#multipleintelligence + a different kind of chinese new year

Chinese New Year is all about cleansing your Chi. 

Getting rid of the bad and preparing yourself for better things to come.

Traditionally, our family has been celebrating it with lauriat dinners and ang pao. 

Nothing wrong with that.

But for my immediate family, I wanted to try something new this year.

Instead of making a restaurant reservation, I decided to schedule a beach trip instead.

Why you say?

For one, my husband and I have been pretty stressed with work lately and nothing recharges us quite the same way as a trip to the beach.

Also, and most importantly, my main reason was to get our daughter away from all the technology  and distractions of city life.

Nowadays, technology is unavoidable. 

It's almost in everything we do, see and touch. It has it's good points but it also has its negative drawbacks which I clearly see in my daughter's generation.

They rely so much on the internet for information that it seems like they've lost their innate curiosity to explore and experience things first hand. Theirs is disposable knowledge. Nothing is kept since everything is easily looked up.

Whereas we couldn't be tied down to our chairs when we were 7, nowadays, kids will happily lounge by the beach side with a smartphone or tablet by their side.

Take that away and they wouldn't know what to do with themselves.

I find this wrong and sad on so many levels so I took it upon myself to "teach my daughter how to play and use her imagination" with found objects in her surroundings.

"Pretend you're a scientist, grab a stick, dig some holes and search for "new species"!"

"Look at those wild flowers by the tree, they grew by themselves, no one put them there."

These statements were all met with looks of awe by my daughter.

Seemingly mundane, everyday things to 80s kids like us are somewhat unfathomable for this sheltered generation.

"How? Really? This is just like MineCraft! That's a good idea, mommy! How'd you know that?" 

"Because I spent most of my childhood outside, exploring things. We didn't have iPads to keep us busy then, just ourselves and a few toys."

"This is a lot more fun!"

And that's when I realized that I did a good job.

Experience truly is the best teacher.

What we learn outside of books and the classroom are usually things that stick with us the most 'til many years after.

Show them a shell, make them hold it and explain it's life to them in 5 minutes as opposed to tutoring the lesson over a book for an hour. The physical shell and its qualities will stick with them more than just reading that book to them over and over again.

And that is the beauty of Multiple Intelligence to me.

It engages all of our kids "smarts" (brain, body, people) for a multi-sensory learning experience that doesn't feel like studying at all.

It is such a powerful tool for molding our children into well-balanced individuals who are ready to face the world with a spunk and confidence unbeknownst to those who are only trained in the old-fashioned traditional way.

For me, Multiple Intelligence is the only way to go. 

Less stress + maximum positive impact! ☺