June 30, 2014 “What’s a cookie cutter?” said one student as I passed out the tools to build a knock-off of a Lunchable as part of a health literacy ‘switch pitch’ teaching about ingredients.“What do you even DO with Playdough?” said another when I gave mini-tubs to kindergarten kids who poked at it curiously as if they’d never seen or played with it before.These are some of the … [Read more...]
Aug. 7, 2013 “Wait, didn’t we already DO this?”That’s the refrain I hear constantly among parents, whether it’s supporting environmental education legislation, or getting junk food out of vending machines and school lunch programs.When research shows the benefits and links between nature, learning, health and wellness are clear, it makes me wonder, what will we need to prove … [Read more...]
Apr. 20, 2011 Screen Free Week April 18-24 If I’m "Captain of this Ship," then there’s been a mutiny and I’m walking the plank. Some of the youth crew have called me out and dressed me down for what could easily be a flashback to the old Rolling Stone ad campaign titled “Perception vs Reality.” And they have a point. In an era of virtual stages, I have failed to fully close … [Read more...]
May 6, 2015 This year, "Screen Free Week" has been hardest on me for work related immediacy, as Twitter and 'livestreaming' events have made me feel like Gumby with people pinging and pushing their content under my nose to 'Please help! Look! See! Write about this worthy cause!' Even though Screen Free Week is flexibly interpreted as a customizable mindfulness exercise, I … [Read more...]
April 20, 2020 Update: (How often does that happen 20-2020?) 4-21-2020: Amidst the "Contagion" concerns of COVID-19, take a moment to imagine what POSITIVE CONTAGION taking action on climate change could look like... Here are just a few ways to engage and inspire kids with green media to advocate for our planet's future! 4-20-2018 update: I'll spare you the countless … [Read more...]
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