Recently, I had the opportunity to hear a renown speaker and author present brain development in small children. It really validated the saying that "the young brain is a sponge". While this is grossly oversimplified, basically, between the ages of 0 and 3, the brain is forming connections between its 100 billion brain cells at a crazy and exponential rate. Because of this period of incomprehensible growth, or "wiring", in the young brain, a 3-year old child has twice as many connections as an adult, and is at least twice as busy. This is also, in part, to a "pruning" process that starts taking place in the brain around the age of 11 to rid the brain of connections that are not being used, thus reducing the number in the adult brain. The way the wiring works is that experiences cause the cells to fire (thus forming a connection with another cell). Repeated experiences cause increased wiring in certain parts of the brain, and through repitition, connections can become permanent. A prime example of this is when a child learns their name. Because they are continually exposed to the experience of hearing their name, those connections become permanent and allow the child to remember and habitually respond to their name. For this very reason, this time of life is ideal for teaching a child a foreign language. It is a unique stage where language skills can be permanently and efficiently wired in the midst of such a high rate of growth.

So, to bring relevance to Project FoodStock, here is the questions all of this brings to my mind: Wouldn't this time also be a prime time for wiring the language of love, compassion, and active caring in the brains of our child? Wouldn't exposure to the experiences of serving, caring, and providing for the needs of others also form permanent connections in the brain that the child could then continue to call on for the rest of their lives? Does it matter if the child is old enough to be fully aware of the significance of their experiences, or just that their brains are being given the opportunity to wire - to connect on a level that will lead to permenance? Along, with these thoughts is the notion, the warning if you will, that, as with muscles, we need to continue to excersize those parts of the brain so that they do not fall victim to the pruning process later in life.

Below are some things for us to consider as we raise our precious young to capitalize on this miraculous and beautiful window of opportunity in our children's development:

• Engage in meaningful, honest conversation with our children from the beginning about the needs of others and the significance of caring
• Identify, engage in, and if necessary create age-appropriate opportunities for other-centered activities
• Engage in service activities as a family unit
• Model service to others in the the home
• Engage in ongoing activites that provide repitition
• Make service activities fun
• Challenge your family to consider "what you can do with what you have, where you are".
• Include young children in the creative process of thinking what "serving others" looks like for your family
• Share your ideas and experiences with other families with young children

Imagine the potential for impact on the world if we are raising up a generation of children that consider active caring to be not an option or an "extra", but a way of life!

Peace and joy, Amee