Critical Thinking with my 3 Year Old

Gabe, you need to put a giraffe into a refrigerator. How do you do it?
I don't know. How could you do that when a giraffe is so huge?
Gabe, I don't know, how do you do it? Think about it.
I guess you just push him in. Push and shove him in.
Okay, now you have an elephant who you want to put into the refrigerator. How do you do that?
You have to lock him in. You have to get a chain to lock him in there.
You don't need to do anything else first?
You have to get a chain for to wrap around it... a BIG one.
What about the giraffe? You didn't take him out of the fridge. Do you need to take him out first?
Nope.
You don't?
Nope. I just use my big muscles and I push and shove them in and I lock it.
Okay.... So, in the jungle where the giraffe and the elephant are, the Lion King has a big Animal Meeting, and almost all of the animals go to the meeting. Who doesn't go to the meeting?
The dragon.
The dragon doesn't go? Why not?
I don't know. Mom, because he wants to eat all the animals.
So, if he wants to eat them all why doesn't he go to the conference?
He would go to jail.
Oh!! So, what about the giraffe and the elephant?
In the refrigerator?
Very good, they're still in the refrigerator so they can't go.
Yeah, they're still in the refrigerator so they can't go. Mom, I'm hungry.
Ok........ So now, during the big animal conference, there is a river that you need to cross. Usually it has crocodiles and alligators so you don't want to get in the water. But you don't have a boat. So, what do you do? How do you get across?
No boat? How about a jet ski? That would work.
Very good. What else would work?
You could build a tall, tall bridge. And use ladders to get up to it. It's this tall (arms above head.)
You're very smart Gabe. But if the crocodiles and the alligators are all at the animal conference, why don't you just swim across the river?
Because, MOM, (annoyed) I don't have a floatie.
Okay, very good answer. Then you need a bridge to get across!
Yes, I told you. (& more cute talk about the bridge and how big it is.)
And more talk about being hungry!

Good morning. We are home for a snow day! Yay! I asked Gabe these questions after reading an email from Grandma Peggy. Gabe sure is the smartest boy I know! :-) I loved his answers! Thought I would share...

Critical thinking skills
1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
Stop and think about it and decide on your answer before you scroll down.






The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.




2 How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?










Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?
Wrong Answer.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.







3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend .... Except one. Which animal does not attend?











Correct Answer : The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory. Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.



4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?








Correct Answer:? You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
According to AndersonConsulting Worldwide, around 90% of theProfessionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers. AndersonConsulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals do not have the brains of a four-year-old.+