Leo the Late Bloomer

One thing I absolutely love about FSP is the emphasis on learning as a process, rather than a set of outcomes.  Last night, we tried a bunch of different cooking techniques for momos and a bunch of them fell apart.  Kate quickly jumped in with  that's ok mom, mistakes are how we learn.  Although I take mistakes hard, I wish for my children that ability to rejoice a bit in mistakes and the ability to laugh them off and keep trying.

Katie's class read Leo the Late Bloomer and the kids made incredibly sweet drawings of where they have already bloomed and where they're sprouting... Sounds like a good idea for grown-ups taking stock, as well.... and grown-ups can take even more comfort with this new MobileActives new initiative "failfaires" to celebrate all the mistakes that lead to brilliant innovation.

Henryfest this Sunday!

Quick reminder about Henryfest, which is this Sunday from 12 - 7 at Skyline Farm in North Yarmouth. Come support 317's music scholarships program and hear some fabulous bluegrass in the process. Rainplace will be at the St. Lawrence.

Carol Dweck and Mindsets

I have recently come across a lot of references to Carol Dweck and the idea of "mindsets" -- that is, how we think about intelligence and our own self-concept  (are the traits we value innate or learned).  Middleweb sent out a blurb about an article she's written that sounds great -- would love to talk with others about it!

CREATE A CULTURE OF RISK-TAKING
http://bit.ly/ms-risktaking
This article from Educational Leadership's "Meaningful Work" issue
(Sept 2010) sums up 20 years of research by Carol Dweck and her
colleagues, identifying two distinct ways in which individuals view
intelligence and learning. The fixed mindset believes intelligence is
simply an inborn trait, while those with a growth mindset believe
that they can develop their intelligence over time. Dweck argues that
not only does meaningful schoolwork promote students' learning of
academic content, it can also teach students to love challenges, to
enjoy effort, to be resilient, and to value their own improvement.
She shares ideas about how to help students come to see that
long-term growth and success depends on taking risks.

The middleweb newsletter is full of interesting links and ideas --
to subscribe: Send a note to norton@middleweb.com with SUBSCRIBE
in the subject line.

Blog Design

We're playing with blog design and would love your comments about what works, what doesn't, what's easy to read, what's not, what you'd like permanently linked, etc. etc.  Use the comments or email kim.

New thinking about Homework -- works for us!

The NYT has an interesting review of new research on conventional wisdom about homework.  Most reassuring was that kids (and adults) retain information better if they review it in multiple locations rather than studying in the same place all the time.  So, practice multiplication at the beach whenever possible! Although the article did not engage the question about how much homework children should have, it did discuss quality -- homework that pushes us to figure out what problem we're solving, as well as drilling us on the solution, is better than repetition of the same kind of problem.  Big picture, we need to develop the skills and toolbox for diagnosis as well as result.

Our family mainly conducts homework sessions at the kitchen table, with some finishing on the couch, in the car, and probably at school.  These are also the places I tend to do my work, with a little coffee shop thrown in.  How about your kids?  Where will homework get done in your house and when?

David Sobel on October 19th

David Sobel will visit Portland as part of FSP's Parenting for Peace speaker series on October 19th.  He will give a workshop for Pre-K - 8 educators (including community educators) in the afternoon and a free public talk in the evening (7:00 pm, Wild Play : Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors).

Official info soon!

To anyone who subscribes by e-mail

I believe I may have accidently just sent you a bunch of spam-posts - I pressed "publish" when I meant to press "delete" -- my sincere apologies if that happened!   Kim

Parenting Tips and Ideas

We all get our parenting information from different places, and it is funny how some of it becomes part of the cultural discourse while other ideas seem brilliant and new and other information helps us know ourselves as parents because it strikes us as so wrong. Where do you get your best ideas about parenting?

Dr. Laura Markham has a weekly newsletter that was suggested by another parent.

I'm a big fan of MojoMom and her podcasts and links.

NurtureShock, Mind in the Making, and Pink Brain / Blue Brain use cognitive science to help us think about child development

Where else do you go for new thinking or old reassurance about parenting?

School Dreams

Wow, another meet-the-teachers day and picnic! Those who have been around since the first one, when there were just 32 students in only three (?!) classrooms, have seen a lot of changes, all of them good if only because, even if some were uncomfortable, they resulted in forward growth for the school and our children.

So here's the question of the day: What are your dreams for the school for this year and into the future? There's not a great history of parents using the comments section to add their input, but we're hoping that's one more change that will take place right now.

More great music coming up

As summertime draws to an end and school is nigh, the fantastic music continues. On Sunday, September 12th, from noon - 7 p.m., Henryfest returns to North Yarmouth's beautiful Skyline Farm. Join us for a full afternoon plus of the best bluegrass around. Family admission is just $35, and there will be lots of kids of all ages running around barefoot. Food by Bruce's Burritos and the annual 317 homemade pie sale. Best of all, all proceeds from admission and pies go directly to 317 Main Street Community Music Center's (yeah, check them out, too! 317 is a happenin' place) scholarship fund. If I were all skillful like Kim, I would put the poster right up here for you to see, but I just play the fiddle, so you'll have to click on the links above.