Some of us are creative. Hinz advised the volunteers to stay away from questions that have right or wrong answers. Rather, ask open-ended questions that make the child think, she said.
Children have wonderful imaginations.
Their minds are wide-open, and we don't want to pressure anything, but we do want to extend thinking. Barbara Mackay, a dean at Briarwood College who is volunteering with the Smartwiring project, said she sees the effect on students whose parents spend little time with them. They don't like to read. Reading should be fun. Smartwiring won't only affect children's lives, but also influence the 21st century workforce, said Elona Vaisnys, an editorial writer at Yale University's engineering department who inspired Hayes to begin the volunteer project in Southington.