Comments on: Toys: When Great Grandma was a Little Girl

By: Spaghetti Box Kids

Spaghetti Box Kids — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:51:30 +0000

Joanna- I appreciate the encouraging words. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. AV

By: Joanna Vazouras

Joanna Vazouras — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:06:34 +0000

I am Very impressed and a wonderful gift!!!!!!
Keep the Wonderful things up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Spaghetti Box Kids

Spaghetti Box Kids — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:38:46 +0000

Thanks for the feedback.

By: Mikes@Your Daily Word

Mikes@Your Daily Word — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:09:44 +0000

Intelligent input. Keep up the good work!

By: Spaghetti Box Kids

Spaghetti Box Kids — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:53:03 +0000

Good points. I also think the allure of video games is that they capture a child’s emotions, and so. . . make a great babysitter. Wholesome activities usually require more parent interaction. In the short term, that may seem like more work. But in the long term, the child’s confidence in his/ her own ability to imagine and explore leads to greater self-motivation and independence. If simple, wholesome activities are the norm, then learning is fun. When learning is fun, motivation toward learning is stronger.

By: Audrey

Audrey — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:53:31 +0000

Great post! My girls have both types of toy/learning options available to them. They are thankfully naturally drawn to the more old fashioned toys. Parents are missing out on these memorable experiences if they push too much Nintendo DS, Wii, and princess junk.

By: Spaghetti Box Kids

Spaghetti Box Kids — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:24:38 +0000

Melanie-

Thanks for the great feedback/ response. I think there are many ways to qualify the benefits of engaging in actual surroundings. Neural development seems to add valuable insight to the discussion, especially where recollection and conceptual application are concerned. I think in all cases, routine and habits are key. There is no underestimating the long term influence of daily routines. Our son did not grow up with video games or television. At an early age he won 1st place in an Illinois scholastic competition, 2nd in the six state mid west, 1st in Chicago SAT competition, along with many other awards. Today he is a nationally recognized scholar. So I know there’s benefit to daily, wholesome activities that hold a child’s attention and stimulate curiosity.

Thanks again for your input.

All the Best-
AV

By: Melanie Williams

Melanie Williams — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:51:53 +0000

Hey, thanks for pointing me towards this post–I love it! I’ve been reading a book by Paul Shepard, an ecologist, who kept referring to a woman named Edith Cobb. She wrote a book in the 70’s called The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood (or something close to that–I still need to get my hands on it). Anyway, from what I gather, her thesis was that as children interact with nature and the environment they are actually laying down neural pathways in the brain that recreate the world out there. In other words, to be healthy–to reach our fullest potential as humans–we need, in childhood, to create those intricate neural networks by interacting with the world out there. Somehow, I just don’t believe that sitting in front of an electronic gadget which “simulates” reality has the same effect on neural development as does playing “out there” in the real environment.

I believe Cobb focused on geniuses a bit in her writing and found that they often went back in reality or in imagination to the landscapes of their childhood when working towards novel approaches and innovations. Somehow those real and imagined landscapes of childhood hold answers.

It’s fascinating stuff, really. Once I get a hold of the book, I’ll write a post about it on my blog.