The Human Odyssey

Materials to Use in an Early Childhood Education Program

Increasingly we're seeing early childhood education programs veering toward formal academic learning.  This is a distressing trend, inasmuch as it makes young children do things (formal reading and math, computer instruction) that they are not developmentally ready for, and that take precious time away from letting children be children.  There are no critical periods in early childhood during which a child must have exposure to formal reading and math, or computers, or they will never develop these capacities later in life.  However, there are only these few precious years of life when the child's brain is buzzing away at twice the metabolic level of an adult, and when the young child is open to a wide range of perceptions, senses, feelings, and other experiences.  If you fill the young child's time with academic activities and other preparations for elementary school, then you take away something that can never again be reclaimed:  the magical years of play.  Every early childhood education program should have free play as its central focus.  Anything less than this is developmentally inappropriate, threatens to deprive the child of a solid multi-sensory experiential foundation for all future learning, and causes deterioration in brain connections that are related to art, music, nature, intuition, social interaction, physical expression, and a range of other culturally-valued domains.  Here is just a sampling of the kinds of materials that should be in any early childhood education program.

Linguistic:  children’s books of all kinds, magazines for cut out, alphabet letters of different sizes and shapes, storytelling area, drawing implements and paper to practice emergent literacy; alphabet stamps, dolls that speak in different languages, word blocks, magnetic letters;

Logical-mathematical:  things to count, sort and classify (e.g. buttons, coins, rocks, color swatches), number blocks of different sizes and shapes, scale to weigh things, measuring tape, measuring cups, calendars, clocks, and other time-related materials, cash register, play computer, magnets, lacing, beads, pattern puzzles, pattern blocks, abacus;

Spatial:  pictures of all kinds, drawing, painting, and collage  (paint, colored chalk, pens, collage materials, paste, play dough etc.); easels, puzzles, pegboards, parquetry sets, telescope, microscope, different colored materials to look through, maps, geometric shapes, cameras;

Musical:  percussion instruments, electronic keyboard, drums, auto harp and other stringed instruments, music to listen to, containers with “mystery sounds”; stage for karaoke, everyday materials to create their own musical instruments (e.g. cardboard tubes, oatmeal box etc.), stethoscope to listen to things with;

Bodily-kinesthetic -  hands-on manipulatives;  dry sandbox with age appropriate toys (including bulldozers, small shovels, and other sand processers);  wet sandbox; building materials (e.g. large legos, large wooden blocks, stacking blocks etc.), water table with cups, pans, cans, (to play “sink or float” etc.), gymnastic equipment,  housekeeping toys (e.g. broom, dust pan etc.), balance beam, jump rope, tricycles and other transportation vehicles, ballgames, clay and mud areas, carpentry equipment and work bench, space to run, jump, and climb on ropes, ladders, nets, trees; building materials to create forts and other play spaces, containers with mystery tactile experiences, little doctor’s kit, space to dance, bean bags;

Interpersonal -  household furniture, dress-up clothes for make-believe, doll house, dolls and stuffed animals of all kinds, miniature figures for play, puppets and puppet theater, stage for impromptu drama, board games, materials for creating playing at store, farm, village, or other social institutions;  parachute, huge ball, tunnels, miniature vehicles, action figures, walkie-talkies;

Intrapersonal:  private spaces to be alone, recorder to record voice, mirrors, sand play with miniature people, objects, houses to create worlds;

Naturalist:  aquarium, terrarium, class pet, outside garden, indoor plants, materials for measuring weather (e.g. weather vane, rain gauge etc.), binoculars for bird watching, gardening equipment, miniature farms, and farm animals;

Tasting and Smelling:  cooking and baking opportunities with an adult,  containers with mystery smells; child-sized kitchen play area.

For more information about developmentally appropriate practices for early childhood education, go to the website of the Association for Childhood Education International. 

Subscribe to AARP's Free Newsletter: Human Values in Aging

The American Association of Retired People (AARP) has a free monthly e-newsletter called Human Values in Aging, that provides a rich source of information about humanistic gerotology, including brief articles, books and films of interest, weblinks, calendar of events, and quotations on humanism and spirituality in aging.  It is edited by Dr. Harry R. Moody, author of The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages that Shape Our Lives, former Chairman of the Board of Elderhostel, and currently Director of Academic Affairs for AARP.  To read a sample issue, click here. To subscribe to the e-newsletter, click here.

Podcast Interview with Thomas Armstrong on The Radio Mom Show

Last month I did an interview with Kemi Ingram, the host of The Radio Mom Show, a widely syndicated podcast on the internet.  The interview covers both my work on multiple intelligences (my books In Their Own Way, 7 Kinds of Smart, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom etc.), and my latest book The Human Odyssey.  To listen to the complete interview, click here. 

