Viewpoint: Obama wins Peace Prize

“In less than a year in office, he has transformed the way we look at ourselves and the world we live in and rekindled hope for a world at peace with itself,”

— former Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Surprising news – Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize today. Yes, that Nobel Peace Prize. No, this isn’t a misprint. Among 205 nominations, the Nobel committee chose Barack Obama – accomplishments still TBD – as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner. As my husband put it, “He hasn’t done anything.”

It’s true. And yet, it’s an insightful choice. Obama hasn’t evidenced a tangible accomplishment, but he has “done something” just by remaining hopeful in a climate of despair and fear.

Virtual Lap Harp

You can really “play” the Virtual Lap Harp. Move your mouse over the strings to hear the notes, or listen to MP3’s of 9 songs played on lap harp. To extend the activity a little, grab a xylophone and play the matching notes. It’s a short and fun musical diversion.

Virtual Lap Harp Click the kids’ harp; it loads faster and is easier to enjoy.

Identifying Fall Leaves

What kind of leaf do you have?
Steve Nix has created an interactive quiz that will lead you directly to the answer. Even the weird leaf we picked up at the library was no problem – it’s a birch. Very satisfying.

About.Com: Tree Leaf Key

More Activities for learning about Autumn:
Project Learning Tree has activities for signs of fall, looking at leaves, a tree life cycle, and more.
Author Beth Harpaz appreciates some of the events of Autumn in the article, Searching for Early Signs of Fall.

Viewpoint: Play

As it turns out, I might be an unschooler. I’m shy of the term, since I’m in favor of the idea of schooling, and the first time I heard the word unschooling it was applied in a derisive manner. Surely I can’t be one of them.

Today’s post, however, isn’t about unschooling. It’s about play. It just happens that my focus quote is by an unschooler. There’s really nothing in her article that links the two. So for now I can remain on the margins of that category.

Play, however, is not something I am in the margins of. There are situations that call for learning to be dry and disconnected, but certainly these should be the sidebars of any learning situation. There’s no substitute for learning which occurs naturally through discovery, curiousity, exploration, and play.

Read more about play:

The Importance of Play from Brookes Publishing

Quotes about Play from the Strong Museum of Play

The American Journal of Play

Peaceful Playgrounds – all about the spaces we use for recess

Playing with Your Child from the Child Development Institute

Maria Montessori: Play is the Work of the Child from the Child Development Institute

Viewpoint: Multitasking

“Your brain may be in trouble.”

News Release from Stanford University

Researchers at Stanford University hoped to learn some productivity tips by studying multitaskers, but they found nothing to emulate. “They can’t keep things separate in their minds,” said lead researcher Eyal Ophir. Colleague Professor Clifford Nass commented, “They’re suckers for irrelevancy.”

The next question, researchers say, is whether multitaskers have an innate tendency towards distraction or if multitasking helps create a distracted brain. That’s a question parents and educators have been debating for years, as the rise of video games, commercials, and “factoids” have continued to chop up children’s attention spans.

Read more below.
Stanford University: Multitasking

–> “It’s an inherent part of the job description.“ ~ Parenting writer Katherine Lee
–> “Staying focused and not fragmented is ‘the next best thing’ to happiness.“ ~ Judith Timson, columnist for The Globe and Mail
–> “Any kind of disruption can make driving dangerous.“ ~ Science Daily, in 2008
–> “We do not learn as well when we are distracted“ ~ Science Daily, in 2006

Home: Sleepover Results

Life at Home: I had a sleepover in Carolyn’s room. Then I fed her cinnamon cereal for breakfast, and now she’s having a crazy reaction. Maybe I mean

Dolls: A Dolly’s World

A Dolly’s World has an impressive collection of stuff for bears and dolls.

Beautiful Bears

More than 50 well-dressed bears were up for auction at the Lincoln Public Library.

We went to see the bears, but first we dressed up a bear of our own. For ideas, we looked at pictures online, but Carolyn couldn’t decide, so I pulled out some of the doll clothes and stuff we have. Immediately after seeing a cute greenish dress, Carolyn was decided – she wanted to dress her bear up as a baby. We had great fun gathering up props, wrapping the “baby” in a blanket, and filling up a “diaper bag.” She carefully considered the options – toy stroller, toy carseat, or diaper bag, and chose the diaper bag. She is a very careful and meticulous girl. It’s one of the things I love about her and one of the things that I think would make school a hard match for her.

Read about the Bear Auction on the Valley Breeze site, or look at pictures of well-dressed bears online at The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and Build-A-Bear.

Cat Allergies

Naturally, if we were sane and rational about our allergies, we would stay away from anything that makes us sick. Many of us, however, are not sane and rational about pets, especially our cats. – from “Top Ten Steps,” below.

Want to keep your cats?

Top Ten Steps for Living With Cat Allergies – Basic Information about “managing” cat allergies.

For the Love of Cats – more detailed information on exactly what causes cat allergy and how to handle living with cats.

Cat Allergy Free – Apparently, acupressure techniques can eliminate cat allergy symptoms. Neither Tom or I thought this was worth investigating.

Anxiety According to the medicine Xolair, allergic reactions can cause feelings of anxiety or “dread.” When I mentioned this to Carolyn one night, she asked for an explanation of dread – and then said, “Oh, that’s what I feel.” At times children seem to have a sophisticated plain-spokenness that’s hard to mistrust.

In case you didn’t know, cat proteins, and not hair, which cause allergic reactions. Here’s a simple explanation from Yahoo Answers.

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On the other hand, research released in 2007 shows that 29% of asthma cases are caused by cats. Read a brief report: Asthma Linked to Cat Allergies. I’ve heard similar reports before, and to me, it’s frightening. The preference we have had for keeping cats could cause a life-threatening reaction in our daughter. Since Carolyn has already been to the emergency room for a breathing condition once, this doesn’t seem theoretical to me.

Clip Art: Lakeshore Learning

Lakeshore Learning’s selection of clip art is designed with teachers in mind. Useful categories are displayed on the main page, and they’re easy to browse without a lot of scrolling. The selection is small but relevant to many teachers’ needs.

Lakeshore Learning Clip Art