Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

JoAnn Deak, Ph.D., has spent more than thirty years as an educator and psychologist, helping children develop into confident and competent adults.Her book "Your Fantastic Elastic Brain" teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains. It also delivers the crucial message that mistakes are an essential part of learning. The book introduces children to the anatomy and various functions of the brain in a fun and engaging way. It  is now available as an app for the ipad.
your-fantastic-elastic-brain

      

Google Honors
Maria Montessori

On Friday, August 31, Google will honor Maria Montessori on her 142nd birthday with a "Google Doodle." What does this mean? The Google homepage will display the Google logo built from common Montessori classroom materials!

As many of you already know, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin both attended a Montessori school as children.  During an interview with Barbara Walters in 2004, Page and Brin credited their years as Montessori students as a major factor contributing to their success. They said that their Montessori education allowed them to learn to think for themselves, taught them to be self-directed and self-starters, and gave them freedom to pursue their own interests.

Google has been known to vary their logo from time to time to honor famous people or events, often referred to as a Google Doodle. Make sure to visit google on August 31st to see the logo as it will only be displayed for one day.

Happy Birthday, Maria!!

Montessori Education for the Early Childhood Years

This is an excerpt from "Nurturing the Love of Learning" produced by the American Montessori Society. It shows how Montessori education nurtures learning for children who are 3-6.
Montessori Education for the Early Childhood Years

Raising Successful Children

An article for parents of all children featured in the New York Times "Sunday Review" section
Drawing on the work of  psychologists Diana Baumrind and Carol Dweck,  Madeline Levine explains why an authoritative  style of parenting produces children who are more independent and motivated and have a greater sense of self.
Hanging back and allowing children to make mistakes is one of the hardest tasks of parenting, but as Levine writes "if you can't stand  to see your child unhappy, you are in the wrong business". "Raising Successful Children"

The Harvard Business Review thinks businesses should be run like a Montessori school:

 Company Mu Sigma models development on Montessori principals which include  " an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits and respect for a child's natural psychological development, as well as technological advancements in society."  Intrinsic motivation - an employee's love for what she does - is better than money and promotions. 
Develop Leaders the Montessori Way

Making Good Decisions

Learning to Make Good Decisions

Maren Stark Schmidt has a wonderful way of giving parents and teachers words of wisdom in small manageable doses. She reminds us that we are doing more than raising children, we are in fact building humanity. It is easy to get stuck in the daily toils and challenges of parenting and teaching and miss the big picture. Her collection of essays "Building Cathedrals not Walls" reminds us to look beyond the mundane and appreciate that we are part of  something magnificent.

   

At http://www.kidstalknews.com/Schmidt reminds us that we need to allow children to make mistakes, so that they can learn from their environment and develop a base of knowledge for good decision making.

Kids Talk is an award-winning newspaper column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt

"Mind in the Making -The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs" by Ellen Galinsky

Mind-Making-Seven-Essential-Skills
If I had to select my top ten books  that help me understand children's brains and how I can facilitate learning, growth, and creativity Ellen Galinsky's book would be high on the list. 
This book doesn't promote a formulaic ways of parenting - children aren't robots; they're individuals. It is a book about children for thinking parents


Galinsky identifies "essential life skills" that children need most and shows parents what they can do to build these skills in their children for today and for the future. They don't cost money, and it's never too late to begin.
 They are the skills that give children the ability to focus on their goals so that they can learn more easily and communicate what they've learned. These are the skills that prepare children for the pressures of modern life, skills that they will draw on now and for years to come


Find out more about Ellen Galinsky at
http://mindinthemaking.org/meet_ellen_galinsky/