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Thought-Provoking Gifts For Young Kids?
An anonymous reader writes "Societal norms and my sibling's procreative endeavors have put me in the position of having to buy gifts twice a year for young children. What makes them happy are unremarkable bits of plastic. They already have innumerable unremarkable bits of plastic (from their parents and grandparents). My preference would be to get them gifts that challenge them to think creatively (or at least to think), which they'll be able to pick up and enjoy even after they outgrow their train/truck/homemaking fetishes. Beyond the Rubik's Cube, what thinky toys from your childhood are still in production? What new thinky toys have you discovered that work for the 5–10 age range?"
Rubik's Tesseract.
Therein sits one of the points of pain I have fought for years as a curriculum advisory board member...Schools seem more bent on teaching basic Math, English, Reading and such when the major goal should be decision making and problem solving skills. Math, English, and the rest are but the tools used to facilitate the prior. My son was asked to enter two major colleges rather than proceed into middle school due to his path provided by exposure to all forms of PC architecture and access to knowledge without it being forced on him from 4 years of age. He is now 18 (August this year) and completing his dual degree in musicology and multimedia production.
It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows