Painted stones are an asset to any stone collection. They can be made by children by painting stones and varnishing them. The detail that older children can achieve is lovely.

We need to be supportive and encouraging of our kids’ mistakes.  We need to see them for what they are; one more chance to boost self confidence by allowing for critical thinking and problem solving.   What we need is not a balance between rescuing and washing our hands, but a third choice all together: focusing on solutions.  When a mistake has been made, is it more important to look for blame, or to figure out how to fix it?  Instead of spouting off about carelessness, immaturity, or inconvenience (which are always the first exasperated thoughts that come to mind), try asking, What are we going to do about it?  What can I do to help?  What are you going to do? What are some options we could try?

Read the rest of this great article HERE.

History Channel: http://www.history.com/videos

Newton’s Apple: http://www.newtonsapple.tv/

ElectroCity is a new online computer game that lets players manage their own virtual towns and cities. It’s great fun to play and also teaches players all about energy, sustainability and environmental management in New Zealand.

Naomi Lewin brings classical music’s great composers to life through music and stories. Tune in to 90.9 FM on Saturday morning at 8:50 and Sunday evening at 6:00. Or, listen to the programs here.Have fun online with classical music games Compose your own music and share it with your friends; repeat the rockin’ rhythms; and listen to the music online.

In the classroom, classical music can be an exciting tool. The Classics for Kids® lesson plans and teaching resources give teachers practical, effective plans and activities that use classical music to help children learn. and meet national and state standards. They are based on National Standards for the Arts and state Academic Content Standards for Music, as well as on Theory of Multiple Intelligences. The materials also incorporate various philosophies, including those of Orff, Dalcrose, and Kodaly.

An online streaming video program featuring Screen Actors Guild Foundation members reading children’s books aloud.

Unschooling “Atypical” Children

a.. http://danielleconger.organiclearning.org/spirited.html
Danielle Conger: Parenting The Spirited Child (unschooling)

b.. http://danielleconger.organiclearning.org/highneed.html
Danielle Conger: Unschooling the High Need Child

c.. http://radicalunschooling.blogspot.com/2009/10/unerzogen-article.html
Ren Allen – Unschooling the Atypical Child/on not seeking a diagnosis

d.. http://www.unschooling.com/library/essays/giftedchild.shtml
Lisa Rivero: Unschooling the “Gifted” Child

e.. http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/anneo/I_Am_What_I_Am.htm
Anne Ohman: I Am What I Am

f.. http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/anneo/Highly_Sensitive_Shine.htm
Anne Ohman: Allowing your Highly Sensitive Child to SHINE with Unschooling

g.. http://sandradodd.com/special/autism
Unschooling and Autism

h.. http://sandradodd.com/special/mary
Mary Gold: Special Needs or Just Special?

i.. http://sandradodd.com/special/cheryl
Doesn’t Sound Like ADHD to Me!

Explosivity, Sensitivity, Mental Illness, Sensory Integration, Visual-Spacial
Learners, and Autism Spectrum

a.. http://www.livesinthebalance.org/
The Explosive Child/Collaborative Problem Solving web site

b..
http://www.amazon.com/Calming-Tempest-Helping-Explosive-Child/dp/B00021LL0A
Calming the Tempest: Helping the Explosive Child DVD

c.. http://www.hsperson.com/pages/child.htm
What is a Highly Sensitive Child?

d.. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/sfri-hst012910.php
Abstract re: sensitivity to stress (attached)

e.. http://meredithfsmall.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/orchids-and-dandelions/
Meredith Small: Orchids and Dandelions – on resilience and stress

f.. http://www.sengifted.org/articles_counseling/DabrowskisTheory.pdf
Dabrowski’s Theory and Existential Depression in Gifted Children and Adults

g.. http://www.stephanietolan.com/dabrowskis.htm
Dabrowski’s Over-excitabilities – A Layman’s Explaination

h.. http://www.bipolarchild.com/Newsletters/0710.html
The Long Road to the Pharmacy

i.. http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/articles.htm
The Out of Sync Child – articles on sensory integration, and sensory-motor
activities

j.. http://throwingmarshmallows.homeschooljournal.net/r-b-resources/
Right Brained (visual spacial) Learner Resources

Abstract from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/sfri-hst012910.php:
High sensitivity to stress isn’t always bad for children

Children who are especially reactive to stress are more vulnerable to adversity
and have more behavior and health problems than their peers. But a new
longitudinal study suggests that highly reactive children are also more likely
to do well when they’re raised in supportive environments.

