Frogs have appeared in myths, folklore, proverbs and fairytales across cultures for centuries. This nonfiction book allows us to take a peek at real frogs, and it is a reminder that we share the earth with other creatures. As our human population growth destroys more and more of frogs’ habitats, their numbers continue to diminish. What… Read More
Part of becoming a resilient mathematician is learning to recognize what it feels like to be stuck, and what strategies can be useful in getting yourself unstuck. I encourage strategy games that are low threshold high ceiling tasks where all children can easily access the game at its basic level and play ‘randomly’. The high ceiling… Read More
Colorful and easy to use, Lego bricks have withstood the test of time because of their unlimited open-ended possibilities. Legos provide experiences for children to think in three dimensions, strengthen problem solving and support creativity no matter their age. The value of open-ended play offered by these humble bricks is not simply an enjoyable experience, engaging… Read More
Differences and Friendship Many ancient philosophers saw the differences between two friends to be essential for their friendship. Aristotle saw the value of differences between a pair of friends to be based on their mirroring effect. You can analyze yourself by comparing yourself to your friends. You might ask yourself what you admire in your friends,… Read More
Fairy tales have always had a life of their own. I love that they have grown and evolved around the world. It is because of this growth and adaptability, that the fairy tale has become one of the world’s most important literary traditions. More recently, we have seen many humorous adaptations of well known fairy tales. … Read More
Strategy games offer children opportunities to think mathematically, rather than produce specific mathematical results. We know children learn through different modalities. Play experiences and games help them to relax long enough to understand, figure out the strategy and respond to the challenge. Children gain and win at times when they might not otherwise feel they can… Read More
Green lacewings are often an under-appreciated group of beneficial insects, and they are so valuable for pest management. Their contribution to insect control quite is immense! As soon as the green lacewing’s eggs hatch, the hungry larvae will eat aphids, mealybugs, scale, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies and other slow moving insects. So, I decided that our… Read More
SUZANNE SIEGEL and THE ART OF COLLAGE I am very pleased to introduce you to Suzanne Siegel. I love Suzanne’s work, and when I saw her “Nest in Place IV”, I wanted to get to know her better. So, I wrote to her, and she graciously agreed to both share her work with us and the… Read More
“Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” Albert Einstein Since we all want to help our children learn math, it is often tempting to say, “The way you solved that problem was great, but now let me show you a faster way.” The most important thing to remember when engaging your children… Read More
Our wide range of life experiences help shape our values. We may know specifically what they are, or perhaps we just live by them without realizing it. Our values in their simplest form are our principals about what in life is important. This children’s book poses two important questions for all of us. What gives a… Read More
