Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence

by Marian C. Diamond, Janet L. Hopson

Cutting edge scientific research has shown that exposure to the right kind of environment during the first years of life actually affects the physical structure of a child's brain, vastly increasing the number of neuron branches—the "magic trees of the mind"—that help us to learn, think, and remember. At each stage of development, the brain's ability to gain new skills and process information is refined.

As a leading researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, Marion Diamond has been a pioneer in this field of research. Now, Diamond and award-winning science writer Janet Hopson present a comprehensive enrichment program designed to help parents prepare their children for a lifetime of learning.

Genres: Parenting, Psychology, Nonfiction, Education, Science, Childrens, Neuroscience

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Marian C. Diamond, Ph.D., is a Professor of Anatomy at the University of California at Berkeley. She teaches general human anatomy and neutoanatomy and has conducted numerous lines of reasearch into the effect of the environment and hormones on the forebrain. Dr. Diamond is perhaps best known for her investigations into structural changes in the cerebral cortex induced by an enriched environment and structural lateralization of the cortex as influenced by sex steroid hormones.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting information about brain development and the effect of environment on development, but the book is not really a guide or "how to" book as the title suggests. The majority of people who pick up this book would most likely already limit their children's television, read to them, and take their children on trips to museums and zoos.

I more fully understand why languages and music are easier for children than adults to learn, but I didn't come away with any ways to enrich my child's learning than I had already planned to do.

[JaNel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is especially interesting for those who want to know the science behind the statements in magazines. It has lots of reviews or explanations of scientific experiments. It also has great specific ideas of what to do at each stage to help development.

Favorite quotes:

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."-Abigail Adams

It seems that teens must pursue enrichment unlike small children who enrich themselves through play naturally. Teens, like adults, just hang out which is bad for a growing brain; brain growth in teens and adults must be pursued.

[Gold Dust · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive and long winded. The book could’ve been made a lot shorter. It’s science-based and doesn’t seem to be for lay people, yet doesn’t have sub/superscripted numbers to point to citations. There are citations in the back of the book, but they’re only numbered by page number.

According to rat experiments, rat pups rehabilitated in enrichment cages developed a thicker cortex than pups well-fed in the womb but raised in a dull place (84). So the book advocates for giving your kids a lot of stimulation to boost their mental development, but not so much that they become overwhelmed or exhausted.

Recommends 5-10 minute music played to fetus, twice daily (99); read to your baby and toddler 20 minutes a day (145).

Advises against both giving kids TV and boredom (31, 109), but doesn’t consider the common sense that it’s boredom that allows kids to be creative and inventive. Bored rats in a cage with no toys can’t be compared to bored human kids, since bored rats aren’t capable of the same creativity and inventiveness that human kids are.

“Enriched environments allow the child to be an active participant rather than a passive observer” (108). But school is also mostly a passive observer activity. So is going to a play, planetarium, a magic show, a puppet show, a concert, all of which the book recommends as good stimulations for kids (186).

In an experiment, showing preschool kids “educational shows promoted a mild degree of creative play in children with the least-active imaginations . . . But depressed creative play in all the other kids who had livelier imaginations to start with. Researchers found a similar creativity-suppressing pattern with fourth and fifth graders” (219).

“Adults must encourage children to explore; show them basic skills; praise their accomplishments; help them practice and expand their skills; protect them from disapproval, teasing or punishment; and surround them with a ‘rich and responsible language environment’” (160). I didn’t like the lines about protecting kids from disapproval or punishment. Those things are part of life, and if parents shield their kids from it, the kids will be sensitive fragile snowflakes unprepared for the real world.

