Thursday Thoughts: Cool Links and Interesting News

BRAIN TEASER

In honor of the World Cup taking place this week here is a logic puzzle for you: How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't bounce off anything? There is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it back to you. (Answer at the end of the blog.)

COOL LINKS AND INTERESTING NEWS

Why Free Play is the Best Summer School, The Atlantic, June 20, 2014. The more time children spend in structured, parent-guided activities, the worse their ability to work productively towards self-directed goals. Children who engage in more free play have more highly developed self-directed executive function. 

VPR's five-part series on early education in Vermont, Ready or Not, is airing this week and looking at early education on many levels from childcare to kindergarten all the way up to teaching the teacher.

Pediatrics Group Recommend Reading Aloud to Children From Birth, New York Times, June 24, 2014. With the increased recognition that an important part of brain development occurs within the first three years of a child’s life, and that reading to children enhances vocabulary and other important communication skills, the American Academy of Pediatrics is asking its members to become powerful advocates for reading aloud, every time a baby visits the doctor.

You can also watch the more in-depth piece about the American Academy of Pediatrics encouraging reading to infants, which aired on PBS earlier this week.

StudyStrengthens Link Between Prenatal Pesticide Exposure and Autism (and other developmental delays). In 2003, University of California-Davis began the Childhood Autism Risks from Genes and Environment (CHARGE) study. This ongoing study seeks to identify causes and risk factors for ASD and other developmental delays (DD). This particular facet of the study explored prenatal exposure to agricultural pesticides, which have known neurotoxic effects.

Find out what's happening at the Stern Center in this month's e-News. 

Brain Teaser Answer: Throw it straight up in the air.