I learned two things.
A. Improperly finished punched steel has a lot of sharp edges and barbs that draw blood.
B. Tiny nuts and screws can scatter everywhere causing barefooted adults and children great pain.
Lincoln Logs were much cooler. Better than Legos anyday.
++++++++++++
I strongly recommend getting started with maths early via games. Mathematics is a core requirement for business, economics, science, and engineering. A child that enjoys mathematics will simply be better prepared for their adult life.
You don't need to invest in a lot of educational toys -- a deck of playing cards, a good set of dominoes, and a copy of Hoyle are quite adequate for getting started.
Hoyle even has an extensive chapter on Poker probablities and strategy, though I personally don't recommend mentoring gambling as path to success in life. Most professional gamblers I have known have a rather selfish, exploitive outlook on life -- looking for chumps to clean out.
But learning to observe and recognize cards played do pay off in the long run. Kids will learn how to play well together according to a rule set and how to enjoy winning by improving there own methods of play. Contract Bridge with a good partner is a life long journey that allows one to meet other intelligent competitive people in a courtious social setting.
Checkers are good too. You can work with smaller boards for Chess and Checkers to play shorter more interesting 'study games' 5X5, 5X6, or 6X6 boards work well.
Has she ever played with legos?
I grew up with the Lego construction sets but know they have these stupid legos-designed-for idiots sets. Half the fun was dreaming up creations.
Has she ever been to Home Depot, Sears, or Harbor Freight?
So many tools to look at and drool over.
Since she already loves wood you can build all kinds of cabinets, shelves, and things with simple hand tools.
Can she use a cordless screwdriver?
You can make things interesting by giving her a set of plans or instructions and letting her go off to do it herself.
Has she ever seen a blueprint or diagram?
Mechanical seems to be in her blood so she might like electronics later or never.
I am sure you can find all kinds of interesting things for your little carpenter to do around the house.
I guess my only advice is something my dad did with me. Introduce her to tools and building stuff, but let her work and fail on her own. Help if she asks for it. Offer advice on how to do better next time if she asks. Otherwise just watch for safety problems and praise the parts of the final result that do work.
She collected various colored glass bottles, so tomorrow we'll be cutting of their bottoms and making garden lights, using the led strips I've bought (details in another thread).
From all I have read in your postings, the only fear you should have is that you may not be able to keep up with her. At the rate she is going, she'll make it into MIT at 14, and be writing her doctorial thesis at 21. Enjoy her childhood while you both can.
Mini chess is just about the best way to introduce chess to a child. You might learn something as well.
I'm not that optimistic, because as I said, she won't focus her attention at almost anything for more than 15 minutes. Run run run, jump jump jump, make noise from everything.
All kids at that age are two speed devices - On and Off. And everything is about a brief exploration and moving on to what's next. That's why I suggested 5X5 checkers and 6X6 chess. The games are shorter and simpler, but they still offer a learning experience in strategy and how to win. They teach in baby steps, not long drawn out lessons. You will get greater appreciation as a mentor and a resource.
She is here to teach you patience as much as you are here to introduce the world to her. Being a grandparent, you must have some deja vu of what your children were like at this age, right? This is the refresher course in parenting. And grandparents are very important for kids as parents are learning it all for the first time.
Many parents struggle with a constant mental dialog of doubting that they are doing things right; whereas, grand-parents are able to recognize their past mistakes and provide a more fearless approach to relating to kids.
I currently teach a couple of Taiwanese 6 year old boys English though they seem to think I am an all-purpose entertainment center. Being 67 years old and diagnosed with a vague 'pre-Parksons-like' symptoms, it gets a bit exhausting... once a week, about 1 1/2 hours.
Even though they aren't learning at the rate I'd like; they learn something with every session and both their parents and I try hard to make it enjoyable for them. Their parents claim there is progress and sustained enthusiam to attend class -- good signs.
As a result, they seem to be moving ahead in the right way as well as in the right direction. There are loads of foreign English teachers that would just sit them down and have them parrot English for hours. But that creates a very odd view of learning to communicate in a 2nd language and the utility of learning in general.
I am actually dedicating the first six months of their English classes to mostly building rapport with them and respect of the learning environment before working in depth on English. Games are as much about waiting for your turn and following fair rules, as they are about winning. Expecting them to just be able to conform to a classroom setting immediately may be asking too much. Once they like and look forward to what learning offers, it gets much easier.
I take teaching kids very seriously. I hope that I haven't sounded too overbearing in my personal opinions. I just think we get a lot of advertising that makes claims about 'buy this and your child with do well'. I have my doubts about that rehtoric.
After this pair of boys, I doubt if I will much energy left for learners so young. Napping seems to be my main focus these days.
I'm not that optimistic, because as I said, she won't focus her attention at almost anything for more than 15 minutes. Run run run, jump jump jump, make noise from everything.
Uhhhhhm, you did say she was five? Seems that most 5 y o kids I have ever run across are like that. Remember, they are still taking in a great deal of information in a non-stop flow every waking minute. That is a of a lot to process for a young and constantly developing mind. If anything you should be careful not to overload her with options. The frustration of to much could overwhelm her. She will start to focus on her own interests soon enough; as a couple have said here, observation. If you observe, you will see which way her interests move.........
Relax and enjoy the ride. It won't be as long as you think..........
Take one of the traditional robots sold by Parallax and adopt it to Babie's Catalac Convertible. Use a microcontrol to illumiate the doll house. Build a tesla coil tazer incase Ken gets fresh. I have five sisters & I guarantee its as simple as this!
Forget engineering, get her interested in plumbing - the pay is better, you can work local and you don't have to worry about your job being off-shored or being replaced by H1-B visa worker from Mumbai.
