A new study performed at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development confirms what you may have noticed in your own kids: They learn better when they verbalize a problem to you. In the study, mothers were asked to simply listen while their 4- and 5-year-olds explained problems. Compared with kids who were not asked to explain problems, kids who verbalized were better at solving similar problems later on and had an edge when it came to solving more difficult problems.

I just read that Whole Foods is eliminating plastic shopping bags by Earth Day 2008. A great move! We’ve covered this problematic issue for years (most recently in Nov 2007’s issue, here). I’m delighted to see a chain as large and influential as Whole Foods taking a leadership stance.