Child learning: flashy toys vs. nature

Guests: Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Anna Sosa, and Gail Farmer

Parents want to give their kids the best chance to learn and grow – even from a very young age. But it can be difficult to know if that ipad or brand-new noisy toy with flashing lights is good to give your kid – or if you should stick with simpler, quieter toys. New research sheds some light on how children learn, and some schools even go further by immersing children as young as 3 in nature as a way to learn.

We’ll talk about child development and toys with  KATHY HIRSH-PASEK, the Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow in the Psychology Department at Temple University, and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and ANNA SOSA, an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northern Arizona University and director of the NAU Child Speech and Language Lab. Then we’ll be joined by GAIL FARMER, the Director of Education at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, to talk about how the Center’s Preschool fosters learning through nature play and exploration.