Category: All posts

Simple Keys for Identifying Conifers: The Pine Family

By Mariah Bruehl, 25th February 2016

Have you ever given much consideration to the various pine trees around you? My children and I have been slowly identifying the deciduous trees in our neighborhood and can now identify a few during the winter by the buds that develop in late summer. But it wasn’t until recently that we set on a quest to learn more about the many conifers we see every day. We quickly learned that what we generally call a pine may not be just a pine. If you would like to investigate the conifers of the pine family with your child, we have some simple keys that will help you distinguish them.

What exactly is a conifer?
Conifer stems from Latin and means “cone bearer”. There are seven different families of conifers, all of which bear cones. With a some exceptions, most conifer trees are evergreens that maintain their color and leaves throughout the year. They are easily identified by their needle-like or scaly leaves.

For simplicity, let’s focus specifically on evergreen trees of the pine family…

Who’s in the pine family (Pinaceae)?
This family of conifers include pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, larches (these are not evergreens), and true cedars. Members of the pine family have needles as opposed to scaly leaves. Spruce, fir, and hemlock needles grow singularly on the branch. The needles of pine trees grow in bundles of 2, 3, or 5. True cedars have clusters of 15 or more needles and, although some species have been naturalized in North America, they are native to the Middle and Far East.

How to tell them apart
Remember that the needles of pines grow in clusters of 2 or more.

To distinguish between spruces and firs, all you have to do is “shake hands” with the tree. Spruces can be stand-offish because their needles are pointed and sharp. They are also usually square in cross-section, making it easy to roll between your fingers. Fir trees are much friendlier. Their needles are softer and flat, which cannot be rolled between your fingers. You can give this mnemonic a try to help your child remember: spruces are stiff and sharp, firs are flexible and friendly.

You can find more keys to help you identify these conifers on our flash card download. Print them on card stock or laminate them to bring them with you on your next walk or hike and see how many of the trees can you identify.

You may also find these resources helpful:

Trees, Leaves & Bark by Diane Burns
The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups by Gina Ingoglia
Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree by Jennifer Blomgren
National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America
What Tree is That? Arbor Day Foundation Online Edition
Trees With Needles: Online Tree Leaf Key

flash card photo sources- spruce cone, eastern white pine cone, fir cones

Author Focus: Susan Verde

By Mariah Bruehl, 25th February 2016

I am thrilled to be collaborating with Emma Walton Hamilton, Susan Verde, and Stefanie Sacks to offer a Parenting Discussion Series in the studio. I thought it would be fun to do interviews of them here, because they have so many gems of parenting advice to offer. Today I have the honor of bringing you Susan Verde…

Susan Verde is an award-winning children’s book author, elementary educator with a Master’s in Reading Remediation and a certified kids’ yoga teacher in the practice and mindfulness for kids from pre-k through high school. In addition to being an author, yogi and native New Yorker, Susan also leads mindfulness workshops for children and adults. Her books focus on a variety of topics, and always highlights the unique perspective children have on the world. Her stories focus on their interactions with the world around them and allow them deal with big issues in a calming and mindful way. From yoga sequences to lifelong friendships and more, Susan’s books are used to teach children how to be proud of themselves and how to support one another in their pursuits — no matter how small they may seem!

Susan’s newest book, The Water Princess, is slated to be published in fall 2016 and is part of the series she has worked on with her illustrator and the best-selling, award-winning author and illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds. Other books in the Reynolds illustration series include, The Museum, You & Me, and I Am Yoga.

Mariah: Your books all have such diverse and interesting topics, how do you choose what to write about next?

Susan: Thank you! Actually I often feel like the topics choose me. I don’t typically search for ideas usually when I am in the midst of everyday life something happens that inspires me and then I tap into my own feelings from my childhood and somehow it comes together as a story. For example, the idea for The Museum came about when I was touring a gallery with my own children and my son lay down on the floor in the middle of the room and told me he couldn’t look at any more paintings of food because he was “starving!” I was immediately struck by how the art made him feel and wrote a poem right then and there to keep him engaged in the rest of the art and of course get him up off of the floor. As I turned the poem into a story I considered how I remember what art and museums felt like to me when I was a kid and brought that into the mix. I think my intention behind my writing no matter the topic is really about capturing and supporting the unique experience of being a child.

