The Rubik’s Cube was first spotted by Tom Kremer in 1979 at the International Toy Fair. Erno Rubik, a fellow Hungarian invented it, but Tom succeeds in bringing Rubik’s Cube to the international market in 1980. It’s the most explosively sold toy ever, selling over 300 million units the first 3 years. However, Tom first saw the power of games at his first job in 1960 as a football (soccer) coach and then as a teacher of emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children, in a “special need schools” in London, England. Within 3 years he succeeds, somewhat miraculously, in forming a successful football league of the special schools. Tom notice that the children were not responding to traditional instruction and would close their eyes when asked to read. He then decided to take a ball and place words on it. He would write a word on the board to see who could find it first on the ball. The students responded very positively to his approach. As a result of creating educational games, he starts a successful career as a toy and game inventor and his own toy company, Seven Towns Ltd.
I had the privilege of talking to Tom last week in a phone interview. He has an amazing heart for children who struggle and shared the power of using games to impact children’s emotional, social, and cognitive abilities. He said, “All children can be reached by playing games.” His personal story is very powerful and can be found on his website: www.tomkremer.com.
The brain training exercises used at Equipping Minds have the same impact as Kremer saw with his. Students participate in fun games and activities. These games are used to find the specific areas in which the brain struggles with working memory, processing speed, perceptual reasoning, and/or, verbal comprehension. From there, the therapist can hone in and “give the brain a workout.” Much like an athlete trains at the gym, the therapist uses these games and activities to stretch and strengthen the brain and “make the brain sweat!”
Equipping Minds also differs from other programs, in that, these brain strengthening exercises use what the student already knows. Equipping Minds ingeniously sets aside academic skills allowing us to get to the foundational roots and cognitive functions, quickly and accurately. Working memory and processing speed are two of the most common weaknesses we see in students with learning challenges. This program addresses these areas directly as well as visual and auditory processing, attention, logic, comprehension.
We provide daily online cognitive therapy via Skype with children and adults in other states and countries.We meet with local students in the Danville office and have educational specialist in Lexington and Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Our methods are also available in a workbook and DVD for parents, educators, and therapist to use at home, the classroom, or learning center. We offer workshops to educators, parents and corporations to equip them to implement this cognitive development curriculum in their own towns, schools and homes.
Contact Carol to set up a phone consultation and evaluation at 859-613-2290 or cbrown@equippingminds.com.
Blessings,
Carol