New Group Called "The Elders" Brings Wisdom to World Problems

Yesterday I was watching Charlie Rose on TV and he had Richard Branson, the maverick billionaire, on the show talking about a new philanthropic effort that he is supporting called The Elders.  This consists of a group of twelve individuals who have attained world recognition for their work in supporting peace, justice, health, and other positive values around the globe, including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, and former president Jimmy Carter.  The idea is that they can use their "1,000 years of collective experience" to help solve existing problems around the world. Their first project was to travel to the Sudan last year to help with the Darfur crisis.  They have recently concluded a trip to Kenya to help mediate the violent partisan dispute over leadership there.  The group is sponsored by a number of individuals and organizations that have raised $18 million thus far to support their efforts.

This strikes me as an extremely worthy enterprise, because it values the elders of our society to generate solutions to age-old problems.  Historically, cultures have often turned to the elders for answers to life's deep problems.  Unfortunately, in our modern age, we have too often put the reigns of control and leadership in the hands of youngsters who have not yet gained the experience necessary to make good decisions.  This project is an acknowledgement that we need to turn once again to our elders to access the wisdom they have in solving the great problems of our world, including war, poverty, human rights abuses, and environmental pollution.  For more information, go to www.theelders.org.   

The Stages of Life According to Rudolf Steiner

The early twentieth century philosopher and mystic Rudolf Steiner conceived of a theory of human development based upon seven year cycles, and linked those cycles to astrology.  The first seven years of life (0-7 years old) were associated with the Moon. During this time, the psychic forces are working to transform the body of the child from one that was inherited from the parents, to one that represents the full personality of the child.  The second seven years (7-14 years old) is associated with Mercury. At this time, the child's imagination and feeling life takes center stage.  The third seven years (14-21 years old) is associated with Venus, during which time the higher mind of the adolescent takes root, and the psychic development can be disturbed by the strong impulses of puberty.  The next three seven-year segments are associated with the Sun (21-42 years old), and the elements of sentient soul, intellectual soul, and consciousness soul.  The next seven-year segment is associated with Mars (42-49 years old), when the soul works hard to impress the full forces of its personality upon the world.  At this time, the soul has the opportunity to a higher state of consciousness called Spirit Self. The following seven-year segment is associated with Jupiter (49-56 years old), when wisdom is dawning and the ego needs to unfold the Life Spirit. The final seven-year period is associated with Saturn (56-63 years old) when Saturn completes its second "return" (e.g. comes back to its position it had at one's birth), and the soul can manifest an event higher element of Self called Spirit Man.  For more information, see Steiner's Karmic Relationships Vol. VII, lecture two.

Source:  Ceol agus Realta

The Stages of Life According to Ptolemy

The ancient astrologer/astronomer Ptolemy (83-161 C.E.), whose ideas of the structure of the universe (based upon spheres), dominated western civilization until Copernicus and Kepler in the 16th-17th centuries, associated different planets of the solar system with particular stages of life:

Moon:  Infancy - 0-4 years old

Mercury: Childhood - 4-14 years old

Venus:  Adolescence - 14-22 years old

The Sun:  Young Adulthood - 22-40 years old

Mars:  Mature Adulthood - 40-55 years old

Jupiter: Retirement and Wisdom - 55 to 67 years old

Saturn:  Old Age - 67+

Source:  Ceol agus Realta

The Stages of Life According to Medieval Islam

A map of the human life cycle that is associated with the Islamic middle ages and a philosopher/scientist named Al Biruni (973-1048 C.E.) is called Firdaria.  It is a system of astrology based upon specific planets that influence our lives at different stages of life.  The Sun rules the first 10 years of life (ages 0-10), Venus the next 8 years  (ages 11-18), Mercury the next 13 years (ages 19-31), the Moon the next 9 years (ages 32-40), Saturn the next 11 years (ages 41-51), Jupiter the next 12 years (ages 52-63), Mars the next 7 years (64-70), the North Node (a mathematical point that takes into consideration the relation between the Sun, Moon, and Earth at the time of one's birth) the next 3 years (71-73), and the South Node the next 2 years (73-75).  After this, the cycle repeats itself starting again with the Sun. This pattern applies to the astrological charts of individuals who were born during the day.  If the person was born during the night, the cycle begins with the Moon and follows the same sequence. According to the blog site Ceol Agus Realta, Al Biruni:  "made contributions to a very wide range of human endeavors, from chemistry to math to astronomy. He knew that the earth rotated on its own axis and knew about both heliocentric and geocentric perspectives. He developed special instruments for astronomical measurements and he is said to have written over 200 books. There is even a crater of the Moon called after him."