The book complains about not enough girls being in math, science, and engineering. First of all, why does it matter that girls don’t choose those fields? There are plenty of other well paying jobs. The book gives mostly ridiculous explanations for the trend. Girls “often lack the confidence to take [advanced math] in high school” (202). When I was in high school, I took geometry and algebra II, and half the classes were made up of females. I assume both boys and girls only took the classes in order to satisfy college requirements, not because they enjoyed the subject. “Many girls and women . . . See science and math careers . . . As incompatible with motherhood” (202). Plenty of females play sports in high school, and this too is considered a masculine activity. Any job in general is incompatible with motherhood because it takes the woman out of the home and away from her kids, but being a housewife hasn’t been fashionable for decades, and so STEM careers not being compatible with motherhood isn’t likely to be a deterrent for most modern females. The book’s only non-ridiculous reason given for why females don’t take science, engineering, or advanced math classes is this: Those classes are found to be “dry, boring, and not people-oriented, and although they may still like technical subjects, they like other areas more and tend to gravitate toward them” (202). That’s the real reason. Most female brains to find those subjects boring, just as most male brains find a romance novel boring. That’s the just common sense truth.

“The average mother spends less than 30 minutes per day interacting directly with her child and the average father less than 15 minutes” (294).

If this book were really concerned with giving kids the best environment in which to grow and thrive, it would be with a parent who stays home with them instead of sending them off to daycare or school to be looked after by strangers who don’t love them. But it’s not politically correct to give that advice, so what’s truly best for the child is ignored. The book’s authors seem to lean liberal, viewing school, daycare, and taxpayer funded community activities as children’s salvation while parents can mess kids up (301). The authors count it as a victory that schools have become safer; only 36% of tenth graders got accosted or injured at school in 1994, as opposed to 40% in 1991 (267). Whoopee! And the authors viewed Bill Clinton’s restrictions on welfare to be a tragedy; they apparently think it’s great if poor people can collect government money for life while never getting a job (300).

They also view it as a tragedy that people in San Francisco voted to stop funding those free community services in order to cut their property taxes. San Francisco has one of the highest housing costs in the country. Why should these workers be paying for public services they don’t may not even use? The fairest thing is for those who want to use the services to pay for it. And yeah, poor people may not have the money for the services, but what are you afraid those kids will do instead? Do drugs or watch TV? Guess what? Drugs and TV cost money too! So if the poor have money for that junk, they have money for getting into community centers!

The authors also lack common sense when they speculate on why girls suffer a self-esteem drop in adolescence. “One theory holds that as girls mature sexually, they feel a strong sense of connectedness to and caring for others” (250). “Another theory suggests that a young teen’s mental development allows him or her, for the very first time, to clearly imagine what other people think of them. This sudden awareness may undermine self-confidence and heighten feelings of awkwardness and incompetence” (250). Wrong. Kids become self-conscious at age 8. The reason teen girls’ self-esteem drops is because they compare their bodies with those of their peers and those they see in the media. Teen girls want to have bodies like supermodels, so they feel ugly in comparison.

Interesting facts/statistics:

Sex differences in the brain (247):
“In one region of the temporal lobe, males have 11% fewer neurons than females.
Some researchers have found evidence that the corpus callosum, a bundle of fibers connecting the brain’s two hemispheres, is larger in females, especially in the posterior (back) region.
The anterior commissure, which also connects the hemispheres, is larger in females.
Males have a thicker cerebral cortex in the right hemisphere than the left, while in females both hemispheres have a ‘bark’ layer of equal thickness.”
“The male brain begins to grow faster than the female at about two years of age” (119).

Kids’ brains burn more sugar while their brains are developing (53), which might explain why kids stay thin easier than teens and adults.

Growth spurts in head size: 3-4 weeks, 7-8 weeks, 10-11 weeks, 17-19 weeks (113). The head doesn’t grow when sick.

In an experiment, “one group of children stayed near their mothers for 78% of their time in the lab, and took longer before approaching the new objects. Another group stayed near mom only 1% of the time and explored without hesitation. A third group was intermediate for both clinging and exploring” (124). This could mean that 78% of people are shy.

“Newborns are better at detecting words through their right ear and left brain, and better at detecting musical sounds through their left ear and right brain” (133-134).

“By high school graduation, 63% of American students can’t read a tabloid newspaper and 95% can’t decipher the New York Times” (137).