The study, by scientists at the University of British Columbia, the University
of California, San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley,
appears in the January/February 2010 issue of the journal Child Development.

“Parents and teachers may find that sensitive children, like orchids, are more
challenging to raise and care for, but they can bloom into individuals of
exceptional ability and strength when reared in a supportive, nurturing, and
encouraging environment,” according to Jelena Obradovic, an assistant professor
in the School of Education at Stanford University (Dr. Obradovic was at the
University of British Columbia when she led the study).

The researchers looked at 338 kindergarteners, as well as their teachers and
families, to determine how family adversity and biological reactivity contribute
to healthy development.

They found that children who had significantly stronger biological reactions to
a series of mildly stressful tasks designed to look like challenges in their
daily lives were more affected by their family contexts, both bad and good. This
means that highly reactive children were more likely to have developmental
problems when growing up in adverse, stressful family settings.

But contrary to expectation, such children were also more likely to thrive when
they were raised in caring, low-stress families because of their sensitivities
to the supportive and nurturing qualities of such environments.

“The study tells us that when children are highly susceptible to stress, it’s
not always bad news, but rather should be considered in terms of the type of
environment they live in,” explains Obradovic.

###

The study was funded, in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Orchids and Dandelions

http://meredithfsmall.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/orchids-and-dandelions/

February 5, 2010

We all assume that all children will suffer equally if they grow up in a
stressful environment. Poverty, uncaring parents, war, all negative experiences,
surely scar children for life.

And yet some kids appear to be resilient. They bounce back , sideways, and
forward, even in the worst circumstances, and somehow get through life with a
smile on their faces.

Researchers are just beginning to analyze and understand what resilience is all
about, and it’s not about bouncing anywhere. Some people, it seems, are
genetically wired to be vulnerable to their environment, good or bad, while
others carry genes that make them less vulnerable. Genes then explain the kid in
poverty who does well, and the child with every advantage who is a mess.

Researchers call the vulnerable ones “orchids,” because they are are so affected
by their circumstance.

The those who get along no matter what are called “dandelions,” as in the weeds
that thrive anywhere.

The obvious lesson here is that we, as a community, and as parents, need to
focus on those orchids who are planted in unhealthy places and those in sunny
spots.

And it never hurts to gather a few dandelions and make a crown of flowers.

I envisioned MakeBeliefsComix.com as a place for you to come to and have fun by creating your own world of comic strips. My hope is that by giving you a choice of characters with different moods and the chance to write words and thoughts for them, you will tap into your creativity and explore new possibilities. After all, there is no greater force in life than the power of the imagination to free us from our immediate problems and to spur our energies to find solutions to our befuddlements.

MakeBeliefsComix is for people of all ages who like to play and explore. They include, for example, those wanting a few minutes of fun; youngsters and their parents; students and teachers; business executives trying to unwind from the stress of work, and activities directors and social workers who try to help people express their deepest thoughts and feelings. My intent is that you will regard this site as a safe place where you feel empowered to create and to test new ideas and ways to communicate through art and writing.

http://www.brainpopjr.com/

BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement. Our award-winning online educational resources include BrainPOP Jr. (K-3), BrainPOP, BrainPOP Español, and the newly launched BrainPOP ESL. All are supported by BrainPOP Educators, which features free lesson plans, video tutorials, professional development tools, graphic organizers, and best practices for our teacher community.

Ideal for both group and one-on-one settings, BrainPOP is used in numerous ways, from introducing a new lesson or topic to illustrating complex subject matter to reviewing before a test. Content is aligned to state standards and easily searchable with our online State Standards Tool. Uniquely suited for 21st-century learning, all products are fully compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs. No downloading, installation, or special hardware is required.

It is very satisfying for parents to see their children in pursuit of knowledge. It is natural and healthy for the children, and in the first few years of life, the pursuit goes on during every waking hour. But after a few short years, most kids go to school. The schools also want to see children in pursuit of knowledge, but the schools want them to pursue mainly the school’s knowledge and devote twelve years of life to doing so.

For the rest of the article, please read: http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/earl_stevens.html