They loved the big box you guys sent home yesterday. It has been the source of entertainment for most of the day!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
One Big Box = Free Entertainment
They loved the big box you guys sent home yesterday. It has been the source of entertainment for most of the day!
The Marshmallow Test
I have wikiHow bookmarked on my desktop and fun articles often appear. Today I decided to try the Marshmallow Test out on Hailey. The background on the test is posted below. I messed it up a little unfortunately. I didn't reward her with another marshmallow. I used a small chocolate with sprinkles on it. O-well. It was fun for me to watch the replay. She passed the test but she sure did mouth it some!
* Go to wikiHow and type in marshmallow test to see the video they posted if you want.
The original "marshmallow test" was conducted by Stanford psychology professor Walter Mischel 40 years ago. The test was meant to measure which children could delay gratification. Follow up studies showed that children who could postpone eating a marshmallow at age 4 outpaced their peers in many areas when they were 18 years old: They scored 210 points higher in the SAT and had higher confidence, concentration, and reliability. [1] This simple test proved to be twice as predictive of later SAT scores as IQ tests. [2].
The marshmallow test described here will hardly qualify as a valid scientific experiment. Passing the test won't indicate your kid is on the fast track to Harvard. That said, it is a fun activity to do with your kids, and an opportunity to impart a valuable lesson in patience.
Steps
1. Set your child up in an area with a chair, a table, and one marshmallow. In the academic experiment, researchers hid behind a two way mirror. You can accomplish the same thing with a video camera or a webcam in your computer.
2. Tell your child the rules of the test:
* You will put one marshmallow on the table and leave the room to "do a short errand." He/she is welcome to eat the marshmallow while you are gone. However, if you return from your errand and he/she hasn't eaten the marshmallow, you will reward him/her with an additional marshmallow.
3. Leave the room once the child understands that he/she either gets to eat one marshmallow now or two later.
4. Wait. In the actual experiment, the psychologists waited up to 20 minutes to see if the children could resist the temptation. However, in this fun version of the test, most parents will prefer to only wait 2-5 minutes.
5. Return and reward the child with an extra marshmallow if deserved. Allow them to now eat both marshmallows. Explain that you are proud of them for being patient. If they ate the marshmallow while you were gone, try to use the moment for teaching about delayed gratification.
6. Enjoy watching the video recording of the test with your whole family, and with the child when he or she gets older. The kids will enjoy seeing their reaction regardless of how the test goes.
* Go to wikiHow and type in marshmallow test to see the video they posted if you want.
The original "marshmallow test" was conducted by Stanford psychology professor Walter Mischel 40 years ago. The test was meant to measure which children could delay gratification. Follow up studies showed that children who could postpone eating a marshmallow at age 4 outpaced their peers in many areas when they were 18 years old: They scored 210 points higher in the SAT and had higher confidence, concentration, and reliability. [1] This simple test proved to be twice as predictive of later SAT scores as IQ tests. [2].
The marshmallow test described here will hardly qualify as a valid scientific experiment. Passing the test won't indicate your kid is on the fast track to Harvard. That said, it is a fun activity to do with your kids, and an opportunity to impart a valuable lesson in patience.
Steps
1. Set your child up in an area with a chair, a table, and one marshmallow. In the academic experiment, researchers hid behind a two way mirror. You can accomplish the same thing with a video camera or a webcam in your computer.
2. Tell your child the rules of the test:
* You will put one marshmallow on the table and leave the room to "do a short errand." He/she is welcome to eat the marshmallow while you are gone. However, if you return from your errand and he/she hasn't eaten the marshmallow, you will reward him/her with an additional marshmallow.
3. Leave the room once the child understands that he/she either gets to eat one marshmallow now or two later.
4. Wait. In the actual experiment, the psychologists waited up to 20 minutes to see if the children could resist the temptation. However, in this fun version of the test, most parents will prefer to only wait 2-5 minutes.
5. Return and reward the child with an extra marshmallow if deserved. Allow them to now eat both marshmallows. Explain that you are proud of them for being patient. If they ate the marshmallow while you were gone, try to use the moment for teaching about delayed gratification.
6. Enjoy watching the video recording of the test with your whole family, and with the child when he or she gets older. The kids will enjoy seeing their reaction regardless of how the test goes.
Kelsey is 21!
Happy 21st Birthday, Kelsey!Here you are ... with Brady on your "O" Birthday.
...with Michael on your 2nd Birthday.
And, you on your 3rd Birthday!
Love you!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
My Valentine's Day Song
Just wanted to share this movie with you guys. You will have to crank up your speakers to hear the song Hailey wrote for me for Valentine's Day. (She makes up stuff as she goes!) I did hear her mention her Grammy & Smokey. It was very sweet to me. She told me she wanted to give me breakfast in bed but she needed help. Isn't that cute? I told her she could save that for Mother's Day!
P.S. Hunter is really enjoying his tool set. He has been busy "fic-n-it" everywhere. I have even been hammered on the head and arms. Thanks for the very cool play set. He loves it!
P.S. Hunter is really enjoying his tool set. He has been busy "fic-n-it" everywhere. I have even been hammered on the head and arms. Thanks for the very cool play set. He loves it!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hailey's Bike Ride
This is one clip of Hailey's first long bike ride at Mitch park yesterday. Thought you might want to see...
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