Mariah: Are your children an influence on your writing or the characters in your stories?

Susan: Yes, my children are definitely an influence on my writing as I watch them grow and change and grapple with their own challenges. They are also my sounding boards as I always read them drafts of my stories and they love to give me honest feedback…sometimes a bit too honest! However, some of my stories although relatable to my own kids came from other places. You and Me was inspired by my serendipitous meeting and subsequent friendship with illustrator Peter H. Reynolds who has been my collaborator on many of my books. I Am Yoga came from ALL of my yoga students I have taught over the years and what I get from my own practice.

Mariah: The topic you will be exploring during our Parent Discussion Series, is mindfulness. Why is it important to explore mindfulness with the children in our lives?

Susan: Mindfulness is a word that we are hearing all of the time nowadays and unfortunately it is not always understood. It is often used to convey a certain desired set of behaviors towards others. Being mindful is actually a particular way of paying attention to and noticing one’s own experience at any given moment in a non-judgmental way. It is important to understand mindfulness and explore it with ourselves and our children because it is this ability to be present and connected to oneself that allows us to connect to the external in a more meaningful way. Kids are bombarded with external stimulation…busy schedules, school pressures, bullying, and technology. They need to have the ability to create calm and space and understand what they are feeling. Their brains and bodies need a reset button. Mindfulness is that reset and a way to cultivate empathy, compassion, and self-care. Being mindful provides an opportunity to choose a response rather than react. The practice of mindfulness is one we all need to bring into our lives.

Mariah: Can you share some tips on how to be mindful parents? What are some ways we can explore mindfulness with our children?

Susan: Being a mindful parent doesn’t mean you will have all of the answers or your household will suddenly transform into a place of constant Zen and peace. It just means that in any given situation you will have more tools in your parenting tool belt to help your kids and yourself through challenging situations and difficult or strong emotions. It can change the dynamic and definitely open channels of communication.

There are many specific activities you can try with your kids and on your own to help cultivate mindfulness. Noticing the breath and doing some meditation is one exercise. There are also mindful listening and even mindful eating activities you can do. Try practicing mindfulness while doing a typically mundane chore such as washing dishes. This means noticing the feel of the water, the smell of the soap, how many scrubs does it take to wash a pan? Although this might feel silly or awkward it is training oneself to notice and engage all of the senses and it can make “chores” into something fun for kids. By the way…acknowledging the “awkward” is mindful too!

Mariah: Thank you so much for joining us!

Susan: Thank you so much for the interview Mariah! I am thrilled to be a part of Playful Learning’s Parent Discussion Series!

It’s Element-ary: Looking at Lines

By Mariah Bruehl, 23rd February 2016

Swirly, twirly, zig zag, straight—artists use all kinds of lines as they paint, draw, sculpt, and more. I often teach children that just like there is a recipe for making cookies, there is a “recipe” for making art. But instead of mixing together eggs and butter and sugar, you mix together things like line, color, and shape. These ingredients are known as the elements of art, and every artist has his/her own way of mixing the ingredients, resulting in all kinds of wonderful art.

I love the recipe analogy because of its flexibility. One recipe cannot make both spaghetti and cake; neither will one art recipe describe every kind of art. And just like you don’t need to know the recipe to enjoy your favorite cookie, you don’t need to know the elements of art to enjoy your favorite painting. However, introducing children to the recipe for art gives them another tool in their toolkit and encourages them to practice using a discriminating eye as they explore the visual arts. For kids who like to know how things work, the elements of art especially allow them to dig into the individual parts that artists put together to create a whole masterpiece.

