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Connecting people, actions and environment

Last Saturday, my family visited Washington D.C. during the height of the healthcare debate. While we decided not to take the girls to the rally, we did visit the National Archives. Isabella, my 8 year old, was very impressed with seeing the Constitution.
Children can build their understanding of history, and politics through such experiences but more important to this, is the opportunity for them to do social justice work.
I came across a link for Heifer International. We will begin using this to help us, "understand and appreciate the connections between people, their actions and the environment. Help your students discover that they have the power to change the world."

Exchang Article- Children as Designers

ExchangeEveryDay




Children as Designers
March 15, 2010

Our youth we can have but today, We may always find time to grow old.
-Chinese Proverb

In the Wonder newsletter that is included in the March 2010 issue of Exchange, Claire Warden, Scottish representative on the World Forum's Nature Action Collaborative for Children Leadership team, gives examples of the many ways you can work with young children in planning outdoor spaces. For example...

"Enclosure of space is another wonderful aspect of the work in creating landscapes with children. The physical size of young children changes their perspective all the time. The first thing we need to do is to put ourselves in the spaces that children show us that they love. Then we can begin to understand what their views are.

"Planning in a tangible way to enclose space can be done with rope, sand lines, pebbles, and other materials so children can move in and out of areas to show the ergonomics of a space. The way children use space will be very different from how adults use it. We need to consider if we are willing to have children change the design of a space. If not, then we should not ask the questions in the first place!

"Our new Centre for Excellence in Perthshire, Scotland, has created 15 landscape features with children as the designers. The documentation of the whole space celebrates children’s thinking. The children asked for a 'mountain 2 metres tall with a tree on top.' It had to have long, wavy grass to hide in and a path going up that had to stop at the top. When questioned about the idea of a pathway just stopping, the little girl of four years replied, 'Well, that is so you have to scramble and trip and find your own way down. It is more exciting that way.' How many times do we make our outdoor landscapes too easy or too simpl e so that all the play affordances of loose materials are removed and the thrill of adventure suppressed?"

Don't Let Disney Silence Children

"As described in today's New York Times, last fall’s successful campaign to get Disney to offer refunds on Baby Einstein videos came at a price. At the height of the media flurry about the refunds, representatives from Disney contacted JBCC, and our relationship with the Center was changed irrevocably. We were pressured to stop talking to the press about Baby Einstein. Questions were raised about whether CCFC’s mission was appropriate for a JBCC program. Finally, in January, we were told that we had to leave—quickly. And, for our remaining time under JBCC’s auspices, we were forbidden from conducting any advocacy aimed at a specific corporation or product. You may have noticed that you haven’t heard from us in a while."

Contact Judge Baker Children's Center
Board of Trustee's

Board of Trustees

Officers and Their Professional Affiliations:

• Kathryn E. Cade, Chair
• Edward E. Mullen, First Vice Chair
  Beacon Equity Partners, LLC
• Jay L. Webber, Second Vice Chair and Treasurer
  Tofias PC
• Verne W. Vance, Jr., Clerk
  Foley Hoag (retired)

Address-

Judge Baker Children's Center
53 Parker Hill Avenue
Boston, MA 02120-3225

Contact Disney

Robert A. Iger President and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company Address: Walt Disney Company, 5005 Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California 91521-0001; http://disney.go.com/home/today/index.html. (I hope that the above is accurate, I couldn't find a better address.)

The Seven Sins of Forced Education

Interesting article. I have heard several parents mention that they wished their children got to vote the books, materials and coursework that they are expected to learn. I have heard children say that they wished they could take a day off when they are feeling stressed.

As the author of the article mentioned, I am not against public schools. Even if we get rid of NCLB, there is another act waiting to take the place of NCLB- Race to the Top, public schools are stuck under very bad acts and laws.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200909/seven-sins-our-system-forced-education

"4. Interference with the development of personal responsibility and self-direction."

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