From a psychological standpoint, the sequence given above makes sense, at least with respect to most of the planets.  The Sun represents the ego, and the first 10 years of life involve the development of the child's self as it enters society. Venus rules the adolescence years, when romance and passion are at their height.  Mercury represents the mind, and early adulthood is a time when the mind is required to succeed at one's career, in one's relationships, and in becoming a good citizen.  Saturn, which is the planet of responsibility and discipline, rules the midlife years, when it is often necessary to work very hard to master the lessons of life.  Jupiter, which is the benevolent planet, is associated with mature adulthood, when financial and emotional stability make it possible to give something back to the greater community.

Great Quotations on Childhood

I just finished reading a cute book of quotations from Penguin Books called Child: Quotations About the Delight, Wonder, and Mystery of Being a Child, edited by Helen Handley and Andra Samelson.  Here are ten of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

                            - Don Herold

"In a secular age, children have become the last sacred objects."

                           - Joseph Epstein

"One laugh of a child will make the holiest day more sacred still."

                          - R.G. Ingersoll

"Ah! What would the world be to us

   If the children were no more?

We should dread the desert behind us

  Worse than the dark before."

                        - Henry  Wadsworth Longfellow

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."   

                       - Rachel Carson

"My music is best understood by children and animals."

                      - Igor Stravinsky

"When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not."

                     - Mark Twain

"The lost child cries, but still he catches fireflies."

                    - Ryusui Yoshida

"Diogenes struck the father when the son swore."

                   - Robert Burton

"If there is anything we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could be better changed in ourselves."

                  - C.G. Jung

The "Age 50 Effect" - A Shrunken Heart?

If you're 50 and you plan to give your heart to your honey this Valentine's Day, maybe you should first check to see whether it's gotten any smaller in the last year.  Researchers at St. Francis Heart Center in Roslyn, New York have determined that the human heart undergoes a particularly significant shrinkage around the age of 50.  Their study examined 218 normal individuals aged 20 to 80, who were free of illness, including any cardiac problems.  They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the size of the heart.  Dr. Nathaniel Reichek, director of the study, noted: "It has been recognized for some time that the heart chambers get smaller with age, but what pops out in this work is that there is an inflection point," he said of the 50-year mark, "where rapidly occurring change occurs."  The study leaves many questions, including whether or not it is possible to ameliorate this shrinkage through diet, exercise, or other interventions.  Still, for Valentine's Day, you might throw in a box of chocolates to make up for that extra cardiac shrinkage!

Midlife Crisis May Be Real After All!

In a Jan. 5, 2007 post ("Does Midlife Crisis Really Exist?), I shared information from the McArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development (MIDMAC), suggesting that midlife crisis was a relatively rare occurrence and that most people went through midlife just fine.  Now, however, a new study suggests that midlife crisis may be real after all.  In an article to appear in an upcoming issue of Social Science & Medicine, two researchers analyzed data from two million people in 80 countries, and discovered that depression is most common among men and women in their forties.  In fact, they suggest that happiness follows a U-shaped growth pattern, with young people and elders experiencing the greatest amount of life satisfaction.  It may be that during midlife, individuals feel regrets for not reaching some of their youthful goals (see my Dec. 24, 2007 post on "Lost Possible Selves").  In addition, many people often confront the deaths of friends or relatives in a significant way at this time of life.  However, with entrance into mature adulthood from age fifty on, people tend to embrace life once again.  "For the average person in the modern world, the dip in mental health and happiness comes on slowly, not suddenly in a single year," said one of the researchers, Andrew Oswald, as reported by Reuters News Service. "Only in their fifties do people emerge from this low period."

The Twelve Gifts of the Human Life Cycle

A guest blog I did appears today on Basil & Spice:

Which stage of life is the most important?   Some might claim that infancy is the key stage, when a baby’s brain is wide open to new experiences that will influence all the rest of its later life. Others might argue that it’s adolescence or young adulthood, when physical health is at its peak.  Many cultures around the world value late adulthood more than any other, arguing that it is at this stage that the human being has finally acquired the wisdom necessary to guide others.  Who is right?  The truth of the matter is that every stage of life is equally significant and necessary for the welfare of humanity.  In my book The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life, I’ve written that each stage of life has its own unique “gift” to contribute to the world.  We need to value each one of these gifts if we are to truly support the deepest needs of human life.  Here are the twelve gifts of the human life cycle:

1.      Prebirth:  Potential – The child who has not yet been born could become anything – a Michaelangelo, a Shakespeare, a Martin Luther King – and thus holds for all of humanity the principle of what we all may yet become in our lives.

2.      Birth:  Hope – When a child is born, it instills in its parents and other caregivers a sense of optimism; a sense that this new life may bring something new and special into the world.  Hence, the newborn represents the sense of hope that we all nourish inside of ourselves to make the world a better place.