Many people think that weed, cigarettes, caffeine, and alcohol are not bad in moderation, but here are some quotes from the book to prove otherwise:

“Mothers who regularly smoke marijuana during pregnancy (and even passive ‘weed’ users exposed to someone else’s smoke three times per week in a closed room) tend to have characteristic pregnancy problems: slow or painful uterine contractions; less milk after delivery; and babies showing more distress during birth. Many of the babies had bowel movements while still in the womb—an uncommon situation that doubles the risk of the newborn’s death from various factors. Like cocaine or crack babies, marijuana babies tend to weigh less, to be high-strung and cranky, and to have disturbed sleep/wake cycles” (75).

“The longer you use cannabis, the less able you are to filter out useless details, indicating a negative effect on the frontal cortex. And the more often you use cannabis, the more slowly the brain processes information” (243). “People who smoke marijuana daily scored far lower than light users and nonusers on math and verbal tests, and on tests of memory retrieval” (243).

In an experiment, non-cigarette smokers “performed significantly better than deprived smokers, who in turn outperformed active smokers. Ominously, deprived smokers caused rear-end collisions in the video-simulated driving test 67% more than nonsmokers. But the crash rate for active smokers was 350% higher! People who claim that a cigarette ‘clears their head and helps them think’ may feel sharper but they aren’t. We can only speculate that regular nicotine and carbon monoxide exposure during the brain’s final formative years could leave permanent reductions in mental capacity” (242).

“Researchers have conducted dozens of human and animal studies on caffeine use during pregnancy, and have accused the drug of causing miscarriages and stillbirths, early and late births, low birth weight, cleft palate, irritability, poor nerve/muscle coordination, and even childhood diabetes” (76).

“Drinking in the first trimester—especially during weeks 2-8 when the brain is forming along with the facial features—is more likely to cause malformations; drinking in the last trimester is more likely to reduce overall fetal size. But since the brain develops throughout gestation (and beyond), it can be damaged at any point” (77).


In the back of the book, there are recommended books and activities for kids of different ages, but these recommendations are not scientifically based. They are just based on survey results from 300 parents. There are separate recommended books for boys and girls, but most of these are gender neural. I didn’t like the list. They seemed random. Some of the books were too difficult for the kids they were supposed to be for. (Peter Rabbit is listed under the 2 year old section; Treasure Island is listed under the 4 year old section; Charlotte’s Web & Goosebumps are listed under the 5 year old section; Huck Finn & The Hobbit are listed under the 7 year old section!)

Here’s my own list of books that I recommend for kids, for both sexes:

Ages 0-8:
Aesop’s fables by pinkney
Ava and the rainbow (who stayed)
Bunga the Wise
Giving tree
Girl who loved caterpillars
Golden rule by ilene cooper
How the finch got his colors
I am Brave by Suzy Capozzi
I am Helpful by Suzy Capozzi
I Love Saturdays Y Domingos
It could always be worse by margot zemach
Last stop on market street
Lorax
Planet name game
Questions, Questions by Marcus Pfister
Shapes: a trapezoid is not a dinosaur, “bees, snails, & peacock tails” by franco, mouse shapes by ellen stoll walsh, which one doesn’t belong by danielson
Sneetches
Snowboy and the Last Tree Sanding
Susan B. Anthony: Her Fight For Equal Rights
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
Tikki tikki tembo
Todd Parr books - environment, peace, being yourself
Tortuga in Trouble - A bilingual retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Turning pages
Tuttle Twins Learn about the Law
Unlikely Friends by Gina Gold
Value Tales series
Why am i here? By constance orbeck-nilssen
Why evergreens keep their leaves by guertin
Yertle the turtle

Ages 9-13:
Staying nine
Riding freedom
A Summer to die by lois lowry
Animal farm
Stargirl

Teens:
Black witch by laurie forest
Heroes by robert cormier
His dark materials
Island of the blue dolphins
Fahrenheit 451
Gospel according to larry
Vote for larry
Island of dr. Moreau
1984
Animal dreams by barbara kingsolver
Clan of the cave bear
Crucible
Brave New World
Malice by Jaynes
Strange as This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake
The Woman Who Did
Iron heel by jack london
Case Against Socialism by Rand Paul
We the Living by Ayn Rand
Wild swans

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, this is a book I should have stopped reading. The first few chapters were interesting, which covered the research one of the authors did in the sixties with rats proving the brain’s cerebral cortex, where 90% of brain activity takes place, can grow or shrink based on rat’s environment. They also cited studies showing these results apply to humans as well, details regarding what constitutes an “enhanced” and “deprived” environment, and the ramifications of these findings for humans in general and children in particular.

