Taking Up a Collection

If you are looking for an intellectually stimulating activity that will boost your brain power and unleash your creative potential, start a collection. Whether you choose to collect tea cups, coins, or butterflies, the process of collecting engages the so-called “thinking brain” (the frontal lobe) in memory and problem-solving skills that fuse and build short-term memories into long-term data. Collecting also spurs curiosity and entices collectors to look into the historical background and/or scientific underpinnings of their collectibles. Collecting need not involve physical objects at all – in fact, bird watching is the number one outdoor sport in America. Fifty million people armed with binoculars and cameras document their sightings, as they walk woods and shorelines. Similarly, stargazing is an activity that can be shared with fellow amateur astronomers.

If you enjoy the outdoors, consider purchasing tickets to visit private gardens in West Chester Borough on the Secret Gardens of West Chester tour – owners collect varieties of plants as well as adornments…one garden on last year’s tour featured a beautiful collection of wind chimes! Contact us today at (610) 696-5211 and visit our website, http://bf.kendal.org/.

With Faith Woodward, Admissions and Marketing Director