3.      Infancy (Ages 0-3):   Vitality – The infant is a vibrant and seemingly unlimited source of energy.  Babies thus represent the inner dynamo of humanity, ever fueling the fires of the human life cycle with new channels of psychic power.

4.      Early Childhood (Ages 3-6):  Playfulness – When young children play, they recreate the world anew.  They take what is and combine it with the what is possible to fashion events that have never been seen before in the history of the world.  As such, they embody the principle of innovation and transformation that underlies every single creative act that has occurred in the course of civilization.

5.      Middle Childhood (Ages 6-8):  Imagination – In middle childhoood, the sense of an inner subjective self develops for the first time, and this self is alive with images taken in from the outer world, and brought up from the depths of the unconscious.  This imagination serves as a source of creative inspiration in later life for artists, writers, scientists, and anyone else who finds their days and nights enriched for having nurtured a deep inner life.

6.      Late Childhood (Ages 9-11):  Ingenuity – Older children have acquired a wide range of social and technical skills that enable them to come up with marvelous strategies and inventive solutions for dealing with the increasing pressures that society places on them.  This principle of ingenuity lives on in that part of ourselves that ever seeks new ways to solve practical problems and cope with everyday responsibilities.

7.      Adolescence (Ages 12-20):  Passion -  The biological event of puberty unleashes a powerful set of changes in the adolescent body that reflect themselves in a teenager’s sexual, emotional, cultural, and/or spiritual passion.  Adolescence passion thus represents a significant touchstone for anyone who is seeking to reconnect with their deepest inner zeal for life.

8.      Early Adulthood (Ages 20-35):  Enterprise –  It takes enterprise for young adults to accomplish their many responsibilities, including finding a home and mate, establishing a family or circle of friends, and/or getting a good job.  This principle of enterprise thus serves us at any stage of life when we need to go out into the world and make our mark.

9.      Midlife (Ages 35-50):  Contemplation – After many years in young adulthood of following society’s scripts for creating a life, people in midlife often take a break from worldly responsibilities to reflect upon the deeper meaning of their lives, the better to forge ahead with new understanding.  This element of contemplation represents an important resource that we can all draw upon to deepen and enrich our lives at any age.

10.  Mature Adulthood (Ages 50-80): Benevolence – Those in mature adulthood have raised families, established themselves in their work life, and become contributors to the betterment of society through volunteerism, mentorships, and other forms of philanthropy.  All of humanity benefits from their benevolence.  Moreover, we all can learn from their example to give more of ourselves to others.

11.  Late Adulthood (Age 80+):  Wisdom – Those with long lives have acquired a rich repository of experiences that they can use to help guide others.  Elders thus represent the source of wisdom that exists in each of us, helping us to avoid the mistakes of the past while reaping the benefits of life’s lessons.

12.  Death & Dying:  Life – Those in our lives who are dying, or who have died, teach us about the value of living.  They remind us not to take our lives for granted, but to live each moment of life to its fullest, and to remember that our own small lives form of a part of a greater whole.

            Since each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity, we need to do whatever we can to support each stage, and to protect each stage from attempts to suppress its individual contribution to the human life cycle.  Thus, we need to be wary, for example, of attempts to thwart a young child’s need to play through the establishment high-pressure formal academic preschools.  We should protect the wisdom of aged from elder abuse.  We need to do what we can to help our adolescents at risk.  We need to advocate for prenatal education and services for poor mothers, and support safe and healthy birthing methods in third world countries. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving the environment from global warming and industrial pollutants.  For by supporting each stage of the human life cycle, we will help to ensure that all of its members are given care and helped to blossom to their fullest degree.

To read my other blog entries on Basil & Spice.

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The Stages of Life According to W.B. Yeats

In W.B. Yeat's poem Supernatural Songs, part IX of the poem presents his "theory" of the human life cycle in poetic form.  According to Yeats, there are four stages of life or "ages of man" that relate respectively to body, heart, mind, and soul.  The first age recalls infancy, as the baby struggles to walk and to take its place among other upright human beings. The second age seems to echo adolescence, as the innocence and peace of childhood gives way to a mighty battle of the emotions.  The third age recalls adult maturity, as the storms of adolescence give way to the adventures of the mind.  The fourth, and final age, alludes to late adulthood, when spiritual concerns take front stage, and also to death, when the struggle for the soul is ultimately resolved.  Here are the lines:

IX. The Four Ages of Man

He with body waged a fight,
But body won; it walks upright.

Then he struggled with the heart;
Innocence and peace depart.

Then he struggled with the mind;
His proud heart he left behind.

Now his wars on God begin;
At stroke of midnight God shall win.

From William Butler Yeats, Supernatural Songs (in Parnell's Funeral and Other Poems, 1935)