Sandra Dodd

So….
This is an odd one. Crooked Brains is a blog that collects 8 or 10 examples of some similar technology or gadget and then releases a blogpost. Today’s is about toothbrushes.

Most of these involve power or electronic interface. Two are game controllers, and one has feedback from an app on a phone. I sent the link to Kirby and Marty with this note:

________

Like someone not walking because they’ve left the fitbit at home or the battery’s dead, this could easily cause kids not to brush their teeth because there’s no internet, or the phone was dropped in the sink and isn’t working.
_________

This might be the most tangible example of what Alfie Kohn (not an unschooling proponent, but many here are familiar with some of his work) talks about in Punished by Rewards.

But more than anything else, keep the phone away from running water, and sinks, and the very-nearby toilet! :-)

Although we have often recommended here that people can do two things at once, and not to worry if kids are eating while playing, or to encourage conversation while driving, sometimes, if something less desirable or easy is sweetened up by a reward, then the absence of the rewarding aspect can extinguish the less-desireable action.

But am I wrong about this one? Will those kids think of that video game years after they’ve outgrown it, and have a more positive memory and association with tooth brushing?

It’s too early for them to get any stats or data, so based on the principles unschoolers use learning and peace and choices, what are some guesses?

Here’s something for those unfamiliar with what Kohn shares about studies that have been done on the problems with rewards.

Sandra

Alex & Brian Polikowsky

I have a Fitbit and when I forget or the battery is dead I do joke that I am not going to go walk because it does not count ! But I do walk and go for walks without it.

I do want to walk and go for my walks. So I would do it anyway.

It could help get kids to have more fun , or more likely to be less painful for those who don't like brushing. 

I think the problem would be if the parent uses it to punish the kids even more.

If I got one of those for my kids when they were little I think they would have had fun and then they would not care for it much after awhile.

So I don't think bad neither do I think the ultimate solution. 
I would have tried I'd my kids were younger and I though it could help them brush longer.


Alex Polikowsky 

Sent from my iPhone

On May 7, 2016, at 12:45 PM, Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:

mellingersa@...

I do think children (and adults) are punished by rewards and Alfie Kohn's  book is very well researched and written. 
In case of the toothbrushes I think it will depend on how it is used. When my son was younger we would play games while I brushed his teeth. A favorite was to find all kinds of  animals in his mouth ..... "Oh, wow there are three monkeys back there .... wait they are trying to get away ..... got them ...." The game wasn't a reward for toothbrushing but a fun thing to do while getting something boring done. 
I play sometimes solitaire while brushing. Besides of the obvious danger of loosing a device to water it actually often makes me brush longer because I play (and brush) until I win at least once. I guess in that case the teeth cleanliness is opposite proportional to my  solitaire skills ..... :)) 

Sabine 


Sent from myMail for iOS


Saturday, May 7, 2016, 08:53 -0700 from [email protected] <[email protected]>:
 

So….
This is an odd one. Crooked Brains is a blog that collects 8 or 10 examples of some similar technology or gadget and then releases a blogpost. Today’s is about toothbrushes.

Most of these involve power or electronic interface. Two are game controllers, and one has feedback from an app on a phone. I sent the link to Kirby and Marty with this note:

________

Like someone not walking because they’ve left the fitbit at home or the battery’s dead, this could easily cause kids not to brush their teeth because there’s no internet, or the phone was dropped in the sink and isn’t working.
_________

This might be the most tangible example of what Alfie Kohn (not an unschooling proponent, but many here are familiar with some of his work) talks about in Punished by Rewards.

But more than anything else, keep the phone away from running water, and sinks, and the very-nearby toilet! :-)

Although we have often recommended here that people can do two things at once, and not to worry if kids are eating while playing, or to encourage conversation while driving, sometimes, if something less desirable or easy is sweetened up by a reward, then the absence of the rewarding aspect can extinguish the less-desireable action.

But am I wrong about this one? Will those kids think of that video game years after they’ve outgrown it, and have a more positive memory and association with tooth brushing?

It’s too early for them to get any stats or data, so based on the principles unschoolers use learning and peace and choices, what are some guesses?

Here’s something for those unfamiliar with what Kohn shares about studies that have been done on the problems with rewards.

Sandra

Sandra Dodd

-=-we would play games while I brushed his teeth. A favorite was to find all kinds of animals in his mouth ..... "Oh, wow there are three monkeys back there .... wait they are trying to get away ..... got them ...." The game wasn't a reward for toothbrushing but a fun thing to do while getting something boring done. -=-

Nice. :-)

I would sing the days of the week, to the tune of Yankee Doodle. I would say “I’m going to brush your teeth for a month!” and do “a week” in each quadrant) for young kids with not so many teeth). Sometimes another week for the top front and one for the bottom front. So before they even knew or cared what those words were, or what “a month” was, they had weeks, months, days of the week, and their teeth brushed.

Sandra

Alex & Brian Polikowsky

I had stories going about his favorite bugs that loved in my sons's teeth.

It stated out I thought we were going to get rid of the bugs but my son did not like that! They were his bugs and he loved them! So we took care of them! It was sweet!

We also played with them too!

Making tooth rushing fun ! Good times!


Alex P

Sent from my iPhone

On May 8, 2016, at 11:50 AM, Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:

 

-=-we would play games while I brushed his teeth. A favorite was to find all kinds of animals in his mouth ..... "Oh, wow there are three monkeys back there .... wait they are trying to get away ..... got them ...." The game wasn't a reward for toothbrushing but a fun thing to do while getting something boring done. -=-

Nice. :-)

I would sing the days of the week, to the tune of Yankee Doodle. I would say “I’m going to brush your teeth for a month!” and do “a week” in each quadrant) for young kids with not so many teeth). Sometimes another week for the top front and one for the bottom front. So before they even knew or cared what those words were, or what “a month” was, they had weeks, months, days of the week, and their teeth brushed.

Sandra