Stories have the power to nurture us.
November 20, 2011
I.B. Singer (11.21.1902) who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978, understood the power of story to nurture a person’s mind and heart. He recognized how much we need stories in our lives.
“What’s life after all? The future isn’t here yet and you cannot foresee what it will bring. The present is only a moment and the past is one long story. Those who don’t tell stories and don’t hear stories live only for that moment and that isn’t enough.” His stories live on and reveal a rare combination of wisdom delivered through humor.
Curiosity drives learning.
November 18, 2011
“UCSF scientist touts inquiry as key to learning” Having to state the obvious spotlights the distressing state of education for too many children. The job of education should be to teach children how to ask good questions; questions that take them someplace in their thinking. The answers aren’t really important. What’s important is knowing the […]
What books made you the reader you are today ~ Wisdom found in children’s stories.
November 14, 2011
Scheherazade, Merlin, from the Once and Future King, and William Steig’s books for children made me the reader I am today. They all raised the bar for what I expected from the stories I read. I will always remember the moment I met William Steig’s Gorky Rises. My children were very small and I was […]
Literacy needs to be nurtured. It doesn’t just happen.
November 11, 2011
The groundwork for childhood literacy begins at birth. Parents, caregivers & other adults need to be mindful of the significance and importance of their communicative model: eye contact, body language, over all feedback. Our world of distracted and multi-tasking adults along with children plugged into gadgets does NOT foster the type of interaction and stimulation […]
Boredom put to a very good use.
November 4, 2011
Lets celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Phantom Tollbooth by remembering how important boredom was to Milo. Different than most kids today, Milo had plenty of time on his hands. The Phantom Tollbooth tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon, which transports him to […]
