8 Ways to Raise Enthusiastic Readers Rumors of the imminent demise of reading, common when television was the sole means of screen-based home entertainment, are recognized as somewhat exaggerated in the age of blogs and e-books. Nonetheless, much electronic reading relies heavily on video and visuals, and even mostly-text options are often organized in sound bites. If you’d like to see your … [Read more...] about 8 Ways to Raise Enthusiastic Readers
Should You Let Your Kids Go Out Alone
Should You Let Your Kids Go Out Alone Check out any picture or story of classic small-town life, and you’ll find depictions of children playing outdoors with nary an adult in sight. No worries about how far the kids wander or whether detailed plans are made, as long as everyone’s home in time for supper. No parental warnings beyond “Look both ways before you cross the street.” Today, many … [Read more...] about Should You Let Your Kids Go Out Alone
8 WAYS TO RAISE LIFELONG LEARNERS
8 WAYS TO RAISE LIFELONG LEARNERS It’s sad that the old-school approach of “sit still, keep your mouth shut, and memorize the right answers” has led many children (and adults) to associate the word “learning” with drudgery. Learning was meant to be an ongoing source of joy extending beyond school years and continuing for life—a life of new experiences, steady personal development, and endless … [Read more...] about 8 WAYS TO RAISE LIFELONG LEARNERS
THE PROBLEM WITH PERFECTIONISM
THE PROBLEM WITH PERFECTIONISM Show me someone who always has to have everything “just right,” and I’ll show you someone whose picture would look good in the dictionary next to “misery.” Life in this world was never meant to be 100% flawless and frustration-free. If it were, there’d be no room left for growth and discovery, and we’d sink into passive, apathetic lives that would hardly be … [Read more...] about THE PROBLEM WITH PERFECTIONISM
TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN TO LOVE ART AND MUSIC
TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN TO LOVE ART AND MUSIC Most of us have an unfortunate tendency to judge everything by “practicality”—how well it serves our material needs and our prospects for “success.” By thinking this way, we stifle our souls’ need to create and experience beauty for its own sake. Loving art and music has many benefits: It eases worry and pain by diverting the mind into … [Read more...] about TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN TO LOVE ART AND MUSIC