© 2011 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Kids benefit when we teach them critical thinking skills. What’s the best way to do it? Studies suggest that explicit lessons in logic and reasoning are effective, so much so that they may actually improve a child’s IQ. But few kids encounter such lessons, even in high … Continue reading
© 2011 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Know a child with a disgust or fear of snakes? How about a fearful toddler? Or baby? People aren’t born with such responses. We know that from experiments on infants. If you show snakes to 7-month old babies, they don’t act frightened at all. How—and when—do these … Continue reading
Homeschooling has received high marks…when parents provided structured lessons Are homeschooled students good students? When the topic comes up in conversation, people often cite studies showing that homeschoolers score higher on standardized tests. For instance, Eric Rudner analyzed the test scores of over 20,000 American homeschooled students and found them to be “exceptionally high—the median … Continue reading
© 2010 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Digital cameras for kids have many uses. They give us the opportunity to see the world from our kids’ perspectives. They are also useful learning tools–helping kids expand their vocabularies, hone their story-telling skills, and enrich their scientific investigations. Here I review some of the research about … Continue reading
© 2009 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Mancala games to motivate young mathematicians Looking for activities to motivate your school-aged kids to count and think strategically? Try out mancala. Also known as “count and capture” games, mancala games have an ancient pedigree. There is archeological evidence that these games existed in the Middle East … Continue reading
© 2009 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved These activities allow kids to explore the concept of buoyancy. The first preschool project is that old standby — “floaters and sinkers.” The two that follow introduce children to the more complex activity of boat-building. To help kids develop a deeper understanding on the subject, tackle these activities in … Continue reading
These preschool science projects permit kids to explore the properties of different kinds of dirt and mud. Kids will make observations using their senses and some science tools, like a magnifying glass and some tweezers. Kids will also explore the concept of change as they turn dirt into mud—-and vice versa. Ideally, these preschool science … Continue reading
Science for kids? Surely it begins at home. When kids grow up in science-friendly homes, they are encouraged to ask questions, think critically, experiment, explain their reasoning, read, write, create models, and watch science programs on TV. But what are the best activities and resources? And what about school? What do studies suggest about the … Continue reading
© 2008 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved In his excellent book, The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics, Revised and Updated Edition, Stanislas Dehaene argues that kids go astray when teachers emphasize calculation over conceptual understanding. Left to their own devices, kids discover strategies that make math meaningful. Unfortunately, however, kids are often … Continue reading