New day at Keep It Simple Farms!

Today is the first day of the new drop off class for Tiny Treks at Keep It Simple Farms.  This is a class with 2 teachers and up to 14 children who will get to experience the chickens, ducks, bunnies and bees in the environment of a restored salmon habitat from wetlands to woodlands.  I am excited to take these kids on a nature adventure for 3-5 year olds. 

I'll keep you updated on what this new class is learning, experiencing and doing. 

How Do You Teach a Child to be Gentle?

In our Tiny Treks classes we

explore nature with young

children. In one of our classes

we found some Roly Poly’s or

Pill Bugs. The children made a

circle around the bugs and

watched them as the uncurled

and moved slowly on the earth.

They learned that when the Roly

Poly felt threatened it would curl

up in a ball. One of the children

held a bug in his hand. He was

mesmerized. He stood there

simply holding this little black

bug as it crawled on him. He

knew if he tried and touch it, the

bug would curl up in a ball. He

held in carefully, so the bug

would keep crawling. We spent

more time than we could have

imagined simply holding these

precious bugs as each child had

a chance to experience first

hand what it meant to be gentle.

We knew we could carry this

lesson that unfolded naturally in

the forest to other parts of their

lives. We could use this

moment of holding a little

creature to help them

understand how to treat a

younger or older sibling. We did not spend time lecturing them on what is gentle, they were able to embrace and experience it first hand in a magnificent way.

Recipe to Teach A Child to Be Gentle

Ingredients:

An ant hill

A rock or dirt where a Roly Poly/Pill Bug may live A loving adult

A young child

Directions:

Take the time to look and observe an ant hill or under a rock for a Roly Poly.

Guide a child to observe the bug or ant.
Gently place the bug in a child’s outstretched hand. 

Cooking time:
This is the key to the entire experience, there is no set time.  Some children can observe an ant hill for 30 minutes and others for two minutes.  Take the time to give the child time.

Watch and Truly Enjoy!  Pamela Worth is the owner of Tiny Treks.  Tiny Treks classes have encouraged families to get outside and explore for over 16 years.  Visit our website at www.tinyteks.com or our facebook page Facebook Tiny Treks.  

Earth Day/ Celebrate Spring
One of our family traditions is to head down to the beach for our own family earth day clean up. Each of our kids are given a bag to fill.  There has been some baulking at this tradition in Chicago when Earth Day can be 20 degrees!  Nevertheless, everyday should be earth day.  Teaching our kids to be stewards of our earth is a powerful lesson.  Pick something they can do to clean up some part of the earth this spring.  
In our Tiny Treks class this week, I gave each child a bag and they had to find the number of pieces of garbage to match their age.  My two and three year olds needed some help, but really tried to get that garbage in their bag.  One of our five year olds took the task very seriously and with work gloves on he quadrupled his age and filled a whole bag with winter garbage on the beach.  Another added twist is to blast one of my all time favorite children's singers, Tom Chapin's song Happy Earth Day.  My older kids may give me an eye roll at first, however within moments we are all loudly singing along.
Happy Earth Day 
by John Forster & Tom Chapin
© 1992 Limousine Music Co. & The Last Music Co. (ASCAP)

One day she spun out of the sun.
Did she know at the hour of her birth?
That she'd cool and she'd bloom and one day become
The garden we know as the Earth.
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
From the schools of leaping dolphins and the herds of kangaroo
Happy Earth Day to you.

We celebrate your waterfalls, your glaciers and typhoons,
The sweet smell of your meadows on rainbow afternoons.
The northern lights on starry nights and when the night is gone
The fiery magic of your dawn.
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
From the fields of chirping crickets and the frogs of Blue Bayou
Happy Earth Day to you.

From the highest Himalaya to the mountains under sea,
From the frozen tip of Greenland to the sands of Galilee.
We're gathering together to raise our voice in song
And pledge to keep you green and strong.
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
Every time I smell a flower or feel the morning dew,
Every time I see a baby learning something new,
I'm amazed again how blessed we are and it's all thanks to you.
Happy Earth Day to you.
Happy Earth Day to you.

---

This song appears on both Tom Chapin's Billy The Squid and This Pretty Planet CD's.

---

Herbert and Santa Alert!

Welcome back to TOP!  Both Teacher Jen and I noticed that the kids had grown over break.  Oh my!  How quickly they change!  We had to spend a bit of time going over some of the safety rules again.  Many of the kids were really excited to be back at preschool so we kept on the move!