From there each chapter focuses on a specific developmental period of childhood, from prenatal through high school. These chapters offered little actionable or insightful information. The studies used shift from neurological based research to behavioral and surveys. Some of them did indicate cause and effect, but they were not able to tie the results directly to the main thesis of the book – brain growth. For example, they spent several pages discussing one doctor’s anecdotal evidence of the benefits from playing classical music to the fetus, which seemed unnecessary without any sort of scientifically significant evidence in a book co-written by a doctor.

What was most frustrating to me were the suggestions for enhancement materials and activities at the end of each chapter and in the appendix. Rather than being based on any sort of research or evidence, these lists came from a survey the author’s conducted with parents who took their children to a hands-on science discovery center near at UC Berkley. I’m sure there is a correlation between parents who take their children to science discover centers and children’s brain health, but that does not mean the activities they suggest are a cause of that, or that they are even good suggestions. My guess is there is also a high correlation between kids being smart and their parents being alumni of or living close to UC Berkley. Again, for a book about scientific evidence on brain health, I was disappointed the major takeaway was not backed up by any scientific evidence.

This book is also dated in several areas. It was published in 1997, but I didn’t think a book discussing brain research would necessarily include references to technology and culture. It references cd-roms numerous time, both specific products and in general, while only mentioning the "potential enrichment benefits" of the internet over television, because “[T]he… 9.5 million Internet users still represent less than 10 percent of American households, and the typical ‘Web-surfer’ is a man in his thirties”. They also mention “rap/rock” music multiple times with the connotation that teenagers listening to those genres has a negative impact, without explaining why these types of music are worse than others, such as classical.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't so much about how to do anything, it is interesting science behind children's (and adult's) brains and how they develop. I think anyone interested in learning something new should read this because it is just fascinating. It also inspires me to continue learning to keep my brain growing instead of shrinking (literally). It also shows the importance of keeping children in stimulating loving environments.

[Cath Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense read...while a little dated it definitely Reaffirms a lot of the science behind brain development in children. Re-enforces what I thought.

[Ness · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't as insightful as I personally thought it would be. Ended up skipping a bunch of stuff but found a lot of valuable information.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw a tv program about the results of research of the brain done by Marian Diamond and found it fascinating. Magic Trees of the Mind was written with the intent to assist people to parent their offspring. It does a bit of that, but it felt more biological to me than from the many variations of brain formation that seems to happen. Needless to say, our first shortcoming may be the question of our ability to raise a child along with the ability to choose all of the aspects of a lifestyle to include diet, activity, experience, culture etc.

However, I am very impressed with Marian Diamond. What a bright and talented lady she was.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly was hoping for a bit more focus on music and its profound affect on the brain. Magic Trees was a book recommended to me because of other music and brain books I had read. The book was published back in the 90s, and the data was antiquated. Subjects were divided by boys and girls, and the data was, quite frankly, old. It was definitely an interesting book if you have NEVER read another book about the brain and how it changes during a human's early life. However, I feel there are better choices for what I enjoy reading regarding the development of the brain.

[Ohoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

رائع، وملهم، أعود لقراءة بعض أجزائه، وأتّخذها كمرجع لي عندما تستدعي الحاجة إلى ذلك

