Train Brain

It's no secret that Benjamin loves trains. I first noticed it when he was 15 months old. We went to the "Day Out with Thomas" at the Heber Valley Railroad. Nathan was 3 at the time and we thought he would love it. I remember being surprised when Benjamin also got excited and would say "chooo choo". It seems from that day on, he lives and breathes trains!

Earlier this school year, he went to an assembly where he learned about a program called the Great Brain. It is an independent research project that the kids can do at their own pace, but no one is required to do it. When he saw that he could get a medal for completing a Great Brain, he decided he was going to do it!

The school provides a checklist of steps. The first step was to brainstorm a list of possible topics, and of course Benjamin's list never got longer than "trains"! We did the research slowly in the fall. In January he decided he wanted to receive the medal at the next assembly (in February), so he worked hard to complete his project and study what he was going to say.

He got to present what he learned to his class the last week of January. For the main part of his presentation, he showed pictures of different trains and described what he knew about them: steam, diesel, commuter (light rail), high speed, and monorail trains.
When I picked him up from class later that day, his teacher mentioned how impressed she was that he didn't need much help with what to say.
A week later was the monthly assembly. Because he has morning kindergarten and the assembly is in the afternoon, we went together and he sat by me until they called him up. He was so excited and a little nervous, too.

This is Dr. O, the principal, presenting him with his medal and certificate.
He was one of only 6 kids who completed their Great Brains within the last month!

So proud!

His teacher rated his Train Great Brain at the highest level: Genius