"I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library." -
Jorge Luis Borges
Friday, February 5, 2010
If heaven isn't like this ... I'll die ...
"I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library." -
Jorge Luis Borges
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Lyrics of the Month
Aren't these the most beautiful lyrics you've ever come across:
"Going where the hills are green
And the cars are few and far
Days are full of splendor
At night you can see the stars
Life's been moving oh-so-fast
I think we should take it slow
Rest our heads upon the grass
And listen to it grow"
- Splendor in the Grass, Pink Martini
Listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZyp2j3Jabg
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Lord and the Mobile
Pip: Ma, let's play. You'll be the lord, ok?
Me: Lord? What lord (mentally flicking through all stories to see which one features some lord. We've haven't yet done Shreck and his Lord Farquat (or whatever his Fuck-what ryhming name is).
Pip: The Lord. And I'll be Mrs Noah. And you have to tell me to put the animals in the ark because you'll be sending the floods soon, ok? Tell me.
Me: (booming voice) Um, So, Mrs Noah. Are all the animals in place?
Pip: Oh not yet. My husband Noah says that he felt rain on his shoulder. Wait a bit Lord ok. The skunk and the panda are still out.
Lord: (taken aback by bossy tone) Err.. of course, of course. Um, just tell me when you're ready.
Pip: Yes I'll send you a message. I have the mobile in my hand so it won't get wet.
Me: Bless you, Mrs Noah
Moral: Today's kids are impressively biblically and technologically versant.
Me: Lord? What lord (mentally flicking through all stories to see which one features some lord. We've haven't yet done Shreck and his Lord Farquat (or whatever his Fuck-what ryhming name is).
Pip: The Lord. And I'll be Mrs Noah. And you have to tell me to put the animals in the ark because you'll be sending the floods soon, ok? Tell me.
Me: (booming voice) Um, So, Mrs Noah. Are all the animals in place?
Pip: Oh not yet. My husband Noah says that he felt rain on his shoulder. Wait a bit Lord ok. The skunk and the panda are still out.
Lord: (taken aback by bossy tone) Err.. of course, of course. Um, just tell me when you're ready.
Pip: Yes I'll send you a message. I have the mobile in my hand so it won't get wet.
Me: Bless you, Mrs Noah
Moral: Today's kids are impressively biblically and technologically versant.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Why we push our children too hard?
"There was I, bursting with pride because Jessie was practically reading Harry Potter at the age of 4, being told that there was a problem because she couldn’t stand on one leg and maintain balance for any length of time with her eyes closed."
Please read this article by Penny Marshall in today's Sunday Times of London. Here's the link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6975610.ece
Friday, January 8, 2010
What I am reading
Through the eye of the needle
by John-Paul Flintoff
Journalist with the Sunday Times of London who sews his own clothes, darns his wife's bra and creates pretty dresses for his daughter from old babygrows. Incredibly brilliant: makes you want to become self-sufficient too.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Use the 'Off' Switch often!
Taken from The Irish Times
By Ronan McGreevy
Prof Stuart Shanker of York University in Canada, who was in Dublin earlier this month said there was no substitute for interaction between parent and child.
His central message was that parents do not need to do anything out of the ordinary, or buy any kind of “educational” DVD to further their child’s development.
Shanker’s views will reassure parents who are bombarded with DVDs, CDs such as Baby Mozart and electronic toys all holding out a promise that they will improve their infant’s development.
“Neuroscience proves that playing, touching, paying attention or talking at a level that comforts the baby, for example, are the building blocks for healthy infant brain development,” he explains.
“These brain-to-brain experiences are vital for sensory and motor development as well as helping the child to self-regulate later on so that he can control and understand temper, emotions, stress or attention span.”
He emphasised the importance of interaction between primary caregiver, either a parent or a guardian, and the child especially in the first year. The baby learns through the caregiver’s expressions, tone of voice, gestures and facial expressions. Babies look to their caregivers to understand new situations. These vital brain stimulations cannot be obtained from watching television or a DVD.
By Ronan McGreevy
Prof Stuart Shanker of York University in Canada, who was in Dublin earlier this month said there was no substitute for interaction between parent and child.
His central message was that parents do not need to do anything out of the ordinary, or buy any kind of “educational” DVD to further their child’s development.
Shanker’s views will reassure parents who are bombarded with DVDs, CDs such as Baby Mozart and electronic toys all holding out a promise that they will improve their infant’s development.
“Neuroscience proves that playing, touching, paying attention or talking at a level that comforts the baby, for example, are the building blocks for healthy infant brain development,” he explains.
“These brain-to-brain experiences are vital for sensory and motor development as well as helping the child to self-regulate later on so that he can control and understand temper, emotions, stress or attention span.”
He emphasised the importance of interaction between primary caregiver, either a parent or a guardian, and the child especially in the first year. The baby learns through the caregiver’s expressions, tone of voice, gestures and facial expressions. Babies look to their caregivers to understand new situations. These vital brain stimulations cannot be obtained from watching television or a DVD.
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