{"id":992,"date":"2010-08-03T14:44:21","date_gmt":"2010-08-03T20:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=992"},"modified":"2014-09-12T12:02:03","modified_gmt":"2014-09-12T18:02:03","slug":"are-books-a-sign-of-intellinget-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2010\/08\/03\/are-books-a-sign-of-intellinget-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Books a Sign of Intellingent Life?"},"content":{"rendered":"Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

I’ve seen a number of articles recently relating children’s success in school with the number of books in the house when they were growing up.<\/p>\n

Class Struggle – Power of books my wife grew up with<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Books in home as important as parents’ education in determining children’s education level<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One discussion on the subject had people musing about the results if they simply went out and bought a whole pile of books (ANY books) for the shelves, or if they simply painted pictures of books in shelves on the wall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I am quite convinced that it is not the mere presence of books that really makes the difference. True, having them available and handy can be very useful, but what is more important than the books themselves is what it says about the people who bought them and who keep them handy.<\/p>\n

The number (and kind) of books in the house are a sign <\/strong><\/em>of how much and in what ways the people use and value the books. It’s about the kind of people who would HAVE those books. It is the sharing of time and things we value that is key here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We have books in every ‘room’ of our house, including every bedroom, hallway and the farm room (upwards of 3000 books altogether). And yes, we did read to our kids (long after they were able to read for themselves too); they were encouraged to look things up in books and they watched us do the same when we were curious about things.<\/p>\n

We also have about 12 computers, various musical instruments, music, movies, lots of toys and tools (electronic & otherwise) and a lot of animals. Our kids have learned how to read, play, learn, have fun, and relate to the natural world around them. We would have found ways to enlighten and inspire our kids even if we didn’t have the means to put all those things in their paths.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The concern I have with findings like these is that people who don’t normally value books or learning may believe that they can improve their child’s success by simply buying books and putting them in the house. They will focus on the simple, single indicator: number of books<\/em>. If all they ever do is dust them, it’s not going to make much difference.<\/p>\n