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would love an update on the brain research in this, but the book is a must-read for parents and educators. It's an overview of scientific research on the brain throughout childhood, and the implications of that research. An easy enough read, even if some of the "enrichment" suggestions are outdated (i.e. "Oregon Trail", "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" and "Myst" are popular cd-roms for teenagers..."). Highlights: the brain changes throughout childhood!!! the brain grows a tremendous amount in the first 18 months of life and that growth is directly linked to the stimulation (or lack of) provided by caregivers, and whether or not a baby's emotional needs are met. Toddlers and preschoolers also experience an enormous amount of growth and change in their brains--hence their capacity for seemingly effortless language acquisition, and rich imaginary play. In grade school, order is given to the "neural chaos" and children's brains are rapidly creating, developing, and synaptic connections into neural networks-- this is a time of enormous learning and opportunity. As a child gets older, underused synapses are "pruned." This pruning is largely the work of the adolescent brain. I've made it sound fairly technical, but the implications are fascinating!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book filled with the latest research on how to nurture your child's multiple intelligences and in a healthy, stimulating, fun way. It seeks to find a middle way between over-stimulation of your child (e.g., "hot-housing" where a child may begin formal academic instruction in preschool) vs. under-stimulation (where a child's free time is spent largely watching TV and playing video games). I wish my parents had known this information!

It's quite comprehensive covering prenatal babes to the teenage years. When you look at the book, you might be scared away by its size. My first reaction was: "Who has time to read a 400 age book?" But it's quite readable, very much worth reading, and the last section is filled with recommended products and resources for providing a stimulating environment for your child.

[Sarah Hackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why this book gets mixed reviews. It's full of great scientific information, but for those not wanting that kind of detail, it may be a tad intense. With my neuroscience background, it served mostly as a quick review for me, but it did provide a few new insights (even for me) into how animal research can be applied to children. Downsides: The parent-recommended toys/books/etc. in the back were quite gendered and provided significantly more examples for boy children than girls. Also, some people may be put off by the book's slightly judgmental tone. Still, it's an unusual book that does a good job of blending real science with child rearing advice.

[Malek Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب ممتع ومفيد لمن يبحث عن أفضل الطرق والأساليب لتربية أولاده... يحتوي على الكثير من الدراسات والنماذج والأمثلة العملية والأنشطة الإثرائية المناسبة لطفلنا بدءاً من أيامه الأولى وحتى سن المراهقة، بالإضافة إلى إضاءات كثيرة على الممارسات والظروف التي تؤثر سلباً أو إيجاباً على نمو وتشكل دماغه... علمني هذا الكتاب كيف أقوم بقراءة سلوك طفلي واستشف من هذه القراءة ميوله ورغباته ونقاط تميزه ودعمه بالأنشطة الإثرائية التي تناسبه من ناحية العمر والجنس والميول... قرأت هذا الكتاب الآن وطفلي الأول عمره 3 سنوات، وأنا متأكد بأنني سأعيد قراءته عند كل مرحلة من مراحله العمرية.

[Tara A · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are sections that made my eyes glaze, just a little too technical for me in those areas. Overall I thought it was a good mix of the technical and the anecdotal and definitely worth the read. About a third of the book is Resource Guide/Notes and Index.

[Vesna · Rating 5 out of 5]

That book is spectacular. Although, I didn't like terms like "magic", and "enchanted". It's too shallow and meaningless for use in regard to fascinating brain structure. I'm aware it's not easy to come up with book title.

[RavenNoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt fortunate to have been at Cal when she was a professor there. And, she made the topic interesting. When I saw the book I knew it would be a good read.

[Hanako · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting to read, though I wanted more about how to enrich and less about the science. :)

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow going. I think I already screwed up my 2 yr old's brain.

[Andrea]

fascinating research of the brain and children.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

FASCINATING. I may actually buy this book.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decently broad foundation in the subject matter, but highly anecdotal and rather dated.

[Ms.Burleson]

Read by Wendy Burleson and currently being read by Andrea Hart.

[Bookish Dervish · Rating 2 out of 5]

هناك بعض الأفكار الرائعة في هذا الكتاب خصوصا ما تعلق بتعريض الطفل لبيئة إثرائية
حرمت الترجمة الرديئة الكتاب من باقي النجمات.

[Yasmeen Elazazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

الكتاب بدايته كانت حلوة جدا وفيها افكار بالنسبالي جديدة ومختلفة وصلت للاخر حسيت انى نفس الكلام بيتعاد وبدات اعدى كلام كتير عشان اخلصه

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting, but very long and textbook like.

[Sami]

I want to know what became of Skye.