Brains In The Family

Website for girls about growing up

Here is a website for young girls called The Pink Locker Society about growing up, especially during the middle school years. Parents should thoroughly checkout any site themselves to make sure it matches their values as a family before recommending it to a young girl. The Pink Locker Society

Opera Singer Renee Fleming Provides A Performance Lesson

Lesson: Focus On Technique

Renee Fleming’s vocal talent is acclaimed worldwide as “the gold standard of soprano sound.”  An international artist for more than a decade, she is recognized for her compelling artistry, beautiful sound, and interpretive talents.  Fleming is one of the most sought-after performers onstage and in recordings, and has been nominated for eight Grammys and won the award twice.

As a world-class performer, Fleming can teach all performers an important lesson about doing the hard work needed to develop advanced technique.  Click on the following link to read about Fleming's important lesson to all performers: Learn More

Great Weekend Craft for Young Kids' Minds

As the winter snow arrives on the East coast and other parts of the U.S. this weekend, here is a fun activity you can do indoors with your young kids to make a set of binoculars.  When your kids come in from playing in the snow, instead of getting right on the computer or video game system, have them do something that better works their mind.  Hands-on crafts teach kids to better focus, follow directions, remember steps, and work with three dimensional objects.  In other words, crafts give their minds a workout that is more thorough and fun all at the same time.  Click on the following link to get instructions to make a set of binoculars at home: Binoculars

Free newsletter subscription about parenting children's talents

If you are interested in receiving a free, monthly newsletter about parenting children's talents and learning challenges, please click on the following link to subscribe:Parenting Children's Talents

Are Electronic Devices Taking Over Our Kids' Minds and Lives?

During a meeting today with a colleague who collaborates with me on a cognitive rehab program for cancer survivors, our discussion wandered to how much time kids spend on electronic devices during the day. When I described how kids use electronics to stay connected with friends and play games, she replied "Gee, that's what we used to do at the park when we were little."  She went on to say that electronics may be keeping our kids from learning important social skills that they only acquire through face-to-face interaction with live humans.  

While working with kids in my private cognitive training practice, I've wondered the same thing as my colleague when I listen to clients describe how much time they spent in front of a two dimensional screen.  Research has helped us learn how limited exposure to the three dimensional world, such as nature, can have a limiting effect on the brain.  Plus, prolonged exposure to aggressive video games keeps our kids at a heightened level of stress which may limit their ability to think and cope emotionally. Technology, however, has a strong pull on our children.

To learn more, click on the link below to read an article by Katherine Lee that explains how electronic devices are taking over kid's lives.  After reading this article, please post a comment to share your opinions with others.

Read Katherine Lee's Article

Homework: Solutions to ease the stress for everyone

Every week parents sit in my office and say, "My son (or daughter) hates doing homework and it's a major struggle every night getting him to start and complete it.  What can we do to make homework easier for everyone?"  

As a parent and Therapeutic Learning Specialist, I can fully relate to these parents' frustrations.  I start helping parents by first asking them to look at how they feel after a hard day of work at home or at a company.  The last thing most of them want to do is more work, but it's often unavoidable.  (The evening should be a time meant for families to recover and re-energize from the day.)  This initial discussion helps parents better relate to their children who spent the entire daylight hours studying 4-5 subjects, taking tests, writing papers, navigating social relationships, and practicing music, sports and/or other activities.

Homework, however, still must get done.  So, my conversation with parents quickly turns to concrete strategies they can use to make homework a smooth activity rather than a power struggle.  The article below from Parents Magazine outlines some good strategies for parents to better manage the homework dilemma.

Post a comment and let us know homework strategies you have found helpful with your kids.

Facebook and Myspace Can Empower Kids

Although many parents are fearful that social media websites like Facebook and Myspace are dangerous for their children, a new research study suggests the online sites can have a positive effect.

University of Virginia psychologists determined well-adapted youth with positive friendships use these sites to further enhance the positive relationships they already have.

Facial Recognition Talent May Be A Sign of Other Talents

Having the ability to recognize faces is a real talent.  To be good at facial recognition, people need to be good at noticing and remembering both the overall shape of a person's face and the arrangement of the smaller features.  One way people do that is by noticing angles and lines that are accentuated by shadows and contracting shapes and colors of the face.  For some children with this talent, it may indicate that they have a natural ability for design and art, a heightened appreciate for art, or a talent for being socially aware of other people.  As the podcast below from Scientific America indicates, research suggests that facial recognition is a real talent and may in the family.

Podcast:

The Talent for Facial Recognition

Art for the Mind

You can have your kids study the video of this photograph and talk about what they see.  By doing so, they give their minds' an artistic workout.

Modern Art: A Website To Help Kids Explore and Enjoy Modern Art

By observing, interpreting, and creating art, kids can strengthen their mind's ability to focus, think and feel.  There is a wonderful website that helps kids learn about modern art in fun and creative ways.  The site is called Destination Modern Art.  It has entertaining and interactive methods for kids to learn about artists and artwork as they tour the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  You do not have to be a kid to enjoy this website.  It is a great place for kids and adults who are interested in art to start appreciating its history and give their mind's an artistic workout.