"Not quite Rio"

Solving Problems

I saw this and thought...that's an interesting way of 👀 looking at learning.

educationrickshaw.com  

Here's Another Little Known Way To Engage Kids

Being in the moment with kids, agendaless, without targets, tick sheets and rewards is resilience in action and a great way to simply engage kids. They own their learning.

Kids teaching kids. Nature knows.

mailchi.mp  

Royal Academy of Arts: Why we need to take child art seriously

I love what they are doing - and why.

We need to change our attitude to children’s art, says the RA’s Head of Access, Families and Schools – as the RA’s Young Artist’s Summer Show prepares to return for its third year after a record number of submissions.

Children are masters of the make believe — in their minds chairs become horses, sofas become race cars, ladders become spaceships. Put a pencil in their hands and their art is equally spontaneous and playful. But this same instinctive creativity is what leads us to treat their creations as nothing more than keepsakes, or at best a temporary update for the fridge door.

Our culture just doesn’t have the building blocks for experiencing, appreciating and appraising art made by children – and that’s what we’re trying to change with the Young Artists’ Summer Show.

royalacademy.org.uk  

Enhancing Learning Experiences with LIFESMART Tools and Practices by rama.dasaratha

There is so much to learn from Rama's approach and the very practical LIFESMART tools and practices she's developed out of necessity.

The part on "Improving Practice with the 100-Day Project" is so simple, yet so powerful.

What 100-Day Project are you going to inspire your kids to do? And what will your own 100-Day Project be too?

NOTE: It doesn't have to be a big deal....just something to focus on each day for 100 days.

You'll be amazed at what can come out of doing something for 100 days.

medium.com  

Self-harm warning signs can appear decade earlier - BBC News

An insightful article from the BBC. What we do now has an impact...often much later.

The team at the University of Cambridge found two distinct groups that were more likely to harm themselves.

The first included those who struggle to control their emotions, and the second featured youngsters more willing to take risks than others their age.

The findings may mean there is a large window of opportunity to improve children's mental health.

They suggest programmes to boost children's self-esteem, anti-bullying measures in schools, and advice on improving quality of sleep, each of which could do something to reduce self-harm later in life.

bbc.co.uk  

Reshma Saujani: Teach girls bravery, not perfection | TED Talk

We're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code.

Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program -- two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says.

"I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection."

A very important message. Watch her TED Talk here.

ted.com  

Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain | Lisa Feldman Barrett

Have you ever wondered why you have a brain? Let renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett demystify that big gray blob between your ears.

In seven short essays (plus a bite-sized story about how brains evolved), this slim and accessible collection reveals mind-expanding lessons from the front lines of neuroscience research. You’ll learn where brains came from, how they’re structured (and why it matters), and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience.

A captivating collection of short essays about your brain, in the tradition of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and Seven Brief Lessons on Physics.

lisafeldmanbarrett.com