We began the day with bubbles and blocks.  Circle time was cut short because of the park crew's noisy machinery-so we soon were headed over to get out Herbert for a cuddle.  Everyone got to pet him and see how fast a rabbit grows!  We had some interesting discussions about why rabbits don't need their mom's and dad's around.  Because they grow up much faster than we do!

Michelle and Noah were very gentle with Herbert.

We had a lot more to do so we were soon out in the big field for snack. We read a neat book about a salamander called The Salamander Room. This wonderful book teaches all about what a salamander would need if you brought it inside.  In the end the child's room has become a complex forest ecosystem-all done from a child's point of view.
http://www.amazon.com/Salamander-Room-Dragonfly-Books/dp/0679861874#reader_0679861874

This Western Red Cedar is a favorite to climb through.

 We are thankful to Angus's Mom for donating her Forest Gnome "Santa" to the park.  We went on a hunt through the trails for "Santa."  When we found him we took him on a hike and hid him again.  I hope we can continue to search and hide him for the rest of the school year.

"Santa" the Gnome was hiding near the Elephant Tree!

Lunch was a free for all-with the choice to sit on the picnic table or on the ground.  Some kids were too excited to eat and others were really hungry after our big hike.


The end of the day was greeted by 2 fire trucks and 2 fire vans.  Luckily the smoldering bits were quickly put out and everyone was safe. I hope you weren't too worried when you saw the fire truck at Farrel-McWhirter!


We are really excited about the next weeks as spring continues to bring more birds and baby farm animals to the park.  If anyone loves to garden-we would love to have you come and help plant a small preschool-sized garden next to the old farm house.  Let me know if that is something you are passionate about sharing with the kids.

PS As the new weather brings new clothes-please remember to put your child's name on the tag inside the jacket or fleece so we know who it belongs to!

Kindness brings light.

What does hatred bring?

My first 3-Day breast cancer walk was in 2002 in California.  It was a moving, inspirational and powerful experience for me.  One of the momentums I kept from that walk was a simple grey t-shirt with three words on the front that moved me to tears. 

Humankind

Be Both

Three simple words.  What happened to “kind” on Monday at the Boston Marathon?  What brings people to a place where hatred is foremost in every action.  Where a young father can say goodbye to his own 3 year old child and walk out the door to kill another child, to destroy families?  When did religion and politics become a place where being right is more important than human beings,  how can evil win over humanity?

History shows it has always been this way, how can we change it?  How can we respect other view points? How can we take the time to learn about other beliefs?

Martin Luther King Junior tried through peaceful marches and peaceful actions.  In a famous speech he said, ““Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Where was the love on Monday?

As I wrote this final sentence ready to send, it occurred to me that there was and has been an incredible amount of love on Monday and every moment since.  Every human who witnessed the horrors and helped immediately without question.  Every person in their home glued to the Television asking what can I do?  How can I make sure to raise my children with kindness, acceptance and love?  There was a lot of love on Monday, I only wish these two young men felt loved enough to not let hate overtake them.

Pamela Worth inspired by photography from 16 year old Talia Worth

Worms!

Today was a wormy day.  We collected worms out of the puddles and put them in the bug box to observe them.  Teacher Ann had a worm book-so during circle time we talked about what we already knew about worms: they live in the ground, they don't have legs, they don't have eyes and then we learned more about them: they don't have bones, they are good for the soil, they have predators ( a new word we'll be working on).  Some of the predators are birds and fish.  You can reinforce the word "predator" at home.  Noah mentioned later in the day that alligators are predators that can eat people.  So the concept was working well!

We learned a new song about worms too.

Thousand Legged Worm

Said the thousand legged worm as he gave a little squirm:
Has anybody seen a leg of mine?
For if it can't be found,
I'll have to hop around,
on the other nine-hundred ninety-nine!

Hop around
Hop around
on the other nine-hundred ninety nine.

For if it can't be found  
I'll have to hop around,
on the other nine-hundred ninety-nine!

 

When it came time to let the worms go-we spent time with math-how many worms were there?

9! and how many kids?  10!

 

Our hike today was deep into the woods, into and onto some giant stumps and many of us played hide and seek in among some huge sword ferns.

 

The stream was forded on the way home with varying degrees of success as the water was quite high today.  But everyone came through happily and with smiles they ran to the tire swing and back for lunch.

 

FYI PARENTS:

If you plan on having your child in TOP for the fall session-sign ups with the City of Redmond begin on March 19th.  At that time it is open to the public.

