The Origins of Thinking
The Senses
Introduction to The Senses
The Senses are your child’s first introduction to the world.
Think about it. Everything your child does is new to them, which means everything is rich in valuable, sensory information. And that’s a great start in developing their understanding of what things are and how they work.
But more, sensory information is feeding the brain what it needs to learn how to process information. In other words, to think.
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For instance, what do you suppose a child could learn from a raspberry?
And that’s just raspberries. Imagine how many new things confront your child every single day. With each sensory encounter, their body, brain, and senses are going through this kind of analytical process adding to your child’s life library of knowledge a bit at a time.
And that’s what real learning looks like.
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My First Raspberry
The Senses are the scouts that feed the brain information about our physical world.
”Mommy gave me a raspberry.
She said I might like it.
Raspberries are small, round, red, and cool to the touch like strawberries.
I like strawberries.”
The body assists in the study of sensory information while the brain applies cognitive and emotional associations to aid its understanding.
“Raspberries have dimples that fit my fingers. They smell nice too. I think I’ll try one.
Hmmm. Raspberries are sweet like strawberries, but different.”
The brain forms opinions and makes decisions about what to do with this new information.
“Raspberries are good.
I think I'll have another."
New information integrates with known information (memory) to make inferences, draw conclusions, and shape perspectives.
“Small, round, red fruit is good."
The brain is learning how to think.
“Mommy has good ideas."
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(OK. So maybe it doesn't go that far, but you get the idea.)
And there's more...