So let’s pick apart the art recipe and focus on the element of line! A child’s first marks will almost always be lines in the form of exuberant scribbles and lines that go right off the page. Learning to read and write involves making sense of lines. And everywhere we look, from stripes on a t-shirt to painted lines on the highway, there are lines!

Types of Lines

Begin an exploration of lines by creating a “collection” of lines. Look at picture books, works of art at your local museum, patterns in nature, even in your closet and help your child categorize the different types of lines you see. Collect lines in a sketchbook, in a chart, or in a photo scrapbook and have a conversation about what your child notices. How are the lines different? Which lines are her favorite?

Some of my favorite picks for pictures books about lines:

Follow the Line and A Line Can Be by Laura Ljungkvist
Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
The Squiggle by Carole Lexa Schaefer

Vincent van Gogh, The Olive Orchard, 1889

Almost every artist uses line in some way or another, but some of my go-to artists that clearly use lines as a key element to their work are: Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Joan Miro, Romero Britto, and Vincent van Gogh. In a museum setting, have your child look at a work of art and then draw the lines they see in the air or act the lines out with their entire body. At home, physically trace the path of a line on an art poster or an illustration in a book.

What Lines Can Do

As you investigate lines, you’ll naturally begin to notice all the things lines can do. They can show emotion, create a sense of movement, or define a space. Mo Willems’ style of illustration is pitch perfect when it comes to using line. Pigeon, Elephant, and Piggie all express an entire range of emotion and action with just a few strokes of the pencil. Spend some time browsing your favorite Mo Willems’ picture book or any other cartoon or graphic novel, and search for examples of lines that indicate movement or emotion. What kinds of lines show speed, bouncing, or falling? How can a line suggest fear, excitement, or sadness?

Playing with Lines

After all your investigating and close looking, it’s time to dive right into the wonderful world of lines! Toddlers will love the tactile experience of touching, squishing, throwing, and stirring lines (in the form of noodles!) in a sensory bin. Use either cooked spaghetti or plastic sensory noodles, and encourage your child to twist, turn, bend, and stretch the lines. Throw in plastic tweezers or tongs for some fine motor practice.

For some active line play, draw lines on the sidewalk with chalk or create lines inside your home on the floor with painter’s tape, and have your child follow the line—running, hopping, skipping, jumping, even riding a bike!

When it comes to creating line-inspired art, the possibilities are endless. Practice using rulers to draw straight lines, make a line masterpiece with washi tape, or drag and swirl paint-soaked pieces of yarn across a canvas.

One of my favorite line art projects is making paper line sculptures. All you need is strips of construction paper and a glue stick. Bend, twist, and fold the strips any which way, then glue each end of the paper strip to your base. Your lines will jump off the page!

For even more ideas and resources, take a look at my line-themed Pinterest board.

Author Focus: Emma Walton Hamilton

By Mariah Bruehl, 23rd February 2016

Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children’s book author, editor and educator. With her mother, actress/author Julie Andrews, Emma has co-authored over thirty children’s books, seven of which have been on the NY Times Bestseller list. Her resource book, RAISING BOOKWORMS: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment, premiered as a #1 best-seller on Amazon.com in the literacy category and won a Parent’s Choice Gold Medal.

Mariah: Emma, you have written a number of wonderful books for children over the years. What was your inspiration for writing a book specifically for parents?

Emma: Well, truthfully it came out of the fact that because of all the children’s books that mom and I write together, we do a lot of public appearances, book signings and book tours. People in the audiences that we were speaking to–parents, caregivers, and teachers–were constantly saying to us, “How can I get my kids to put down the cellphone, the TV remote or the computer? My kids used to love to read… but all they want to do now is play the electronics.” That certainly that was an experience I was having as a parent as well, so I thought I’d try to explore some answers. It started out as an article, and once I started writing it opened up this big Pandora’s box.

Mariah: You state that it is never too young to start reading to children. In fact, you even discuss the benefits of reading to babies in utero. Why should parents start reading to their children so early?

