Marie Curie for Kids: Her Life and Scientific Discoveries
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Beg pardon Pardon I didn’t do it on purpose It’s not my fault it’s not Bronya’s fault It’s only because it was so easy the four-year-old cried The little girl had jumped up to read aloud from a schoolbook only when her older sister Bronya faltered while doing a simple reading lesson Yet the silence then the shocked expressions on her parents faces and the sulky glance from Bronya caused her to panic What had she done Were they dis pleased with her even though she found reading and all learning to be almost effortless And why was her sister upset when Bronya was the one who had wanted to play teacher with her in the first place All my life through the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child MARIE CURIE THEY CALLED HER MANYA 1 1
The year was 1871 The little girl didn’t un derstand that her parents both experienced teachers followed the mindset of the times Although they valued education they be lieved that encouraging learning and mental development in very young children was not wise While they were proud of their daugh ter’s abilities they didn’t want her acting older than her age When she yearned to play with her father’s scientific instruments kept in a glass case they told her to play with her blocks or her doll When she reached for one of the many books in the house they instructed her to sing a song or go into the garden However the child was curious and inter ested in everything around her She was like a sponge constantly soaking up knowledge and new ideas She simply could not stop learning In fact she would grow up to be recognized as one of the most brilliant and famous women of all time Marie Curie Manya and Her Family MARIA SALOMEA Skłodowska was born on November 7 1867 on Freta Street in War saw Poland Nicknamed Manya by her family she was the youngest of five children born to Marie Curie’s birthplace in Warsaw Poland now the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum Polish Chemical Society 2
Bronisława and Vładisłav Skłodowski She had three sisters and a brother and they too had affectionate pet names or diminutives commonly used in Poland by family members and close friends The oldest child Sophia was known as Zosia Bronisława named for her mother was nicknamed Bronya and Helena was referred to as Hela Manya’s only brother Joseph was called Jozio All the Skłodowski children were quite intelligent Their home was full of laughter good books and poetry Yet of all her siblings Manya seemed to pos sess the most remarkable and unusual atten tion span and concentration skills Manya’s mother Bronisława had been born into a family of former minor-nobility land owners Although Bronisława’s parents Felix and Maria Boguski were once consid ered to be upper class they had lost most of their land over the years due to invasions by other countries Left without land or wealth they managed the properties of others Despite having little money the Bogus kis still found a way to send Bronisława and her sisters to a private girls school in War saw called the Freta Street School where she received a very good education In time Bronisława would become a teacher there and eventually the headmistress The position pro vided a home for her family to live in and she In Slavic languages such as Polish ski is the masculine suffix and ska is the feminine suffix Freta Street Warsaw Poland Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum Polish Chemical Society kept the job for several years even after she was married and had children Bronisława was a skilled pianist with a lovely singing voice Indeed she was a very beautiful accomplished and graceful woman She was also a pious and devout Catholic and an atten tive mother and Manya loved her dearly 3
