teaching parents to be playful
[email protected]
This is a part of a book review - from a new online emagazine called "What's
Your Creativity Quotient (C.Q)?". I'll copy that here, too, but mostly I
wanted to mention this book since it might be something that new unschoolers
would enjoy. I haven't looked at it - just basing that on what I see here.
The newsletter is more aimed at teachers - but these are people involved with
Destination Imagination and I was struck at our regional tournament by how
very very respectful of children these people were - many ARE teachers, and
it must be the real cream of the crop who do this program in their spare
time.
--pam
Book Summary: "Playful Parenting is a guide to having more fun with young
people of all ages, as they tackle new accomplishments, or recover from being
hurt, or simply when they are bursting with youthful exuberance. Through
Playful Parenting--joining children in their world, focusing on connection
and confidence, giggling and roughhousing, reversing the roles and following
your child's lead--
you will learn how to help them through their emotional blocks, handle their
strong emotions (and your own), deal effectively with sibling rivalry and
other tricky problems, and rethink your ideas about discipline and punishment…
written with love and humor, brimming with good advice and revealing
anecdotes, and grounded in the latest research, Playful Parenting will make
you laugh even as it makes you wise in the ways of being a happy, effective,
enthusiastic parent."
www.playfulparenting.com (Paperback now available!)
*********************************
From: <A HREF="mailto:feliciaborges@...">Felicia borges</A>
To: <A HREF="mailto:feliciaborges@...">feliciaborges@...</A>
Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2002 10:44 AM
Subject: What's Your Creativity Quotient?
I am sending you a copy of the premiere issue of the "What's Your Creativity
Quotient (C.Q.)?" e-newsletter! You are receiving this FREE e-newsletter as a
potential subscriber or because you may know of other individuals who will
find this information valuable (and may wish to subscribe). Creativity is a
critical, but often overlooked, element of education. Did you know that you
can greatly enhance a child’s love of learning, simply by introducing more
opportunities for creativity into his/her life? This FREE "e-newsletter"
will focus on sharing sample lesson plans, resources/links, articles, book
reviews, and other appropriate information. To subscribe, please follow the
directions at the end of this e-newsletter. Enjoy!
;-> Felicia M. Borges
---------------------------------------------
WHAT'S YOUR CREATIVITY QUOTIENT (C.Q.)?
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Thursday, July 25, 2002
---------------------------------------------
"What's Your Creativity Quotient (C.Q.)?" is a FREE e-newsletter for parents,
teachers, and others who wish to increase opportunities for creative fun in
the lives of children.
Submissions and/or articles for future issues of "What's Your Creativity
Quotient (C.Q.)?" can be sent to Felicia M. Borges, California Creativity
State Marketing Director, at <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient/post?protectID=230056235009185132169171065148192239163098100009128121188150166091061076">feliciaborges@....</A> Please provide source,
author, and other
appropriate information to be shared.
---------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. "World Class Programs" offers six steps for developing creative solutions
to problems.
2. "Creative Communication" shares lesson plans and tips for teaching poetry
to children.
3. Book Review: "Playful Parenting: A Bold New Way to Nurture Close
Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Children's Confidence"
written by Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD (FMB)
4. Craft tips, creative lesson plans, and more from "i-craft.com"
5. FREE field trip for your group!
6. A Lesson in Creativity: PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! (FMB)
---------------------------------------------
1. "World Class Programs" offers six steps for developing creative solutions
to
problems.
"In today's complex world the most important thing you can do for your child
is to teach him or her how to think." –Edward de Bono
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) allows for the use of divergent and convergent
thinking in order to develop creative solutions to problems. Six steps are
listed and explained. (Included are great focusing questions, extending
questions, clarifying questions, etc.) <A HREF="http://www.worldclassprograms.com.au/concepts.htm">
http://www.worldclassprograms.com.au/concepts.htm</A>
---------------------------------------------
2. "Creative Communication" shares tips and lesson plans for teaching poetry.
