The Game in Algebra

Just one of the recent equations Hunter solved, thanks to Dragon Box.

Somehow in a span of two days with just a few gaming sessions, Hunter went from dragging pictures of whimsical dragons around on a screen to solving some pretty serious algebra equations.

Now that he's beat the game we're just trying to figure out where to go next. I never knew algebra was so much fun, but as Jordan Shapiro said on his Forbes.com review of the game, "[the creator] didn’t gamify algebra. Instead, he found algebra’s intrinsic game and brought it to life." Precisely.

"Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:40

Hunter is 7 years, 9 months old

Dragon Box isn't a free app, but it's genius and practical magic is probably the best $6 I have spent on my kid in a long time.  You can find it at the app store for iPod, iPad, and mac.

Also available in the Google Play store.

Brain Growth (via Head Circumference) at 18 Months

While it might be somewhat of a myth that big heads equal big smarts (at least for adults), studies have shown that head growth (as measured by head circumference) in infancy is predictive of later intelligence.

My son Damien started out with a perfectly average head circumference at birth (50th percentile), but within one month his head circumference jumped to the 80th percentile, and gradually crept its way upward throughout his first year, reaching the 99th percentile by his first birthday.

Now, at 18 months, his head measured in at a whopping 20.5 inches, and the "99.9th percentile", and is officially "off the charts" (literally).

I guess it's nice to know that the enrichment things we have been doing have been paying off!

"In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up..." Psalm 90:6

Damien is 18 months old