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ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

EDITOR

You'll Love
These
Booboos

through art," Ms. Cleminson
said. "By featuring their art
work on our stuff, we publicly
acknowledge their creativity,
boosting their self-esteem.
"Creativity comes from be-
ing free and experimenting
without someone monitoring
your every move. We do not
look for 'perfect' art -- in my
book there is no such thing. 'I
got a booboo' is all about en-

So, you're convinced your
child is the most brilliant
painter who. ever lived — and
he's only 8 years old?
Laura Cleminson also be-
lieves in the talent of young
artists; in fact, she decided to
turn their drawings
into clothing that
everyone could ap-
preciate. So she
We encourage kids to go "outside the fines."
created "i got a
booboo."
Based in Somersworth, NH,
couraging kids to go 'outside
"i got a booboo" features draw-
the lines."
ings by boys and girls on 100%
Most recently, Ms. Clemin-
cotton clothing, both for chil-
son added child-designed hang-
dren and infants. The line is
tags to her line of clothing. Each
sold in department stores in-
tag features a drawing and brief

T HE AP PL ETREE

I 4oll d booboo'

These cute girls and boy are all happy they "got a booboo."

cluding Hudson's, Dayton's
and Marshall Fields, as well as
select Nordstrom locations.
"I created `i got a booboo' to
encourage creativity in kids

biography of the artist.
And here's good news: All
children, aged 3-12, who sub-
mit art to "i got a booboo" re-
ceive a pin, regardless of

whether their drawing is used.
For information about how
to send your child's drawing
for consideration, contact Ms.
Cleminson at The Kids Art Co.,
11 Home St., Somersworth,
NH 03878, or call 1-800-726-
6266.

Baby Talk

No doubt you've seen those
mothers rambling on and on as
they stroll down grocery-store
aisles with their little boy or in-
fant daughter.
"Do you like Cheerios or
Chex better, sweetie? And do
you think we should get more
bananas or do we have enou
at home? We do have six still
left, but you and your father
eat them like crazy, so maybe
we better do the safe thing and
get some more. Or maybe we
should try- apples..."
What is wrong with those
women?you may have asked
yourself. Those kids can't even
understand!
As it turns out, these moms
may simply be practicing in-
stinctively what psychologists
and parenting experts have dis-
covered to be a fact: Parents
who spend a lot of time talking
and interacting with their chil-
dren, especially in the first two
years of life, greatly increase
their offspring's language and
intellectual capabilities.
A recent report in Reader's
Digest charts the results of a
study conducted by psychology
professor Craig Ramey of the
University of Alabama-Birming-
ham, and Frances Campbell of
the University of North Caroli-
na. They found that young chil-
dren involved in frequent

activity (hearing songs, playing
games) had much higher IQs
than those who had adequate
care but not a great deal of at-
tention.
Psychologists believe this is
because during infancy and the
toddler years, brain cells are
making vital connections.
When stimulated, such as with
conversation, these cells devel-
op and grow. If neglected, they
are simply abandoned.
Parents wishing to give their
children an early intellectual
boost should try the following
tips:

#2) Talk often --
greatly increase your
child's vocabulary.

#4) 1 _

ez„, -Let our „,
senses y-
tish2g . `4 2ill

#5) Point out differences
and encourage your child
to respond. "This car is
blue and that one is red,"
you can say. "Do you see
a black one, too?"

#6) Praise your son or
daughter often; happy
children have stronger
brain connections.