Emma: The theory behind reading to kids in utero comes from studies they did at the University of North Carolina. They had a group of pregnant moms that would read selected passages to babies in utero, and after the babies were born they gave those passages to other people with different voices to read–and they noticed that when the babies were read those same passages, regardless of whether it was by the same voice or not, they would demonstrate recognition and pleasure, increased sucking and heart rates, and all the things that we know, in infants, correlate with good feelings.

From my point of view, we want to start reading as early as possible to lay the groundwork for associating books with pleasure and value. We hear from parents a lot, “My baby can’t talk yet, should I really be reading to them?” The answer is yes, that’s how they learn! It’s the language, it’s the words coming from their loved ones’ voices. It’s also the action of turning the pages and beginning to associate images with words and sounds.

I will never forget when my son was two months old we gave him those soft books that we would prop up for him in his stroller. They had no words, they were just pictures with big shapes and bright colors to engage the imagination. Every so often, when he would get fussy we would turn the page. And then one day he reached out his little fingers and turned the page for himself. For me it’s all about laying the foundation for the greater value of both independent and shared reading later in life.

Mariah: You talk about the association between reading and chore as being the biggest factor in the loss of interest in reading. What do you mean by that?

Emma: I am sure as an educator and a parent you have experienced this first hand. When our children our little and we are reading with them in the first few years, they are sitting on our laps, we are snuggling in bed or maybe we are nursing, it is everything warm and cozy… and they learn to associate the act of reading and stories with pleasure and love.

Then when they go to school and they begin to read for themselves, parents tend to back off of reading to their children. The balance tips, and all of a sudden there is less of reading equals pleasure and more of reading equals struggle–because they are learning how to read and it’s hard–or reading equals chore and responsibility. There are any number of challenges that are attached to learning to read in school or any academic setting. There is also the nature of the reading material as well. A lot of times what we are reading out of necessity to learn how to read is perhaps not the thing that engages our imaginations.

Mariah: What is your advice to parents for keeping the connection between reading and joy alive?

Emma: There are a hundred plus recommendations specific to each age group in the book about this, but essentially it is about knowing your child and knowing what he or she responds to. One kid’s pleasure may be another kid’s torture. For my son, his great pleasure is to read non-fiction and humor. That would be torture for my daughter, who adores fiction and fantasy. So, the first piece is knowing what your individual child is interested in, passionate about and inspired by and looking for ways to feed that passion. That’s hard, because that may be different than what we as parents responded to. There have been plenty of times when I have thought, I can’t wait to share this–and then it didn’t work for my kids the same way it worked for me.

It also helps to look for what I call “stealth mode” activities, to support and underscore the connection between reading and pleasure. These are reading related activities that can enrich a literary experience, such as: making a recipe from a book that you have read together, going to see a film, a play, a museum exhibit or listening to a piece of music that is inspired by a book that you have read.

We need to make sure we keep reading with our kids as much as possible, as often as possible, as late as possible. In my research, I found it extremely interesting to discover that reading skills and listening skills don’t converge until the eighth grade. So in fact just by virtue of that alone, we really should be reading to our kids at least through middle school if not beyond. By doing so we are asking them to stretch and we are able to engage parts of their imagination and their emotional response through things that they wouldn’t necessarily be doing in their own independent reading, when they are busy decoding and trying to put thoughts together through the reading process.

Other activities that work are reading with kids when they may not realize that they are being read to. For example when they are doing the dishes. You can say, “I just read this great thing in the paper, let me share this with you.” It sends the message that reading is part of life, and they are getting the value of being read to.

Audio books are a great way to listen to a story together on a car trip. There are a number of ways that we can be creative and crafty in inviting kids to read.

Mariah: I love the suggestions that you give to parents about setting up the physical environment in the home to encourage reading. Can you share some of those tips?

