Chess, Gardening, and Music

From informED --  This commentary by Julie DeNeen reinforces why we want these three things at Esperanza. 


Chess makes kids smart
Patrick S. McDonald, a great lover of chess and the Youth Coordinator for the Ontario Chess Association, compiled a series of papers and research that highlights the benefits of chess, especially as it relates to education. Honestly, there isn’t much negative to say about chess. It is an inexpensive game, a great opportunity for socialization among many different age groups and levels.
It forces students to slow down, concentrate, use precise thinking, active both inductive and deductive reasoning, as well as recognizing difficult and complex patterns.
Teachers who are in charge of children with mental and physical disabilities can also benefit from chess. It is a game that does not discriminate, and no matter what level you learn to play, it helps children to understand that “losing” the game is as valuable as winning. 

Gardening improves children’s desire to learn and boosts their confidence
The Royal Horticulture Society in the UK has started a campaign to bring gardening back into the school systems. Thousands of schools have participated and some of the findings point to gardening as a crucial learning tool for children. These are just some of the few findings.

Kids who garden show a better ability to concentrate.

• Gardening helped use up surplus energy in active kids.
• The process of growing something from seed to fruit helps teach children responsibility and managing a living organism.
• Some students learned valuable math skills as they sold their produce to the town for a profit.
• Getting in touch with the dirt and bugs, helped some young students overcome their fears.
• An English teacher found her student’s creativity in poetry expanded after working in the garden.

Gardening touches on so many different school subjects, from the science of photosynthesis, to nutrition, math, and even English. Kids who garden show a better ability to concentrate, whether it is because they have an opportunity to engage their whole bodies in the learning process, or simply because learning in the outdoors is good for the mind, heart, and body.


Music and movement augment children’s language capabilities during the preschool years
Music has a calming effect on children and adults alike. Though much of modern education focuses primarily on visual sight for learning, the auditory processes are critically important for language acquisition. The younger the child, the more important music becomes.

Children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate

For example, when children learn nursery rhymes that are set to a steady beat; they learn to appreciate the pacing of words and how to speak more clearly. Songs that are taught for the purposes of remembering routines (like cleaning up or going to bed) activate the part of the memory that is used when memorizing sight words and other rote principles.
Research shows that children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate. Music must continue to be a part of a young child’s learning environment.