Visit <A HREF="http://www.poeticpower.com/Frebies.htm">http://www.poeticpower.com/Frebies.htm</A> and follow links to "Poetry
Teaching Tips from past issues of Poetic Power." You can also sign up for a
FREE subscription for future issues.
---------------------------------------------
3. Book Review: "Playful Parenting: A Bold New Way to Nurture Close
Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Children's Confidence"
written by Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD (FMB)
I had the pleasure of meeting the book's author at this year's National
Association of Independent Schools Conference in San Francisco, California. I
really like the message in this book. There are also many practical ideas and
easy to follow instructions to help you deal effectively with children, at
THEIR level. I have personally used many of the techniques in the book with
my own child (as well as other children and even a few adults). If you want
to lecture/discipline a little less and laugh/play a whole lot more, I would
encourage you to get this book!
Book Summary: "Playful Parenting is a guide to having more fun with young
people of all ages, as they tackle new accomplishments, or recover from being
hurt, or simply when they are bursting with youthful exuberance. Through
Playful Parenting--joining children in their world, focusing on connection
and confidence, giggling and roughhousing, reversing the roles and following
your child's lead--
you will learn how to help them through their emotional blocks, handle their
strong emotions (and your own), deal effectively with sibling rivalry and
other tricky problems, and rethink your ideas about discipline and punishment…
written with love and humor, brimming with good advice and revealing
anecdotes, and grounded in the latest research, Playful Parenting will make
you laugh even as it makes you wise in the ways of being a happy, effective,
enthusiastic parent."
www.playfulparenting.com (Paperback now available!)
---------------------------------------------
4. Get more out of your creative time with these craft tips from
"i-craft.com"
"The less time you spend correcting mistakes or fussing with set-up and
clean-up, the more pleasure you get!" www.i-craft.com has some great "craft"
ideas and tips for working with children. Here are just a few:
· Remember this adage: clean hands, clean project.
· Use plastic party table covers for messy crafts. They protect better than
newspaper and can be used more than once.
· When working with cardboard and glue, lightly wet the underside of the
cardboard and it will dry flat.
· Prevent paper from ripping when affixing tape by applying the tape to
clothing first to reduce its stickiness.
· Cut Styrofoam® by using a serrated knife well waxed with a candle stub or
paraffin.
· Heat from a blow drier causes strings of hot glue to disintegrate
immediately.
· When doing decoupage, use rounded lacquered chopsticks to smooth out any
air bubbles or wrinkles after gluing. You can usually find lacquered
chopsticks (which are smoother than un-lacquered sticks) in Asian markets or
gift shops.
· To keep the pattern stationary, have children place a rolled piece of
masking tape between the pattern and the surface to be cut. Cut around
pattern and surface simultaneously.
While at "i-craft.com" also check out the "Teacher Place" where you'll find
· Creative lesson plans that incorporate crafts with core curriculum
subjects. <A HREF="http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/plans00/index.html">http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/plans00/index.html</A> · Making the
Connection to Project Based Learning in Your Curriculum. <A HREF="http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/connect_teachers.pdf">
http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/connect_teachers.pdf</A>
---------------------------------------------
5. FREE field trip for your group!
Visit www.fieldtripfactory.com to schedule a FREE field trip! Whether you are
a teacher, a parent or a Destination ImagiNation® Team Manager, "Field Trip
Factory" can meet the needs of your group! "Field Trip Factory" offers FREE
field trips for children to enable them to learn valuable life skills, make
smart choices, and live healthy lives. Does it sound too good to be true?
Visit their site to see for yourself!
---------------------------------------------
6. A Lesson in Creativity: PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! (FMB)
Mealtime can provide a great learning opportunity for a child. Consider one
of these ideas:
· Practice making geometric shapes out of cheese cubes and pretzel sticks.
Try making cubes, pyramids or other geometric shapes. For more fun, try
making a watchtower for a pretzel pirate or a footbridge between two cups.
· Create mosaic tile designs out of graham crackers (base), peanut butter
(grout), and trail mix, candies or mini-marshmallows (tiles). Sort tiles by
size, color, and shape before creating a design.