Emma: This goes back to the idea of keeping the association with reading warm and fuzzy for as long as possible. It is everything from creating a reading corner in the home if there is space to do so, to making sure that where kids do most of their reading has adequate lighting and minimal distractions, so that they can really lose themselves in the world of reading. I remember when I was a little girl, my greatest pleasure on a day when it was cold or wet and rainy, or if I was home sick from school, was to dig out The Phantom Tollbooth–it was like a tradition, it always had to be The Phantom Tollbooth–and curl up on the rug in front of the fire with pillows. This was my idea of heaven. It was very ritualistic. The idea is to create something that underscores the association between reading and pleasure and make sure that the environment fosters that.

In our house, we are surrounded by books in every room, which I think is great, because it sends a visual message to our kids about the value we place on books in our family. Again, it’s about making books attractive and appealing–something that kids are drawn to. If what they are looking at on their bookshelf is a jumbled mess it is less likely to draw them in. If their library is attractively organized and can easily be navigated to find the thing that they most want to read in that moment, you are maximizing your chances of getting them to read something. It’s also good to rotate things and change the display up a little bit from time to time. For instance, at the holidays we take out Christmas books in their own basket which have been tucked away so that when they come out, it’s like a whole new library. It feels like we are reading them for the first time because we haven’t seen them for eleven months.

Mariah: What are your thoughts on the current debate in the literacy community about books vs. electronic media?

Emma: This is a huge debate, but I err on the side of “whatever gets us reading.” The digital world is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere; it’s very much a part of our life and our children’s future, and, as such, it is its own kind of literacy – digital literacy. It’s a muscle that they need to have, and cultivate.

Personally, I love the tactile feeling of reading a book. That is always going to be a preference for me. The good news is that apparently kids feel the same way. Every year, Scholastic does a survey called the Kids and Family Reading Report. What they’ve learned is that even though kids will always want to read online, no matter how much they read online, 85% of them say that they will always want to read real books as well. In fact, the latest studies indicate that digital reading has peaked and people are now returning to books in their traditional form as the preferred method of reading.

In addition to reading online, there are other ways to read as well–like audio books and graphic novels. It is always surprises me when people think that listening to audio books or reading graphic novels is not really reading. My response is, “Is Braille not really reading, just because you are not actually using your eyes to decode letters and words?” My understanding of reading is that it is integrating a story into your mind and heart. And not necessarily just fictional stories, but words and ideas in general. My son, who had vision issues growing up, found listening to audio books infinitely easier because he could relax his eyes and really engage his imagination.

Other kids are more visual learners, and they may respond to the imagery of a graphic novel, which informs them in ways that the symbolism of actual letters and words perhaps competes too much with. Again, it’s all about the individual child and what kind of learner they are, what their passions are – and letting that lead.

Mariah: How can parents best use television and the internet to their children’s advantage?

Emma: The key word is participation. It is all about the degree to which we stay in touch. I realize it is hard for those of us who work in or out of the home. We all long for that moment when the kids are sitting quietly in front of the computer or television so that we can get on with something else. But, I think it is really important to stay in touch and know what your kids are reading and feeling so that you can make sure that as a parent it is in line with your family values and so that you can maintain a dialogue, and look for opportunities to cross-pollinate between those electronic experiences and the more “traditional” literary ones.

For example, my daughter loves Harry Potter—both the books and the movies, as well as games such as Minecraft that allow her to play in a Harry Potter environment. It is a very interactive experience for her. She plays the game or watches the movie, then she goes back to the books and reads them over and over again. For me it is a very valuable experience because it gives us an opportunity to talk about the ideas in the stories, the characters and what they are grappling with rather than her just being spoon-fed from the screen.

Mariah: Thank you so much for visiting Playful Learning!

A faculty member of Stony Brook Southampton’s MFA in Creative Writing and Literature, Emma teaches all forms of children’s book writing and serves as Director of the Children’s Literature Fellows program, as well as the annual Children’s Literature Conference. She is also the Executive Director of the Young Artists and Writers Project (YAWP), an interdisciplinary writing program for middle and high school students.

