeder that they can be very messy because the birds throw seeds all over the ground. I had even learned from the pest control people that you shouldn’t have a feeder near your house. Then I learned from a friend that some areas don’t allow them because they bring in so many rodents.

From all these lessons, my children then learned about bird feeders. Learning is everywhere.

Learning from working is also all around. I learned about cleaning my carpet just yesterday. Several spots were bugging me so I asked my son to spot clean them. He brought out the large rug cleaner and used the small attachment. He showed me how you can tell how dirty things are by the color of the water. The best thing I learned out of this was how to get my son to do one of the chores I didn’t want to do.

I learn from reading no matter what I am reading. When I was a college student doing student teaching, my very boring professor of an education class told me I should read more about history to convey the many interesting facts that help students learn what I was teaching. I decided he was correct and I started to read more books like “Exodus,” “War and Peace,” Bruce Catton’s books on the Civil War and James Michener’s books on the world. I found out my professor was absolutely right.

The kinds of books I read now are not about history. Now they tend to be about people. There are books on relationships, overcoming problems, raising children, championing a cause and just about any subject you can imagine. Yes, you will learn and it will feel good.

Actually, everyone learns when they read. That goes for little ones, too. Learning occurs when your child reads or hears words. The more words you speak to your child, the smarter he becomes. The more experiences he has with you, the more he learns. Show him what you see and tell him about it even when he is very young. He is learning. You are his first and most important teacher.

He also learns about being kind, polite, considerate and helpful from you. Learning includes all of these types of behavior. We are never too old to learn these lessons.

My children and grandchildren are my teachers now. They bring home things for me to learn all the time. They also teach me as I learn more and more how to use my computer and even my cellphone.

Sometimes I find that learning a bit difficult but when they help me a couple of times, I learn it.

One of the ways I am excited about what I learn is that I talk with my husband about any of the things I am learning about. He appears interested. By my sharing all the little bits of learning, it reinforces to me that I have thoroughly enjoyed learning these new things.

Even if he shows minimal interest in the wolf show or the bird feeding episode, that’s all I need. I have enough enjoyment to keep me going.

Make sure that learning is a part of your life every day. Share it if you can but enjoy it for your own sake. Learning is essential to keep your life filled with excitement and pleasure. Don’t skip a day.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents. Reach Martin at pmf@olypen.com.