The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Errrr....Apple?

Though it's not what they intended, this picture is actually fitting with regard to how far behind I've fallen in posting the entries that students have continued to write in response to Galinsky's book! They have been turning them in on time, so it is completely my fault that they're being put up so late. I hope to make up for most of that in the next few days.

In the meantime, this is what Miriam, the author of our fourth entry on chapter 4, had to say about the photo:

"The picture is of my 8-year-old brother Moises and me on New Year's Eve.

The words on it say 'Siblings? It doesn't look like it!' Although we are so different, he still learns a lot from his big sister." And I think you'll learn a lot from reading Miriam's entry, as it's quite creative and thoughtful. Enjoy!

The chapter began with a story about a mother who realizes that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Well, I do not have children but my "apple" is my eight-year-old brother, Moises. In some ways, we are so different, not only in that he looks like mom and I like dad, but he is extroverted and I am more introverted. Although we are so different, my brother follows my examples and learns from me, and somehow has developed my music taste, and is learning to dance from his big sister. I have a great influence on him and I hope to further encourage his connection-making process.

Making connections is a skill that begins in our infancy and follows us through our college careers and the rest of our lives. In college, we are constantly being asked to form new connections. Our research projects consist of taking a topic and looking at what others have to say and how it may support or revoke what we have to say. When I have made connections between subjects or related them to my own life, these learning experiences have stayed longer with me. Making connections is about creativity, as stated by Galinsky: “The essence of creativity is to be able to disassemble and recombine elements in new ways” (p. 182).

Making connections consists of more than relating ideas, objects, subjects, etc. One will categorize and figure out how one thing can represent another or stand in place of another thing. When we make connections we discover what is the same or similar, or the contrary: We discover what is different. Along with this we look into how things relate to one another. Children are born with an object sense and thus are wired to see beyond what is immediately presented visually. They are also born with a space sense that allows them to find their way around, and an approximate number sense where they can visually distinguish between different amounts of objects.

Galinsky writes about the connections between the “arts and the brain.” Children who are engaged in the arts experience a positive impact on their cognition. This could be due to their learning to focus better, and as a result, pay better attention. It could also be that the arts capture the interest of children and become a motivational factor in their lives. The arts not only encourage focus but encourage the child to look outside of themselves, to think outside the box, and help them to understand and develop metaphors. Art was my favorite subject as a child, and even today whenever I cannot seem to get my life together, I grab my sketch book and charcoal and draw away my troubles. Art is my way of expressing myself and helps me clear my mind. I have to really look inside myself to be able to show the world what is going on. And while I am thinking outside the box, I am bringing people in. Why not encourage your child to be creative and help them find a way of expressing themselves and connecting with the world?

Making connections is something that should be fun and children should be encouraged to make them and be creative. Current interests can be developed into learning experiences. As child development majors, I think we all agree that we love working with kids, we are fascinated with by their development, and we are now turning this into a career. We need to teach children and remind ourselves that mistakes are a part of the learning process. To further guide a child we should provide them with opportunities to experiment with how things work and to explore. It is important to be descriptive with play, whether it is about the objects the child is playing with or the environment. Talking about quantities helps with developing number sense even further. Playing games with the children that include sorting helps them even further by giving them feedback on the game. Finally, you can help your child see things from different perspectives by using optical illusions , and I do recall those being fun ever since elementary school.