My Sibling Dolls

Friday, January 4, 2019

If You Want To Accelerate Brain Development In Children, Teach Them Music

Brain development in young kids develops in stages. The biggest amount of growth and learning takes place between 2 and 6 years of age. It is during this time that the brain develops and learns how to learn, particularly in the areas of language development and cognitive processes. Music is a language onto itself, from how to read and play it to the emotion it invokes. Thus teaching a child to play an instrument actually allows the brain to grow more of the connections physically needed to process language, physical coordination, and maturing auditory processes in how the brain receives and processes information. After about age 8-9, it is much more difficult to learn and grow these pathways , due to pruning.

Key Takeaways:

To bridge the gaps that conventional medicine cannot fill, alternative and complementary treatments has been proposed. Music is one of them and it really matters because music heals.
Several published studies, about 400 in all, have proven the old adage that “music is medicine” right. It has been found to be potent in treating mental health issues.
Some of the mental health issues that music has been successfully used to treat and increase social functions in patients include schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.

“Music instruction appears to accelerate brain development in young children, particularly in the areas of the brain responsible for processing sound, language development, speech perception and reading skills, according to initial results of a five-year study by USC neuroscientists.”

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Meet A Woman Who Has Dedicated Her Life To Planning ‘Extra-Ordinary Birthdays’ For Homeless Children

Schinnell Leake founded a company called Extra-Ordinary birthdays after having been a party planner. What’s unique about her company is that it offers planned birthday parties or experiences for underprivileged or homeless people. Recently, an arsonist ruined everything she had in her office by targeting the area, but she feels even more energized by the situation. She wants to offer the empowerment of decision making to the mothers involved, since they don’t really get to make their own decisions in homeless shelters. Leake’s staff offers new books and gadgets, allowing children to pick their own themes, food, and activities. Volunteers direct credit to the parents rather than themselves. The company has launced a Go Fund Me to fund the losses from the fire and rebuild.

Key Takeaways:

Leake, the CEO of Extra-ordinary Birthdays, is using her non-profit to provide a service for the homeless children in her area which were reserved for privileged people.
One day an arsonist attacked a neighboring building and it affected Leake’s office. In the incident, she lost so much including documents, photos, and memorabilia.
The circumstance which her organization faced was a motivating force that made them to renew their efforts for homeless children because they are looking up to her organization.

“Leake said personalizing the events is not only what makes her organization unique — it’s what makes it successful. While other nonprofits host parties for homeless children, Extra-Ordinary Birthdays is dedicated to creating celebrations that feature the children’s specific requests.”