The size of Chicago...

I heard a news report a few days ago about the large Rim fire near Yosemite in California. The newscaster was describing the area now engulfed in flames by saying, "It is an area the size of Chicago."  Later I saw a headline, "California battling a wildfire the size of Chicago."

Why Chicago?  Do any of us really have a sense of how big Chicago is?  What is included in this area...the city limits?  The metropolitan area?  Does this really help us grasp the size of the fire?

And, who decided on this comparison?  Did they have a list of cities by area and went through looking for one roughly 225 square miles in size?  What else is that size?   According to Wikipedia, Tucson Arizona is roughly the same size, why not use that for the comparison?  I have no better sense of the size of Tucson than I do of Chicago...or twice the size of Tampa, Florida...or half the size of Los Angeles, California.  At least LA is in the same state.

We often use these geographic comparisons.  Belarus is about the size of Minnesota.  Does that help me visualize Belarus?  Maybe a little...at least I know it is smaller than the U.S.

Given the extreme lack of geographic knowledge most of us have, myself included, I'm surprised we rely on these geographic comparisons so often.

Where is her ?

I'm not a developmental psychologist, and I'm sure there are all kinds of theoretical explanations for why children prefer certain games, but I'm struck by the joy children have in games of hide and seek.  Babies and toddlers start with the simple peek a boo.  Put your hands over your face, pull up a blanket, duck behind a corner...any such game will usually bring squeals of delight.  Babies will start to imitate, hiding their own eyes, covering their own face.  The fun of learning to understand that the other person will still be there, even if eye contact is broken, feels like a splendid accomplishment.  Object permanence I think Piaget called it, one of the fundamental developments of infancy...even though I can't see it, it still exists.

I've written before about the next step in this toddler game, a simple hide and seek http://profhimes.blogspot.com/2012/03/here-i-am.html where a young child will stand out of sight and ask you, "Where am I?" As you pretend to search she becomes more insistent on being found until finally she will come into view and proclaim, "Here I am!"  Now, the child is in control.  She knows that she is still there, even when you can't see her.  She enjoys the surprise you have when she magically appears from behind the chair.  How did she do that?  She is the master of herself.

Moving forward we get to the full "hide and seek."  Someone counts while the other person hides. Now, both parties know what the game is.  But, it takes awhile to learn this game.  Early on the child will say "You go hide under the table."  Are they not quite ready for the uncertainty?  What if you hide and they can't find you?  When they hide their excitement makes it almost impossible for them to stay quiet.  As you go through the rooms looking for them, within a few seconds you will hear "Here I am!" as they jump out from their hiding place.

Playing with my nearly 4 year old friend yesterday I had found an excellent hiding place.  Clara looked high and low and was getting a little anxious in her search.  I heard her say to her mother, "I see her bag and I see her shoes, but I can't find her face!  Where is her?"

Where is her?  Her what?  Her body? Her mind?  Her being?  Of course, it is a simple grammatical error, using "her" instead of "she."  But think about why that error occurs.  My body, my being, my face belong to me, just like my shoes and bag belong to me. I own myself.

So, where is her?  Her everything is right here.  Look a little longer and you will find her.