Saved By The Well and Dream Village: Perfect For World Water Day

Mar. 22, 2010 Awhile back I wrote about the ‘virtual walk’ for World Water Day to raise awareness of those in water-stressed regions who often walk six miles or more to bring water to their villages. When kids brush their teeth with gushing faucets on, or we wash our pets, cars, hair and dishes with ease, it’s hard to remember that over a billion people don’t have access to … [Read more...]

A Salute to Seuss By Google: Read, Kids, Read

Mar. 2, 2009 When I saw today’s splendid nonsensical-Seussical-Google-doodle (say that three times fast) altering their home page again, I smiled realizing this guessing game has become a bit of a sport with me. Could it be a contest promo for their Doodle4Google kids’ illustrations I wrote about here? (after all, registration is coming up on St. Patty’s Day and doodles need … [Read more...]

Kids, See How You’re Smart: Use Your Intelligence(s!)

There’s nothing more heart-wrenching to me than a child self-critical of his or her brainpower, tossing off statements about ‘the smart kids” while excluding themselves from this tribe. I see this often in my work at Shaping Youth, and it’s painful to observe, much less ‘counter-market’ because media and classroom ideals often reinforce this type of self-selection. On … [Read more...]