Edu-toys a flop

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/child-myths/200910/great-big-ol-surprise-baby-einstein-doesnt-work

Yet another seemingly obvious fact... There is no tape, DVD, or toy or show that's ever going to replace learning through life interactions. Beeping lights, puppets, and multilingual electronic blocks only serve to entertain and distract. When are people going to learn that there is no short-cut to education?? I have experienced this truth through my 8 years of teaching preschoolers and years of developmental education. Toys that 'do things' and 'interact' actually limit the child's play by building an expectation of one toy-one use or reaction which fosters the attitude of toy/dvd-driven entertainment instead of self-driven creative play and learning. In my classroom these kinds of items (usually donated by parents trying to get rid of them) were initially greeting with wonder and excitement, but quickly discarded for open-ended toys like blocks, legos, dress-up, sand play, and paper and markers. I am not saying that a child should never watch Sesame Street or play with a talking cube, just don't expect any educational enrichment from it. There is a whole industry of these edu-toys making claims, just like boxes of Fruit Loops have Smart Choice labels on them- there's no requirement to back these labels up with scientific proof. So here's for getting down on the floor and reading books, building and destroying block cities, and talking to your child about life as it happens! Kids don't need expensive toys, they need parental and peer interaction in a healthy environment and just a few open-ended toys. Add to that good nutrition and lots of sleep and you're going to have a well-adjusted and intelligent kid. Save your money!

Holliday Park

Here comes trouble, again

For the last week or two Theo's gotten through a couple closed doors....just thought i hadn't latched them all the way. Earlier today I caught him in our room (the door was definitely closed). There are so many forbidden items in there, but he went straight to my bedside table and snatched the ceiling light remote control, which I sometimes allow him to play with when I don't want to get out of bed just yet. Anyway, I was making his lunch and I noticed 'the silence'- the lack of noise that tells a parent the kid is up to no good. I found him very quietly turning the light and fan off and on in the corner, happy as can be. I had to laugh. So now the positive proof- Theo just opened his bedroom door on his tiptoes in front of me. This compelled me to check him against the height mark we made on his 1st birthday (8/30), and he's grown an inch already!!! Between that and his climbing/base jumping hobby, I've got my hands full! Below are a few of Mom's pictures from her visit to Indiana. It was very nice to see you Mom and Ray. You picked a nice time of year to come. We will have to plan some mountain hiking for next summer!

good article

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/health/29brod.html
"From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk"
This article explains very eloquently how I taught 3-4 year olds about photosynthesis and other seemingly advanced concepts- by using descriptive yet simple language while engaging with them in their environment. The author points out how important it is to make eye contact when speaking to a child. Getting down to their level while playing, speaking, and especially disciplining is important. Once simple language is learned, expand the conversation with more complex words, ideas, and synonyms. This is called scaffolding. You begin with a simple foundation and build the supports from the bottom up. Combine active engagement with frequent experiences related to the conversations and the child is more likely to maintain and recall new information while making connections between various subjects. For example, we have been looking at the new National Geographic about giant sequoias. Theo already says 'tree', 'birdie' & 'leaf' and often points out trees when he's outside and in. So I took out the 4 page insert of the largest tree on Earth and taped it to his wall. Every morning we 'talk' about the picture and are currently collecting leaves on our walks and taping them above the tree. Now that the leaves are changing colors he is noticing and making 'exclamations' about it...a perfect opportunity to point out colors! And on it goes...his curiosity is endless. I noticed Theo is picking up a new word every other day. He is really trying to say words and sentences with a speaking cadence, even though the majority of what he's saying I can't understand. And I do talk to him all the time...he's the only one around most of the day! Anyway, I am attempting to convert my teaching skills to a more basic level, tailored to Theo's interests and modes of exploration. I already have the preschool and early elementary years covered as home schooling goes. Every day he makes leaps in understanding and language, I get excited considering his future lessons in photosynthesis, dinosaurs, and space (right now he's getting his prerequisite of Star Trek 101 in the evenings before bedtime).