· Create a modern art sculpture using slices of fruit and/or veggies. Use
toothpicks or skewers (be careful!) to connect pieces together.
· Build a sand castle out of pancakes. Use cookie cutters or a butter knife
to cut basic shapes. (Add a moat for maple syrup!)
· Draw a picture or write your name with cooked spaghetti. When project is
completed, cover with marinara and dive in. (Don't forget to slurp!)
· Make your own ice cream flavors. Allow vanilla ice cream to soften slightly
and divide small portions into disposable bowls. Add a flavor to each bowl
(such as candies, cookies, peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate syrup,
strawberries, mashed banana, etc.) and refreeze. Play ice cream parlor (role
playing) or conduct a taste test (evaluation and comparison) by defining
criteria, creating a
survey form, and comparing all flavors to pick the best one.
---------------------------------------------
"What's Your Creativity Quotient (C.Q.)?" is sent out once a week.
Subscribers can unsubscribe at anytime. Addresses will not be traded or sold.
To learn more about this group, visit: <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient">
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient</A>
Did you enjoy this issue? Share it with someone you know! Anyone can
subscribe to this FREE e-newsletter by sending an e-mail to:
<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient/post?protectID=137212192237175132215056031245076077078230238189039113208193105034158254228105220182126088029225086019038017241139121246244045240043">[email protected]</A>
---------------------------------------------
California Creativity is a non-profit and 100% volunteer run creative problem
solving program that benefits children, Kindergarten-College. By
administering Destination ImagiNation's® fun and wacky brand of curriculum,
California Creativity nurtures and celebrates creativity, develops teamwork
and problem solving skills and promotes divergent thinking among participants
(and volunteers) throughout California.
For more information, contact:
Felicia M. Borges, State Marketing Director
California Creativity/Destination ImagiNation®
5922 67th Street, Sacramento, California 95824
(916) 388-1903 eve/weekends
<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient/post?protectID=230056235009185132169171065148192239163098100009128121188150166091061">feliciaborges@...</A>
www.californiacreativity.org (for California specific information)
www.destinationimagination.org (for program specific information)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Your Creativity Quotient (C.Q)?". I'll copy that here, too, but mostly I
wanted to mention this book since it might be something that new unschoolers
would enjoy. I haven't looked at it - just basing that on what I see here.
The newsletter is more aimed at teachers - but these are people involved with
Destination Imagination and I was struck at our regional tournament by how
very very respectful of children these people were - many ARE teachers, and
it must be the real cream of the crop who do this program in their spare
time.
--pam
Book Summary: "Playful Parenting is a guide to having more fun with young
people of all ages, as they tackle new accomplishments, or recover from being
hurt, or simply when they are bursting with youthful exuberance. Through
Playful Parenting--joining children in their world, focusing on connection
and confidence, giggling and roughhousing, reversing the roles and following
your child's lead--
you will learn how to help them through their emotional blocks, handle their
strong emotions (and your own), deal effectively with sibling rivalry and
other tricky problems, and rethink your ideas about discipline and punishment…
written with love and humor, brimming with good advice and revealing
anecdotes, and grounded in the latest research, Playful Parenting will make
you laugh even as it makes you wise in the ways of being a happy, effective,
enthusiastic parent."
www.playfulparenting.com (Paperback now available!)
*********************************
From: <A HREF="mailto:feliciaborges@...">Felicia borges</A>
To: <A HREF="mailto:feliciaborges@...">feliciaborges@...</A>
Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2002 10:44 AM
Subject: What's Your Creativity Quotient?
I am sending you a copy of the premiere issue of the "What's Your Creativity
Quotient (C.Q.)?" e-newsletter! You are receiving this FREE e-newsletter as a
potential subscriber or because you may know of other individuals who will
find this information valuable (and may wish to subscribe). Creativity is a
critical, but often overlooked, element of education. Did you know that you
can greatly enhance a child’s love of learning, simply by introducing more
opportunities for creativity into his/her life? This FREE "e-newsletter"
will focus on sharing sample lesson plans, resources/links, articles, book
reviews, and other appropriate information. To subscribe, please follow the
directions at the end of this e-newsletter. Enjoy!
