Stars & Stripes Celebrations For America the Beautiful

July 3, 2010 With the TEDxOilspill recap of innovative solutions airing on pbs last night (complete with faux BPGlobalPR masked man Leroy Stick) Oil, and WorldWildlife Fund Free e-cards reminding that almost a quarter of the world's mammals face extinction within 30 years, Independence Day is taking on a bit of an oily sheen to me. Seems "patriotic duty" is veering toward … [Read more...]

Meaningful Media for Father’s Day: My Daddy Taught Me To…

June 13, 2010 One week from Father’s Day and media is awash with ubiquitous tie and techie ads for Father’s Day finds. Meh. Better ideas? Experiential fun for memories in the making... How would YOU fill in the blank, “My Daddy Taught Me To…?” It’s no secret I’m a water rat and an island girl who spent much of childhood splashing in the surf or sprawled on one of Hawaii’s … [Read more...]

Green Toys and Fun Finds With Big Kid Appeal: Ten Under $10 Pt. 2

Dec. 23, 2009 Shhhhhh...I'm snagging one of the new "Smencils" that just arrived today 'cause I figure 'less is more' and 'variety is the spice' when it comes to stocking stuffers...She doesn't need a whole 'set' right? A whiff here and there and she'll get the gist of the theme...100% recycled newspapers turned into a rainbow of scents and colors. I like finding inexpensive … [Read more...]

Free Media Finds That Are Priceless Year-Round

Dec. 16, 2009 Got gifts? Not sure when we jumped from “Black Friday/Cyber Monday” to bold-type headlines of “last minute gifts!”---but I’m still holding my own on the ‘haven’t stepped in a mall’ front… So today I’m going to add a few FREE ‘last minute finds’ that are literally and figuratively priceless. To up the ante and make it tougher, I’ll remove the physical … [Read more...]

Meaningful Manga: Graphic Novels and Growth

Update: May 21, 2014 Our friends at Reach and Teach have added another clever manga style illustrated book called "A is for Action" which merits an update! I love the seeding of social change in a fun fresh manner. The A is for Action book and HelpTakeAction.com website are a result of a teacher-initiated action research project published in the IB Journal of Teaching Practice: … [Read more...]