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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Dec 6, 2004
/ 23 Kislev, 5765
Can we put some fun into the toys?
By
Lenore Skenazy
Here's a thought: Why not let kids be kids?
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I'm all for education. I'm all for toys. But educational toys? It's just hard to imagine a moppet jumping for joy when he tears the wrapping off and finds
Measuring Monkeys.
Yes, that's a real board game. And in it, monkeys creep their way up a palm-tree-shaped ruler. Whooee! Quarter-inch by quarter-inch they go, the better to learn one's fractions.
But at least it's interactive.
Also crowding the toy shelves this year are such mind-boosting must-haves as a motorized solar system, a Fun With Your Cat science kit ("Give your cat a personality interview!"), alphabet beanbags for all those preschoolers who refuse to play with nonliteracy-enhancing soft toys and for $40.99 a talking telescope.
How did Galileo discover that whole Jupiter's moons thing with a telescope that refused even to peep, "Yo, Gali nice work!"?
But perhaps the epitome of these games is the GeoSafari World Challenge, a battery-operated game complete with "high quality digital voice" that asks "over 7,500 fascinating questions about world countries, rivers, landmarks and more," according to the Web site.
Forget why a game has to have a digital voice (chess seems to have enjoyed a rather long run without one) what's with the 7,500 questions? How fascinating is that 6,784th query about the Pulap Atoll? And won't the kid be about 63 by the time the game is over?
All of which leads me to the biggest question: why? Why do so many parents think that normal toys and games aren't educational enough? Believe me, my sister learned plenty playing plain old Monopoly: adding, strategizing, bamboozling siblings five years younger than she. She played hard, paid attention and now she owns a vast villa while I rent a modest apartment. Coincidence? I think not.
Similarly, any girl who ever played with Barbie learned an extremely crucial physics lesson: Wear heels all your life, and eventually your foot will freeze into the shape of an ice cream cone. That lesson alone is worth a year at Yale.
Boys who played with Mr. Potato Head learned lifelong grooming skills. (Need proof? Just look at the middle-aged men in your office.) Model planes taught them to think they could fix anything. MatchBox toys taught them to judge a man by the quantity of his cars. And anyone with Silly Putty learned how to read the comics backward.
Those are all important lessons, yet they did not come from educational toys. They came from what we used to call "fun." And it is precisely that silly, old-fashioned commodity I wish for all children this holiday season.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in uplifting articles.
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JWR contributor Lenore Skenazy is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2004, N. Y. Daily News
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