And even better you won't be saddled with a $100k of college debt for that credential. .
P.S. I was in India, city called Pune, there I saw an badly looking building with guards, security fence, rebar on windows etc. I thought it was a local prison. I was told that this is IBM programming branch
Also, any U.S. supplier for fluorescent acrylic sheets, like this?
I found several ones, but they have either green or orange, no other colors, also thickness is fixed at 3mm, I'd prefer thinner sheets. She draw some flowers in Corel Draw, so we would like to cut them from acrylic, using CNC and build a "3D" flower.
Forget engineering, get her interested in plumbing - the pay is better, you can work local and you don't have to worry about your job being off-shored or being replaced by H1-B visa worker from Mumbai.
And even better you won't be saddled with a $100k of college debt for that credential. .
STEM isn't where it's at anymore.
According to "The Economist", dentistry is most likely to offer a stable income in today's world.
Plumber is just a step above mortician in prestige.
Comments
I learned two things.
A. Improperly finished punched steel has a lot of sharp edges and barbs that draw blood.
B. Tiny nuts and screws can scatter everywhere causing barefooted adults and children great pain.
Lincoln Logs were much cooler. Better than Legos anyday.
++++++++++++
I strongly recommend getting started with maths early via games. Mathematics is a core requirement for business, economics, science, and engineering. A child that enjoys mathematics will simply be better prepared for their adult life.
You don't need to invest in a lot of educational toys -- a deck of playing cards, a good set of dominoes, and a copy of Hoyle are quite adequate for getting started.
Hoyle even has an extensive chapter on Poker probablities and strategy, though I personally don't recommend mentoring gambling as path to success in life. Most professional gamblers I have known have a rather selfish, exploitive outlook on life -- looking for chumps to clean out.
But learning to observe and recognize cards played do pay off in the long run. Kids will learn how to play well together according to a rule set and how to enjoy winning by improving there own methods of play. Contract Bridge with a good partner is a life long journey that allows one to meet other intelligent competitive people in a courtious social setting.
Checkers are good too. You can work with smaller boards for Chess and Checkers to play shorter more interesting 'study games' 5X5, 5X6, or 6X6 boards work well.
Has she ever played with legos?
I grew up with the Lego construction sets but know they have these stupid legos-designed-for idiots sets. Half the fun was dreaming up creations.
Has she ever been to Home Depot, Sears, or Harbor Freight?
So many tools to look at and drool over.
Since she already loves wood you can build all kinds of cabinets, shelves, and things with simple hand tools.
Can she use a cordless screwdriver?
You can make things interesting by giving her a set of plans or instructions and letting her go off to do it herself.
Has she ever seen a blueprint or diagram?
Mechanical seems to be in her blood so she might like electronics later or never.
I am sure you can find all kinds of interesting things for your little carpenter to do around the house.
Marty
Mini chess is just about the best way to introduce chess to a child. You might learn something as well.
She is here to teach you patience as much as you are here to introduce the world to her. Being a grandparent, you must have some deja vu of what your children were like at this age, right? This is the refresher course in parenting. And grandparents are very important for kids as parents are learning it all for the first time.
Many parents struggle with a constant mental dialog of doubting that they are doing things right; whereas, grand-parents are able to recognize their past mistakes and provide a more fearless approach to relating to kids.
IOW, you are doing fine.
Even though they aren't learning at the rate I'd like; they learn something with every session and both their parents and I try hard to make it enjoyable for them. Their parents claim there is progress and sustained enthusiam to attend class -- good signs.
As a result, they seem to be moving ahead in the right way as well as in the right direction. There are loads of foreign English teachers that would just sit them down and have them parrot English for hours. But that creates a very odd view of learning to communicate in a 2nd language and the utility of learning in general.
I am actually dedicating the first six months of their English classes to mostly building rapport with them and respect of the learning environment before working in depth on English. Games are as much about waiting for your turn and following fair rules, as they are about winning. Expecting them to just be able to conform to a classroom setting immediately may be asking too much. Once they like and look forward to what learning offers, it gets much easier.
I take teaching kids very seriously. I hope that I haven't sounded too overbearing in my personal opinions. I just think we get a lot of advertising that makes claims about 'buy this and your child with do well'. I have my doubts about that rehtoric.
After this pair of boys, I doubt if I will much energy left for learners so young. Napping seems to be my main focus these days.
Uhhhhhm, you did say she was five? Seems that most 5 y o kids I have ever run across are like that. Remember, they are still taking in a great deal of information in a non-stop flow every waking minute. That is a of a lot to process for a young and constantly developing mind. If anything you should be careful not to overload her with options. The frustration of to much could overwhelm her. She will start to focus on her own interests soon enough; as a couple have said here, observation. If you observe, you will see which way her interests move.........
Relax and enjoy the ride. It won't be as long as you think..........
And even better you won't be saddled with a $100k of college debt for that credential. .
STEM isn't where it's at anymore.
P.S. I was in India, city called Pune, there I saw an badly looking building with guards, security fence, rebar on windows etc. I thought it was a local prison. I was told that this is IBM programming branch
Also, any U.S. supplier for fluorescent acrylic sheets, like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluorescent-Pink-Acrylic-Perspex-Plastic-210mm-x-300mm-x-3mm-One-1-A4-Sheet-/290917622235?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item43bc0aa1db
I found several ones, but they have either green or orange, no other colors, also thickness is fixed at 3mm, I'd prefer thinner sheets. She draw some flowers in Corel Draw, so we would like to cut them from acrylic, using CNC and build a "3D" flower.
According to "The Economist", dentistry is most likely to offer a stable income in today's world.
Plumber is just a step above mortician in prestige.
Not so much with a 'backfiring' toilet...