 

10 Fun Ideas to Celebrate Spring Equinox 

By Pamela Worth   |   February 26, 2013 Originally published on Chatterblock

What is the Spring Equinox, you ask? Spring Equinox is when the sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator and day and night are of equal length. This year it’s on March 20, and it marks the first day of Spring!

Here are 10 things you can do celebrate the coming of Spring:

1. Go on a worm walk on the next rainy day or the first day of spring.

Worms are fascinating to watch. Follow up with a warm cup of hot cocoa and a great book that teaches kids (and us!) why worms are so important to the earth. My two book recommendations are  Compost, By Gosh! by Michelle Eva Portman and  Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer.

2. Research composting with your kids.

Go to the library and read about composting and talk with your family about how great it is for the environment and your garden! Go on websites and visit gardening stores to find composters.  If you go to Whole Foods ask them to show you their composters in the back. They have huge composters in most stores, so think about what size you need or can fit.

3. Start a new tradition with a family gift on the Spring Equinox.

Why not make one of those composters part of your annual Spring Equinox family gift? Go for something that the whole family will benefit from and preferably something that gets everyone outside!

4. Take a rainbow walk in your neighborhood to see the blooming flowers.

Have each child hold a note card with each color represented with a marker circle. Challenge: Try and find each color in nature, not just a blue car etc.

5. Balance an egg.

There is a myth that the Spring and Fall equinoxes are the only days of the year that you can balance an egg on its end. On March 20th give this a try. The myth may last because most people only choose to try this on the first day of spring and fall!

6. Splash in puddles.

Simple old fashioned fun with rain boots or bare feet. The bigger the splash the better!

7. Spring cleaning.

Pick one drawer or one shelf or one closet a day throughout the first month of Spring. If you choose to spend 8 hours cleaning usually everyone burns out. Make a chart/calendar and and assign everyone to one section each a day, or do a section as a family. In our household with four kids, this means 6 drawers a day or 6 shelves. Of course things come up so it’s more like the first four Sundays of Spring, but we get it done!

8. Spring closet cleaning.

Let the kids choose what outgrown and unused toys and clothes to give away. Have them set up their own garage sale to take place during the warmer weather. See if there is something new for summer they want to buy by pooling all of their earnings together or if you can convince them to have a garage sale for a favorite charity.

9. Plan a garage sale.

Kids as young as 3 can participate in the sale. Our kids were able to buy a trampoline with their earnings and a year’s worth of change, saved in a jar. We did match their money, which helped, but they were so impressed with what they could do when they saved!

10. Before the sun is out regularly, plant a bud garden in an egg crate.

Find veggie, herb or flower seeds for the kids to make buds inside. All you need is a little soil, light and water! By Mother’s Day you all should be able to plant them outside.

Pamela Worth is the owner of Tiny Treks. She knows all kinds of great ways to explore the great outdoors with the kids!

  Article from Tiny Treks www.tinytreks.com

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. ~ Traditional Proverb

What are your fondest childhood memories of playing in the rain?  Do you remember getting on your red rain boots and your yellow slicker as your mom pushed you out the door?  Your neighbor friends were waiting for you.  First you ran up and down the street jumping in the puddles full of unabashed joy.  Then you saw the curbs along the street that were flooding with water.  You spent the next few hours creating boats out of sticks to see how far they would move though the curbs.  With my own children I tried to do the same thing.  Typically the neighbor kids were not outside, but our four children would create their own pack.  We saved on the rain boots as we felt the mud and water between our toes.  Weather permitting we even saved on the clothes.  Our corner flooded just the right amount to make for one huge science experiment of floating and sinking.  

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and my fondest childhood memories were being outside and exploring my natural environment.  No one was plugged in and the families with television watched it together at designated times a few hours a week. 

Our country is in a crisis and that crisis is unhealthy habits and lifestyles for children of all ages. We are in a society where we have convinced ourselves that organized adult driven sports and activities are equivalent to getting children outside.  Organized sports are not a replacement for children simply exploring.  Richard Louv in his book Last Child in The Woods talks about Nature Ritalin -the unfolding evidence that time spent in green spaces helps children focus better and think more clearly.  Tiny Treks is a weekly nature exploration  program for young children. Our classes are filled with children and loving adults.  We advise everyone on a rainy day to unplug and dance in the rain. 

Here are three simple things to explore outside this week rain or shine with your children.

1. Take a rain walk and see how many worms you can find.

2. Take the same exact route on a sunny day and see how many worms you can find.  Where did the worms go?  Encourage your children to ask questions.

3. Take a shower in the rain.  Bring out the shampoo.  It is a blast for kids of all ages.  Whether they are young enough to go naked, wearing a bathing suit or full rain gear they will have great memories.

This article brought to you by Pam Worth Director of Tiny Treks the pioneer nature exploration program for young children that has been established in the Peninsula for 15 years.

For more information, visit our website at www.tinytreks.com

Do we want our kids just doing school? Dr. Ken Ginsburg asked that question at an amazing talk in Winnetka on Friday night. The evening motivated me to rethink the questions I ask my children on a daily basis. As an educator, I know not to ask "How was your day?" "What grade did you get in English?" I try to be creative, however it often does come back to academic achievement. So on Saturday morning I had a conversation with my 16 year old. She is getting her first C+ in her honors Spanish class. She has talked about dropping down. I thoughtfully decided to try a new approach to talk to her about this class. "Tell me about Spanish?" I asked. She lit up and said, "I love it. The teacher is amazing and I love how she teaches. The class is really fun. I love how I am learning in it, although parts of it are really hard for me." We talked for a few more minutes and I said, "Why would you drop down it sounds like you love this class." Relief washed over her. I realized she thought she needed to drop down because she was scared of doing poorly. After our conversation, she set a realistic goal of how she could get help in the challenging parts from the teacher and the importance of focusing on why this class got her excited and not on the grade.

Tiny Treks in the Winter...

Obviously, it is more difficult to get outside in the late fall and winter.  It is cold, dark and wet out there and sometimes I think our bodies tell us it is time to hibernate-just like the bears do.  But with the right clothes, anything is possible. 

As an outdoor education teacher, I am outside for up to 4 hours a day, most days.  Do I get cold?  Yes-if I don't prepare for the day.  Yesterday it was 45 degrees out and I was missing a layer, had forgotten gloves and found out that my jacket was no longer waterproof!  Ugh!  I won't make any of those mistakes again. 
Good outdoor clothing for you and your youngster is essential. 

I suggest buying waterproof clothes at REI since you can always return them if they don't work out.  But I also saw some waterproof pants at Target that looked just fine and they were under $20 for me and about the same price for a little person.

So-my point is-get the right clothes on and then dive into the winter with abandon.  The joys of the fresh smells of the earth and wet leaves overshadow the dark and coldness.  The hot chocolate will taste all the better for having had the deep breathing of clean air.

The Outdoor Preschool is a success!

The Outdoor Preschool-a new nature preschool in Redmond is opening it's woods to kids beginning this September and we almost are full already!  Every Tuesday and Thursday will be an outdoor exploration of a new kind-one where kids can make forts in the woods and investigate their natural world in any weather.

If you can't join the preschool-join Tiny Treks on fridays all year long.  We'll be doing what the "big kids" are doing in preschool but with a mom or dad or nanny instead.  Hope to see you soon!

Tiny Treks begins a Preschool!

As I research how to begin a drop-off preschool in the weather-prone Northwest-I ponder "what do I want these children to learn at this school?"  As a recent graduate of the University of Washington's teaching program I learned alot about how to excite children and get them motivated.  Yet when I got into the public school classroom I found the automated schedule of school wasn't what I was interested in pursuing.  I like the freedom that nature and outdoor experiences affords.  So that makes me want to start an outdoor preschool in my area.
How would this work you might ask?  Well-the kids would arrive dressed in weather-proof clothing such as waterproof pants and boots and a layers on top-fleece perhaps or wool sweathers and a water proof jacket.  Gloves and hats included for much of the year.  But as soon as the children (and I) are well dressed for the weather, we can have such fun outdoors!  We can build forts and create "art work" to hang in our forts.  We can have outdoor tea parties and make art projects from the forest floor.  We can research birds-using binoculars and a bird book.  We can create a map and then follow it.
These children would be learning about what books can teach them, how to follow maps and math using nature as their guide.  All without being told to "sit down now" and "stay still". 
Stay tuned for more inspiration-and I would love to hear any input from you!

10 individual things to do for the earth

Here is a list of 10 things to do to help the earth. I think it would be cool if everyone tried to do at least 3 of these things this week. Looking at the list there is only one that is completely unrealistic, however interesting to ponder is #9. Share what you do on our blog.