Emma was a co-founder of Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, and served as its co-Artistic Director and Director of Education and Programming for Young Audiences for 17 years. She is married to Actor/Director/Producer Stephen Hamilton, and they have two children – Sam, 19, and Hope, 12, both of whom are avid readers. To find out more about Emma, visit http://emmawaltonhamilton.com

Math Literature: Infinity and Me

By Mariah Bruehl, 25th January 2016

Literature with math concepts is often the perfect way to start a math lesson. Literature naturally engages students and often initiates meaningful, rich discussions. Some discussions may focus on the math concept being presented, other discussions might focus more on connections and experiences with the story line, while still other may center on the illustrations and artistic techniques. Literature draws us in and keeps us together around a central theme but also lets us enter based on our personal experiences and interests. Therefore, math literature is a powerful, all reaching tool when sharing math concepts with our students. Often, we can reach most, if not all students with a powerful story.

Authors of math literature often also do a great job of personalizing difficult concepts. Kate Hosford has done just this in her book Infinity and Me. Her words along with Gabi Swiatkowska’s gorgeous illustrations personalize the concept of infinity. Uma, the main character, questions her friends and family members on how each person imagines infinity. The answers are varied and imaginative but also sweetly personal. Young readers will love to engage with this delightful story about a difficult, but now accessible concept.

After reading and discussing this book with your child, try writing an infinity poem:

Brainstorm ideas about infinity including: (1) feelings, (2) images, (3) activities one might want to do and (4) wonderings or questions.
Write a poem about the concept of infinity together to model writing to complete a sentence starter. Ask for ideas and show how to write these in sentence form.
Using the brainstorming list, have your child or students write a poem of their own.
Share finished poems with pairs or the whole class.

More to Explore…

Draw a picture to share one of the ideas you presented in your poem. Look closely at the illustrations by Gabi Swiakowska for ideas.
Visit Kate Hosford’s website and download the curriculum pack for more engaging activities.

Playful Geometry: Turning Circles Into Squares

By Mariah Bruehl, 20th January 2016

Have you tried the Playful Geometry activity, Turning Circles Into Triangles? Would you ever guess that a smooth, curved shape could give rise to one of angles and straight lines? It’s pretty neat, right? Today we’ll expand on that activity and play around with turning circles in to squares.

Are you ready to give it a try? We’ll look at two different ways of creating squares from circles. In the first example, the circles and points are provided for you on our printable. This would be the most appropriate method to use with younger children (ages 6-9 years). The second method works well for older children (10+ years) who are practicing or are comfortable with their compass skills.

Before starting, gather your supplies:

a copy of our printables or
graph paper
a ruler
a pencil
a compass with pencil

If you’d like, you can review the characteristics of a square with your child:

All four sides are equal in length
The opposite sides are parallel to each other
All angles are equal
If you were to divide a square in half diagonally, the dividing line would bisect its angles.

Method 1
Before you begin following the directions on the printable, notice with your child the arrangement of circles and dots. How many circles are there? Are they all the same size? How are they arranged (touching, overlapping)? How many points are there? Where do the points lay? Follow the directions to connect the points and create a square. Why did that work?

Now move on to the second set of circles. How many circles are there now? Once you have created squares following the directions, you can take it a step further by connecting the blackpoints with diagonal lines. Did that create any more squares? How many total squares can you make with this set of five circles?

Method 2
1. Create a circle on a piece of graph paper by placing the point of the compass on a place where two lines intersect. When the circle is complete, darken the center point with your pencil.
2. Now place the point of the compass on the circumference of the circle horizontally from the center point of the circle. You can follow the line on the graph paper. Draw a second circle and again darken the center point. Each circle should cross through the center of the other.
3. Using a ruler, connect the two center dots with a horizontal line. Now draw a vertical line to connect where the two circles intersect.
4. Place the point of the compass where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect. Place the pencil of the compass on the center point of one of the circles and draw another circle. With a ruler, connect the four points where this third circle crosses the horizontal and vertical lines. It should look like this…

You can also follow the instructions in this Khan Academy video.