;-> Felicia M. Borges
---------------------------------------------
WHAT'S YOUR CREATIVITY QUOTIENT (C.Q.)?
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Thursday, July 25, 2002
---------------------------------------------
"What's Your Creativity Quotient (C.Q.)?" is a FREE e-newsletter for parents,
teachers, and others who wish to increase opportunities for creative fun in
the lives of children.
Submissions and/or articles for future issues of "What's Your Creativity
Quotient (C.Q.)?" can be sent to Felicia M. Borges, California Creativity
State Marketing Director, at <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient/post?protectID=230056235009185132169171065148192239163098100009128121188150166091061076">feliciaborges@....</A> Please provide source,
author, and other
appropriate information to be shared.
---------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. "World Class Programs" offers six steps for developing creative solutions
to problems.
2. "Creative Communication" shares lesson plans and tips for teaching poetry
to children.
3. Book Review: "Playful Parenting: A Bold New Way to Nurture Close
Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Children's Confidence"
written by Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD (FMB)
4. Craft tips, creative lesson plans, and more from "i-craft.com"
5. FREE field trip for your group!
6. A Lesson in Creativity: PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! (FMB)
---------------------------------------------
1. "World Class Programs" offers six steps for developing creative solutions
to
problems.
"In today's complex world the most important thing you can do for your child
is to teach him or her how to think." –Edward de Bono
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) allows for the use of divergent and convergent
thinking in order to develop creative solutions to problems. Six steps are
listed and explained. (Included are great focusing questions, extending
questions, clarifying questions, etc.) <A HREF="http://www.worldclassprograms.com.au/concepts.htm">
http://www.worldclassprograms.com.au/concepts.htm</A>
---------------------------------------------
2. "Creative Communication" shares tips and lesson plans for teaching poetry.
Visit <A HREF="http://www.poeticpower.com/Frebies.htm">http://www.poeticpower.com/Frebies.htm</A> and follow links to "Poetry
Teaching Tips from past issues of Poetic Power." You can also sign up for a
FREE subscription for future issues.
---------------------------------------------
3. Book Review: "Playful Parenting: A Bold New Way to Nurture Close
Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Children's Confidence"
written by Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD (FMB)
I had the pleasure of meeting the book's author at this year's National
Association of Independent Schools Conference in San Francisco, California. I
really like the message in this book. There are also many practical ideas and
easy to follow instructions to help you deal effectively with children, at
THEIR level. I have personally used many of the techniques in the book with
my own child (as well as other children and even a few adults). If you want
to lecture/discipline a little less and laugh/play a whole lot more, I would
encourage you to get this book!
Book Summary: "Playful Parenting is a guide to having more fun with young
people of all ages, as they tackle new accomplishments, or recover from being
hurt, or simply when they are bursting with youthful exuberance. Through
Playful Parenting--joining children in their world, focusing on connection
and confidence, giggling and roughhousing, reversing the roles and following
your child's lead--
you will learn how to help them through their emotional blocks, handle their
strong emotions (and your own), deal effectively with sibling rivalry and
other tricky problems, and rethink your ideas about discipline and punishment…
written with love and humor, brimming with good advice and revealing
anecdotes, and grounded in the latest research, Playful Parenting will make
you laugh even as it makes you wise in the ways of being a happy, effective,
enthusiastic parent."
www.playfulparenting.com (Paperback now available!)
---------------------------------------------
4. Get more out of your creative time with these craft tips from
"i-craft.com"
"The less time you spend correcting mistakes or fussing with set-up and
clean-up, the more pleasure you get!" www.i-craft.com has some great "craft"
ideas and tips for working with children. Here are just a few:
· Remember this adage: clean hands, clean project.
· Use plastic party table covers for messy crafts. They protect better than
newspaper and can be used more than once.
· When working with cardboard and glue, lightly wet the underside of the
cardboard and it will dry flat.
· Prevent paper from ripping when affixing tape by applying the tape to
clothing first to reduce its stickiness.
