Newswise — RX FOR SMART, HAPPY KIDS...AND PARENTS? P-L-A-Y -- In our hurried, harried, "Roadrunner" society, in which parents work feverishly to give their children every educational advantage, the concept of simple play--and of adults sitting down and playing with their kids--should be at the forefront of kids' learning, says Temple cognitive psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. "Joining children in play is perhaps the hardest challenge parents have to meet," says Hirsh-Pasek, co-author of the new book, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children REALLY Learn--And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less (Rodale Books). "The pervasive myth in our achievement-oriented society that child's play is a waste of time is linked to the hype that parents must boost their children's intelligence. So we overschedule our children and give up on the values that we know, deep down, are important." Decades of research, says Hirsh-Pasek, shows "that a child's intellectual awakening takes place during the normal adult-child interactions that occur in everyday, purposeful activities." Einstein, now in bookstores, offers parents practical and immediately usable suggestions and outlines how they can help their children learn naturally--and in developmentally appropriate ways. "Playful environments and spontaneous learning opportunities hold the keys for a happy, emotionally healthy, and intelligent child--and for a fulfilled parent," says Hirsh-Pasek.
LOWER DOLLAR VALUE LIKELY TO SUSTAIN HIGH OIL PRICES -- While OPEC has waffled on its plans to cut oil production, another factor will likely lead to increased oil prices in the U.S., says Frederic H. Murphy of Temple's Fox School of Business. "Every time there has been a significant devaluation of the dollar, oil prices increase when measured in U.S. dollars," says Murphy, an expert in energy industries. "Even if OPEC doesn't cut production that much, with a devaluated dollar, other countries won't see the price increase and will continue to increase their demand for oil, making the higher prices sustainable."
WOMEN AND WAR -- In light of the recent U.S. engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Women's Studies Program at Temple is initiating a yearlong international speaker series, titled "Women and Conflict," to address the impact of war on women's lives around the world. "Typically the focus of a war is on what happens to a country, what happens to an economy and how many combatants--who are often men--are killed. The disruption in the lives of women and children goes unnoticed," says Rickie Sanders, director of the Women's Studies Program. "When history is written, wars and armed conflicts are always 'markers.' Women and women's stories are rendered invisible and yet women are the ones responsible for 'maintaining' and 'making do.'" Presented in collaboration with Temple's Jewish Studies Program and the Greater Philadelphia Women's Studies Consortium, the series will include academic, activist and professional speakers; a dance performance; and a film screening. The series opens on Tuesday, Oct. 7, with a screening of the documentary, Women: The Forgotten Face of War, by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir, chronicling the stories of female survivors of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. The screening, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6:30 p.m., in the Tuttleman Learning Center, Room 105, 13th St. and Montgomery Ave. For more information, contact the Women's Studies Program at (215) 204-6954.
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