Thanks,
Pam

TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO INDIVIDUALLY TO HELP SAVE THE EARTH

1. Walk or ride a bike to your destinations.

2. Use appliances only as you need them. Turn off lights when you leave a room, for instance.

3. Buy things that can be entirely reused or recycled.

4. Start and maintain a garden.

5. Purchase products that are locally or regionally grown, mined, manufactured.

6. Adopt or mentor rather than have your own children (or more children).

7. Try to live within the average world income (about $2500 a year per person).

8. Fix something rather than throw it away.

9. Learn what politicians do for (or against) the environment, and vote accordingly.

http://richa.dod.net/surprise/helpsavetheearth.htm- Found list on this site.

Take a few minutes for the magical moments

I peeled back the bark on the dead, fallen tree as 8 pairs of toddler eyes watched. I explained how we never hurt a tree by pulling its bark when it is alive, but this tree had been struck by lightning and was across our path. Everyone lit up when we found 5 rolly polly's or pill bugs or whatever people call them under the bark. I gently held them in my hands as they immediately rolled into little balls that looked like small berries. We found a dry spot on our path and made a circle around the small, hard balls. We waited and watched and waited and watched. Each toddler and preschooler patiently waiting. Seemingly understanding something magical was occurring. After several minutes, we saw lots of little legs wiggling out of one rolly polly. We screeched in excitement as the 5 millimeter bug showed us all his wiggly legs and flipped over to walk away. A little hand reached out to touch the bug, and kazam the bug was a little berry again. We left them alone on the trail to open up when we were no longer there. Remember, the little things are the most magical. Take time to just sit and watch it is worth it.

Almost perfect unplugged trip to Atlanta

Over spring break this year we planned a road trip to Atlanta with another family. This family is very close friends of ours and we always have a great time together. We are very respectful of the no TV at our house and the much more accessible TV at their house. When I turned to Jenny, the other mom, a week before the trip and said, I would love to write about our road trip from Chicago to Atlanta, do you think we can try to have it be an unplugged trip. She laughed and said, "No ****ing way!" Now the circumstances of this trip were to see her husband and the father of her three children ranging in age from 3-10 years old. He was working for 10 weeks in Atlanta and this was the first time they were seeing him in six weeks, so she was at her breaking point.


We all piled in the car with back packs filled with fun things to do. I was still going to do my best to see if we could entertain with old fashioned methods of play. Jenny and my husband Ron were also very into playing the ABC game, the license plate game and the medley of stuff we brought. My goal was to later write about all the wonderful things we did to keep the kids unplugged. Here is the interesting part; after 24 hours total in a car and 6 hours of breaks on our trip to and from Atlanta. We never even opened up my travel Yatzee, travel Scrabble, travel Rumique, charcoal drawing set, map games and oh so much more. Jenny did use for her three year old several great art activities she had in her arsenal.

Basically our three girls sat in the back and we are still unclear what they did, but they were close to perfect and never asked for anything. We believe now they made an entire new coded language for every potty word. A Martha is not pooping - that is what we were able to decode. They listened to a lot of music and seemingly figured out how to create dances in their seats for literally hours. They talked and talked and talked. Occasionally they would pipe in to find the next letter of the alphabet in the game Ron and Jenny were taking quite seriously in the front row.

Overall it was crazy. At the end of it all on the ride there, the three year old watched about 30 minutes of a video and at the end of the night the girls watched about an hour of a movie. On the 15 hour day back, which we did in one day, the girls seemed to create more secret codes that had them laughing the entire ride. They did not watch a minute of anything and the ride ended as we pulled up to our driveway at 11:30 PM with all our little angels asleep in the back.

What an amazing road trip!

Easy Packing Tips for Kids

I struggle to get my kids to do chores and other household tasks; HOWEVER I have truly conquered how to get my kids to pack for trips. Here is how it works:

1. Type in large letters a packing list. With small children I use pictures.
2. I print out a copy for each child and hand them a suitcase.
3. They collect all their belongings and put them in the suitcase.
4. They get me for a last check before we zip up.

I began this with as young as two year olds and at that age I walked through it with them. By three, they felt so empowered to do their own packing. It fostered independence and a great sense of accomplishment.
Sometimes it may seem easier to just do things ourselves, but this is an easy and helpful way to create a wonderful learning experience for our kids. Try it and let us know how it works.

Staying near to your kids while they work and its benefits!

