The Star Spangled Banner is 200 years old this year. Like many Americans, I suspect, I learned in school that it was written by Francis Scott Key after a battle in the War of 1812—possibly to the tune of an old drinking song. I assumed it became the national anthem soon after that. I was … Continue reading
How many times do we watch the news and feel helpless, surrounded by problems too enormous to understand, to say nothing of solve? Imagine then, being young, and feeling the same way. But it doesn’t have to be like that. One option is Choose2Matter. Choose2Matter started in 2011 with Angela Maiers’ TED deMoines talk focused … Continue reading
How much time does it take to be creative? Is ten seconds enough? Ten minutes? This short video, from Café Communications, looks at what happens when students are given a bit more time for creative tasks. Take a look. It made me think, how many times do we do that with students? “It’s time for … Continue reading
I’ll admit it—I get a lot of ideas from Facebook. While there is much there I’d just as soon avoid, I love keeping in touch with far off friends, and I love seeing the examples of creativity I’d never find on my own. Today’s post started with a Facebook link to artist Chino Otsuka, who … Continue reading
Have you ever looked at the rows of games in the toy aisles and thought, “Who thinks of these things?” Or even, “I could design something more interesting than that.” Perhaps now is the time you can! GameKit is a website from the Institute of Play for those who’d like to make games, without a … Continue reading
It’s time for Valentine’s Day–that celebration of all things heart-shaped that brightens the depths of seemingly endless winter. I’ve written several previous posts on creative Valentine’s Day activities— check the Valentine’s posts from 2012 and 2013. I’m still waiting to hear who presented the best case for another body part to take over as ambassador of … Continue reading
At the moment, sun in Michigan is at a premium. We’ve spent too many days in the grip of the Polar Vortex and we’re all dreaming of palm-shaded beaches. Perhaps it is my dreams of sun and sand, but this week I’ve been thinking about shadows. I’ve written about shadow activities before, so for ideas … Continue reading
So, when is failure not failure? When it is defined as an “iteration.” What does that mean? An iteration is a repetition, but not an exact one. An iteration is a repetition that changes just a bit, each one coming a bit closer to a goal. Think about times you’ve tried a recipe several times, … Continue reading
It’s bedtime. Just envision yourself snuggling with children you love and a good book. Can’t you picture them begging, “Please, please, just one more…..math problem!” I will admit, I’ve never thought about bedtime math. But then I ran across the Bedtime Math book, which led me to the Bedtime Math website—and now I’m a Bedtime … Continue reading
“You did a good job.” “You did an incredibly job!” Which of these statements is most helpful to children? It depends. Recent research by Eddie Brummelman and colleagues (including my amazing friend Brad Bushman) suggests that inflated praise can backfire in the children who may receive it most. What’s inflated praise? The differences between non-inflated … Continue reading
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