The best part of story time was when the teacher finished reading a page aloud and rotated the book, revealing to an eager class the wide, glossy pages of illustrations illuminating what we’d just heard. John Locke understood this when he argued that pictures were essential to a child’s comprehension of a story as for children, showing is always better than telling.[1] By [...]
Do you ever just sit and wonder why? Not about anything in particular, but about everything in particular: how the sea works, why the sun shines, what happens in our brains when we dream, etc. You might know the answer to these questions, but that force at work that forms these questions, what keeps our minds hunting for answers, is curiosity. When considering [...]
Between the widespread adoption of emails, evolving technology, and dependency on digital devices to take notes, writing longhand has been pushed to the sidelines. Writing letters or cards seem to have also gone out of fashion, as most holiday and celebratory cards now have printed text within them. Friends spend months not talking to each other only to have one short burst of [...]
What Does It Mean to Integrate Arts Education? Does It Benefit Students? Arts education refers to the activities outside of a student’s regular curriculum, including visual arts, music, instrumental music, theatre, etc. Specifically, studies are showing the positive outcomes in arts integration and intentionally aligning learning in arts within all other subjects.[1] In support of this integration, fine arts programs are stressing the [...]
General Overview So, what exactly do studies surrounding the idea of listening to music while reading cover? Well, many studies examine how and if there are benefits, and also observe the negative effects that it may have on an individual. In some cases, music has shown to have helped mitigate anxiety, making it useful when reading in an environment containing potential stressors.[1] On [...]
Ever since I moved to Cambridge, I’ve been astonished by the amount of fun things available around me. One of the many things to do is to visit the Harvard Museums, but these museums are so varied that deciding which to visit can be overwhelming. Here are a few of my favorite options. The Fogg Art Museum has art ranging from the sixth [...]
I recently went to Storm King Art Center an open-air museum in New York that boasts 500 acres and contains one of the most impressive sculpture collections in the country. Located in the Hudson Valley, this museum aims to bring modern sculpture art to the people of New York while preserving the natural landscape. Some standout pieces during my visit included a sailboat [...]
The season is changing, and as the winter chill arrives—especially here in New England—what better way to enjoy it than to stay indoors and get crafty. Let’s bring winter inside our homes with these fun DIY ideas! A new take on classic snow globes are DIY waterless Items needed include glass jars, or clear plastic ornaments, artificial snow or glitter, small decorations such as [...]
This past August, an art exhibit took place in New York City. This doesn’t seem too unusual, considering that NYC is a great place for art. What made this exhibit so special was that it wasn’t for humans—it was for dogs. This unique idea formed when art critic and dog owner Jessica Dawson took her dog, Rocky, for walks through art galleries. Dawson believed [...]
Some landmarks are designed to stand out: DC’s Washington Monument, London’s Big Ben, Russia’s the Motherland Calls (a sword-wielding stone woman who reaches nearly 300 feet!). But other marvels are easy to miss if you aren’t looking for them. In contrast to its towering warrior, Russia houses the smallest public monument in the world. The tiny frog statue, named the Frog Traveler, sits [...]