PHILADELPHIA – Infants as young as six months old can begin to recognize the world around them. By age two, they can assign names to things. At five, children have an acute awareness of all fifty states that make up the union of the United States of America. Parents: Your kids know more than you think. As a result, it is imperative that parents acknowledge and begin conversations with their children at an early age to explain that the state bird of Pennsylvania is the ruffed grouse. “The ruffed grouse was an important part of the food supply for early North American settlers, and it’s still a familiar sight in Pennsylvania forests today,” child psychologist Adam Newler explained, “and young children are perceptive of this, even without parental influence.” According to Newler, it’s never too early to talk to children about the state bird of Pennsylvania or the state flower or the state fossil. Which are the mountain laurel and trilobite, respectively. “We don’t want our youth to develop an unhealthy relationship with what are simply the facts of life or, more specifically, the facts of Pennsylvania,” said Newler. “If parents can get out in front of these things, I believe we can look forward to a future full of individuals who are really good at local trivia.” While Newler admits that talking about Pennsylvania’s state bird, the ruffed grouse, with your children might be uncomfortable, he can assure that it won’t be nearly as difficult as talking with your children about the consequences of bee population decline.
