New Study Finds A Creative Approach to Early Childhood Education

Have you ever wondered whether reading to your child in the womb actually produces a smarter child? If so, you're not alone. It is a pre-occupation with parents of young children, this desire to help them achieve, and produce, and grow.

We fall prey to the competitive nature among parents, the desire to help our children shine socially and academically above all others. We push them into classes to help them achieve our ... I mean their ... dreams.

But is this Tiger Mom approach to education the one cognitive experts at UC Berkeley and MIT now believe will actually produce the best return on investment? For as we all know, it is truly an investment.

Two independent new studies have produced some fascinating results on just exactly how our children not only learn best but most successfully as they embark on their brave new educational world.

As a contributor to the UC-Berkeley study, Alison Gopnik, has written an excellent article summarizing these findings in, "Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School; New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire."

If you are at this parental stage, I recommend you read it.

I also have written a blog about my own experiences as a parent navigating the early educational waters.

I ended with this. "We must encourage and develop and allow their minds [our children] to wander and wonder and explore … and create. For to my mind, our very future depends on it."

You Took a Picture... Now What?

The most common complaint that I hear about digital photography is that the pictures aren’t “real”. They are, but you need to know how to use them and show them.

Back in the olden days when cameras used expensive film that required expensive developing, picture taking was a special event. People brought out the camera only on vacations or big family gatherings. They shot pictures (most of them bad). Eventually they ended up with an envelope full of prints that found their way into a shoebox that now resides somewhere in the attic. Now THOSE are real pictures.

What those really are, are relics. Maybe one day your grandkids will go through those shoeboxes. When they’re not laughing at your glasses or the funny shirt you’re wearing, they’re going to wonder this simple question: why are these pictures here? I mean, if they’re important, why are they in a shoebox in your attic? The answer OF COURSE is that one day you’re going to put those pictures into a scrapbook.

Right.

Digital photos are different from their film counterparts. For one, even your phone now has a camera. We shoot pictures of everything all the time. Digital is different and once you’re used to it, you’ll be amazed at how much better digital pictures are.

You don’t need to print the pictures.

The only pictures I print out are done big enough to hang on the wall. I know that lots of people buy those fancy little photo printers. They pay a small fortune for ink cartridges and special photo paper. What do they get? They get a shoebox full of pictures that end up in the attic awaiting the grandkids laughter. I’m telling you, you don’t have to print them. You’re taking your pretty digital pictures and turning them into relics. Free yourself of that old way of thinking. There are better things to do with your digital pictures.

For one, have you ever noticed that the printed picture never looks as good as it did on your computer screen? That’s because your computer screen can show you 24 million colors. The photo printer can reproduce about 9 million. Your pictures look better on the screen, so how about we leave them there!

Have you ever said to someone, “Why don’t you come over to my house and I’ll show you the pictures from our vacation?”

How’s that working for you?

What’s valuable about pictures is sharing the pictures. Yes, I love to look at my pictures from our trip to Venice, but what I love more is to show those pictures to others. Better for sharing than a photo album, scrapbook or that shoebox is Flickr.

Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/ is a website where you can post your pictures. Your friends can look at them when they want, wherever they are in the world. What’s more cool is that others will look at your pictures too. They’ll look and comment about them. They may even share them with their friends. When I post a picture on Flickr, I know that hundreds of people will look at it (I have one photo that has been looked at by 15,000 people!). In other words, the sharing part of picture taking – the best thing about taking pictures – is now much bigger and better than it ever could be in the shoebox world.

What’s more, I have made so many new friends by sharing my pictures, and looking at my friend’s pictures. Who would have thought that? I’ve now even gone out shooting with these “Flickr Friends” – and I’m a better photographer now because of them. That never would have happened with those pictures in my attic.

Some tips about Flickr:

· Don’t post all of your pictures of the birthday party at Aunt Edith’s. Post just one picture. It will force you to pick the best one. Your friends will thank you.

· Join some groups and post your pictures. Groups help draw people in to look at your photostream.

· Comment on other people’s pictures. The best way to make a friend is to be a friend.

· If you’re going to really use Flickr, you should invest in a Pro account. It’s $24.95 for a whole year, and you can store as many pictures as you’d like.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions. I can be reached through Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/photos/plastictubing/

Three Sisters Gardening

As gas prices soar and the economy continues its unknown and crooked path; home economists are becoming more and more creative in efforts to preserve and expand the family budget. And everything is under the microscope; from trip planning to grocery shopping, new and innovative coupon uses, (thus the rise of Groupon and others), entertaining, bulk storage ... and yes, even gardening.

But truly, this isn't new, it isn't even unique to our generation.

As the late winter rains prepare the soil for spring planting, gardeners and those who want to be, are cropping up as advice from gardening guru's proliferate. The difference between this generation and those of once or twice removed may just be that by and large, most of us are not living with backyards the size of our grandparents or even parents. So ... space is a premium ... and seems problematic if we want to give gardening a try and perhaps even grow some of our own food.

When one considers early American history and the customs and habits of Native Americans especially, lack of space, lack of crop growing areas ... gardening, in our vernacular ... does not usually come to mind. However, we can credit the Native Americans for introducing the "Three Sisters" gardening concept; a plan to increase yield and conserve space.

A Three Sisters garden is simply one in which corn, beans and squash are planted, shoulder to shoulder. The nitrogen-rich climbing beans use the height and structure of the corn stalks while ground-hugging squash reduce soil evaporation and smother weeds. The result? "Three interdependent and eminently edible crops produced from the same ground," says Dean Fosdick of the Associated Press.

By employing these space saving methods, it is conceivable that the process could then be adapted to containers, hillsides, patios, even fire escapes.

For me, while the potential savings are attractive, the most alluring aspect of home gardening is the freshness of the produce, the beauty of the garden, the fulfillment of nurturing a seed to harvest, and the unquestionable nutritional benefits to our families of providing hormone and pesticide free whole foods from our garden to their plate in mere minutes.

Now is the time to begin planning your garden. Here are some fabulous links to help you get started.

I particularly love this article, designed for classroom use, from kidsgardening.com where it gives specific instructions on creating and growing a Three Sisters Garden. Click here the for article.

The second resource is an invaluable one for those who need to employ space saving methods. This article is from Iowa State University and recommends the following:

1. Select a site that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight, turn the soil and fertilize with organic fertilizer.
2. Interplant seeds of differing harvest times.
3. Succession plant cool and warm weather crops.
4. Grow vertical.

For more detailed information on these recommended methods as well as suggested vegetable varieties for small plot gardening, this article is a must read. Click here for the article.

While the rain drips from the eaves of my house today, my mind is full of sunshine and tender growing plants. I hope you consider growing a garden this summer and enjoy the fruits of your labor.