· Cut Styrofoam® by using a serrated knife well waxed with a candle stub or
paraffin.
· Heat from a blow drier causes strings of hot glue to disintegrate
immediately.
· When doing decoupage, use rounded lacquered chopsticks to smooth out any
air bubbles or wrinkles after gluing. You can usually find lacquered
chopsticks (which are smoother than un-lacquered sticks) in Asian markets or
gift shops.
· To keep the pattern stationary, have children place a rolled piece of
masking tape between the pattern and the surface to be cut. Cut around
pattern and surface simultaneously.
While at "i-craft.com" also check out the "Teacher Place" where you'll find
· Creative lesson plans that incorporate crafts with core curriculum
subjects. <A HREF="http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/plans00/index.html">http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/plans00/index.html</A> · Making the
Connection to Project Based Learning in Your Curriculum. <A HREF="http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/connect_teachers.pdf">
http://www.i-craft.com/teachers/connect_teachers.pdf</A>
---------------------------------------------
5. FREE field trip for your group!
Visit www.fieldtripfactory.com to schedule a FREE field trip! Whether you are
a teacher, a parent or a Destination ImagiNation® Team Manager, "Field Trip
Factory" can meet the needs of your group! "Field Trip Factory" offers FREE
field trips for children to enable them to learn valuable life skills, make
smart choices, and live healthy lives. Does it sound too good to be true?
Visit their site to see for yourself!
---------------------------------------------
6. A Lesson in Creativity: PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! (FMB)
Mealtime can provide a great learning opportunity for a child. Consider one
of these ideas:
· Practice making geometric shapes out of cheese cubes and pretzel sticks.
Try making cubes, pyramids or other geometric shapes. For more fun, try
making a watchtower for a pretzel pirate or a footbridge between two cups.
· Create mosaic tile designs out of graham crackers (base), peanut butter
(grout), and trail mix, candies or mini-marshmallows (tiles). Sort tiles by
size, color, and shape before creating a design.
· Create a modern art sculpture using slices of fruit and/or veggies. Use
toothpicks or skewers (be careful!) to connect pieces together.
· Build a sand castle out of pancakes. Use cookie cutters or a butter knife
to cut basic shapes. (Add a moat for maple syrup!)
· Draw a picture or write your name with cooked spaghetti. When project is
completed, cover with marinara and dive in. (Don't forget to slurp!)
· Make your own ice cream flavors. Allow vanilla ice cream to soften slightly
and divide small portions into disposable bowls. Add a flavor to each bowl
(such as candies, cookies, peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate syrup,
strawberries, mashed banana, etc.) and refreeze. Play ice cream parlor (role
playing) or conduct a taste test (evaluation and comparison) by defining
criteria, creating a
survey form, and comparing all flavors to pick the best one.
---------------------------------------------
"What's Your Creativity Quotient (C.Q.)?" is sent out once a week.
Subscribers can unsubscribe at anytime. Addresses will not be traded or sold.
To learn more about this group, visit: <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient">
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient</A>
Did you enjoy this issue? Share it with someone you know! Anyone can
subscribe to this FREE e-newsletter by sending an e-mail to:
<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient/post?protectID=137212192237175132215056031245076077078230238189039113208193105034158254228105220182126088029225086019038017241139121246244045240043">[email protected]</A>
---------------------------------------------
California Creativity is a non-profit and 100% volunteer run creative problem
solving program that benefits children, Kindergarten-College. By
administering Destination ImagiNation's® fun and wacky brand of curriculum,
California Creativity nurtures and celebrates creativity, develops teamwork
and problem solving skills and promotes divergent thinking among participants
(and volunteers) throughout California.
For more information, contact:
Felicia M. Borges, State Marketing Director
California Creativity/Destination ImagiNation®
5922 67th Street, Sacramento, California 95824
(916) 388-1903 eve/weekends
<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativityQuotient/post?protectID=230056235009185132169171065148192239163098100009128121188150166091061">feliciaborges@...</A>
www.californiacreativity.org (for California specific information)
www.destinationimagination.org (for program specific information)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]