Is This the Smartest 3-Year-Old in the World?
“You’re making me feel bad about myself.” That’s what Ellen Degeneres said to a guest on her show this week, 3-year-old Brielle from Salinas, California, who can recite the periodic table (with accompanying elemental facts), US states and capitals, the countries in Europe and Africa, and all the US Presidents (she says her favorite is “Barack Obama, because he was president when I was born.”).
The video of Brielle’s interview, posted on Ellen’s Facebook page, has gone viral — it’s been viewed more than 37,000,000 times since Tuesday, and shared nearly 700,000 times.
VIDEO: ‘Whisper’ Baby Announcement Causes Grandparents to Joyously Freak Out
Brielle’s mom Carrie sits next to her on Ellen’s couch and explains that they got the little girl flash cards in April but “hardly ever spent time doing it.” When Ellen asks Brielle if she can read, Brielle answers, “No, not yet, but I’m sounding out words.”
With a pile of element photos in her lap, Ellen quizzes Brielle on everything from germanium to iodine. In her high-pitched voice, the adorably poised toddler tells Ellen that phosphorus is “a chameleon, that means it can be different colors.” Then she tells Ellen that phosphorus can burn underwater, and when Ellen expresses surprise, Brielle says, “Isn’t that crazy?”
When the two discuss potassium, Brielle notes that it’s found in bananas and helps relay information from our brain to our muscles. “You must eat a lot of bananas,” jokes Ellen.
STORY: Secrets of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Commenters are marveling at Brielle’s memory and intelligence, saying “Love to see what she achieves by the time she’s 20!” and “She’s a girl of the 21st century!” They’re also sharing their own kids’ skills with humor. One mom posted, “When I told my 3-year-old ‘tell me your address’ she said ‘um…I’m a dress.’”
The question of the hour is “How does she do it?” and when Ellen asks, Brielle says, “My little brain just remembers.”
The talk show host captioned the video, “At 3 years old, this little girl knows elements like Xenon and Scandium. I thought those were reindeer.”
Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.
