Weekend Reads 2.14.14

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Articles:

Share This With All the Schools, Please {Momastery}

“TEACH ON, WARRIORS. You are the first responders, the front line, the disconnection detectives, and the best and ONLY hope we’ve got for a better world. What you do in those classrooms when no one is watching- it’s our best hope. “

*Love so, so much about this!

How To Help Your Baby Become a Math Genius (Or Not) {Janet Lansbury}

But Gopnik warns, “Sadly, some parents are likely to take the wrong lessons from these experiments and conclude that they need programs and products that will make their babies even smarter. Many think that babies, like adults, should learn in a focused, planned way. So parents put their young children in academic-enrichment classes or use flashcards… “ Instead, “Infants and toddlers need plenty of open-ended play time to be able to build the brain synapses necessary for higher learning abilities.”

A New Perspective on Past Mistakes {Hands Free Mama}

“Those mistakes of yesterday are not failures—they are stepping stones to the lovingly imperfect, grace-filled life you’ve always wanted to live.”

A Very Scary Headline About Kindergarteners {Washington Post}

“For some kids, learning to read in kindergarten is just fine. For many others, it isn’t. They just aren’t ready. In years gone by, kids were given time to develop and learn to read in the early grades without being seen as failures. Even kids who took time learning how to read were able to excel. Today kids aren’t given time and space to learn at their own speed.”

Activities:

Looking for something fun and simple to make Valentine’s Day special, even if time is short? Try these:

Textured Yarn Heart {Hands On As We Grow}

Homemade Italian Cream Sodas {Butter, with a Side of Bread}

Paper Heart Chain {Just Bella}

Candy Heart Count {NJC}

*Next week, I’ll be wrapping up Section 1 of the Read Along by hosting the G+ Hangout with the author, Heather Shumaker, along with stellar blogger, Anna Ranson of The Imagination Tree. I’ll also be introducing Section 2 — all on the same day. (Because I’m crazy like that.)

Tuesday, February 18th, my Section 2 reflection post will publish right here. Later that day, I’ll chat with Heather and Anna via G+. You can keep up to date on all the fun by following along here on the blog and/or by following me on Google+ or subscribing to my YouTube page. (All hangouts will be available as recordings via YouTube.) Hope to see you there!

Enjoy your weekend!

Comments

1

Lisa says

February 14, 2014 at 6:36 am

So will you post a specific time for the G+ Hangout? Or do you prefer that we “tune in” by watching the YouTube recording you will post? (I’m new to G+ Hangout and don’t really know how it works.)

- 2
  
  notjustcute says
  
  February 14, 2014 at 9:36 am
  
  It’s new to me to, Lisa, so this first run will clarify a lot for all of us! Certainly the YouTube recording is a safe bet. I *think* I can send all my G+ followers an invite to tune in live. We’ll see if I’m right on Tuesday, and make adjustments if I’m not! :0) Thanks for learning along with me!
  
3

Stephanie Schuler says

February 14, 2014 at 12:27 pm

Great stuff! I always look forward to learning from other talented educators across the country!

4

Jan says

February 14, 2014 at 2:45 pm

Argh! The first link from Momastery WAS excellent…but now the link has been taken down. :(. Do we know why?

Anyway, this for the list as always. I truly value these reads.

- 5
  
  notjustcute says
  
  February 14, 2014 at 3:19 pm
  
  Strange. It’s still there when I click on it. Here’s the address in case a copy/paste works better for your browser: http://momastery.com/blog/2014/01/30/share-schools/
  I hope that works!
  
  - 6
    
    Jan says
    
    February 15, 2014 at 10:41 am
    
    There seemed to be a short time on Friday afternoon when it was not available…”Error = 404″ and article not found, etc…about the time my husband was trying to read it. Neither of us could get it, but later – voila! There it was again! Thanks.
    
    - 7
      
      notjustcute says
      
      February 15, 2014 at 11:02 pm
      
      Glad it worked for you! It’s such a great piece, and I know it’s getting a lot of attention. Sometimes too big of an influx at once can throw a server offline for a bit. Maybe that’s what happened? So happy it’s being read and shared!
      
8

Jan says

February 14, 2014 at 2:46 pm

THANKS for the list, I meant. Darned autocorrect….

9

janet lansbury (@janetlansbury) says

February 14, 2014 at 10:46 pm

Thank you so much for recommending my post, Amanda! And I can’t wait to participate on your G+ event.