My daughter has had a tough task of sending out thank you cards after her bat mitzvah. How many cards you might ask? Probably 50 or more! We began the task with the idea that she would do 10 a day. She started by writing one sentence only ( she is 14 years old) and then didn't bother to address them and get them in the mail. I ended up having to sit next to her, encourage her to write more with suggestions of what she might write, find the addresses and have her finish each thank you card as she did them. Now, some could say that I was doing too much hand holding. But I consider it modeling. When has she ever sent out 50 cards? So, I modeled for her how to finish her task in an efficient way.



Through the years I have noticed that kids work so much more efficiently if you are in the room or nearby. As they get older the amount of homework mounts and your child can end up spending a lot of time alone with the computer and their books. This can lead to a lack of closeness with your child and a lot of time for your child to explore the web without any parental guidance. I recommend staying close. If my kids are doing homework that doesn't require the computer-I have them do it in the kitchen while I am making dinner or cleaning up. I even find stuff to do-clearing out a cupboard if I have the time. All to keep me near while they are getting their homework done. This way-when they have questions I am nearby and often they will end up telling me about their day or their school work just because I am there. Right now I am working on my taxes while my daughter writes a paper.  It is a win, win situation!

Family Fun (sort of)-Spring Clean Up

Trying to make spring clean up fun for the WHOLE family.
Spring is in the air all over the country. In the suburbs of Chicago the piles of snow finally melted and I asked my four kids to give me one hour of their time. O.K. I begged my kids for the hour, with the usual mom lecture that if we all work together it will be so much easier. I handed out tasks. (Please feel free to use my short list) I have learned that shorter offers more hope for success.

1. Clean up all dog poop that has been hidden UNDER all that snow.
2. Clean up all garbage in the yard.
3. Clean up all the sticks.
4. Sweep the decks.

Well, I of course got job number one. My son, home from spring break, took this opportunity to play Frisbee with his friends. He felt he was above any family obligations because he works "so hard" in college. My three girls did stick with me for about an hour and the yard looked much better. Mother Nature clearly did not appreciate our leap into spring, when she dumped another 5 inches of snow on us the next day. We went from 60 degrees and sunshine to a snow storm. Only in Chicago!

(By the way, my son did not get off the hook, he had to make up the hour later with much complaining.)

Trying to implement "Screen Free Sundays"

I am trying desperately to come up with some creative new ways to get my teens to unplug. Last week I tried to implement "Screen Free Sundays". The problem is they have to do homework on Sundays. Typically, hours and hours of homework, and the homework depends on a computer which is a screen. How does one deal with the reality and the mom fantasy? I decided instead to compromise and tweak my idea. How about Screen Free Sunday Dinner and quick family game before everyone has to get back to homework Sunday. It is certainly better than not trying. We had a nice long Sunday dinner with all cell phone put away. (I do demand that on a daily basis anyway), played a nice game of cards and at least I knew I tried. As my 16 year old laughingly said to me when I mentioned my "screen free Sunday" idea was "I do give you credit mom, you do keep trying." Those words are enough to keep me fueled to know she actually sort of likes my constant attempts to keep our family together.

Our "Digital Nation" and how we can cope with it as parents

Digital Nation-A Frontline video about distraction by technology


My eighth grader has begun studying in a way that scares me. She has her homework open in MS Word on the computer while she flips back and forth to facebook, all the while listening to music on her Ipod and checking her phone every minute or so. This is what all the kids do now. They want to feel connected to their friends through their phone and facebook while they are doing homework. But I know my child. She has told me that she needs a room to be silent in order to read. She loves to read but finds it hard to read at school because she gets too distracted at her desk. She is strong in her opinions about her learning style. We had to change her Bat Mitzvah tutor because she needed someone who understood that she couldn’t be interrupted in the middle of a thought or a sentence in Hebrew.

Then why is she studying in this way that she knows doesn't work for her?  And why I am worried about it? Frontline has  released a video on an indepth study of this phenomena.   This video, which is an hour and a half long, talks about how media influences our children in the way they study and learn. Studies of college students at MIT and Stanford demonstrate how the brain is not really able to multi-task. Kids these days will tell you that they can successfully multitask better than any generation before them because they have been raised on technology. But when you watch this program you will see that the studies and science tells us that this is false. The brain has not changed. Technology has changed how we work but it still does not change how the brain functions. The brain needs to concentrate in order to create pathways of knowledge.

Watch this show and learn how these top notch students try to multitask with multiple forms of technology at one time and fail. This is the world your little ones will grow up in. And we as parents need to help them to navigate the waters of technology so they can be successful in life with multiple forms of media but still be able to concentrate and turn them all off in order to be good writers and readers.