If you wanted to create even more squares, where would you add more circles? Can you come up with other arrangements of circles that would allow you to draw squares? Go ahead… Have fun playing around with it and see what you can create.

Raising Confident Women with Joyce T. McFadden

By Mariah Bruehl, 6th January 2016

With two growing daughters, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how to raise them to be confident, strong, smart, kind, and comfortable in their own skin. Isn’t that what most of us work towards—feeling comfortable in our own skin? For it’s when we find that inner-most comfort, that everything else radiates from within.

As our daughters’ mature, their bodies change, feelings arise, and questions abound… Whether we address these topics head-on, discuss them as they emerge, or hope that school will do the job for us—as mothers of daughters, we are still teaching them life-changing lessons—whether we realize it or not. For they are taking in our explicit and implicit messages everyday—our ways of relating with our partners, our body image, our belief systems, and the secrets we hold…

In my quest to find guidance for the “tricky” situations that arise when raising tween daughters, I came across the work of Joyce T. McFadden and her book, Your Daughter’s Bedroom: Insights for Raising Confident Women. Reading her work was like a breath of fresh air as she explores the “touchy subjects” that others tend to skim over. Yet, as mothers who are in tune with our daughters we can’t skim over them, we need guidance on how to positively approach them—for if not us, then who?

I had a serendipitous meeting with Joyce (I was pleased to discover that we live in the same town and chased her down in a local grocery store parking lot!) a while back and she graciously agreed to do an interview and lead a book club at the studio. So, it is with great pleasure that I bring you, Joyce T. McFadden…

Mariah: Can you share a bit about the Women’s Realities Study that you conducted? What can we take away from your research?

Joyce: The Women’s Realities Study is an anonymous qualitative study of 450 women ranging in age from 18-105, with a handful of local girls in addition to that demographic. It’s an unprecedented study because as far as I know, it’s the only one in which all of the content was self-selected by each respondent, giving women complete control over what they wanted to share. Here’s the link to the 63 open-ended questionnaires so you can get a sense of their content–women could respond to as many or as few as they liked, and write as much or as little as they chose: http://womensrealities.com/participate.htm.

What I hope women will take away from the results of the study is a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the realities of our lives–not the game face we usually show to the outside world, but what we girls and women experience internally and often keep to ourselves. In order to get published, I had to narrow the scope of the results, so I did an analysis of the three most popular questionnaires: menstruation, relationship with your mother, and masturbation. It was the women of the study who chose female sexuality, as it’s impacted by the mother-daughter bond, as the topic of the book.

Mariah: Why is it important for mothers to play a proactive role in teaching their daughters about their physical and sexual development?

Joyce: Because when it comes to our girls’ sexuality, they report feeling like they’re working without a net. Even very young girls know that their mothers share the things they are most proud of and excited about. It’s the things that are shameful or wrong that they keep secret. So if we don’t teach our daughters about sexual development and how it affects their sense of self and their social landscape, we tinge it with shame and guilt that women report lasts well into adulthood.

Mariah: When it comes to discussing our daughter’s maturing bodies and emotions, why do we need to do more than provide informative books?

Joyce: Although they need information from us, it’s the emotional connection with us that girls are yearning for. Books alone can’t provide that.

Mariah: In your book, Your Daughter’s Bedroom: Insights for Raising Confident Woman, you state that the more “basics” we can give our daughters when they are younger, the more we can build on them as they get older. How do you suggest we get the conversation going?

Joyce: It’s funny that we’re so afraid to start when they’re young, when it’s SO simple to do—far simpler than starting when they’re older and more self-conscious. When our daughters are toddlers, the small act of teaching them the anatomical names for their body parts, during bath time, when they’re getting dressed, or when they ask “what’s this?” is the easiest way to start giving them a firm foundation. To them, learning about their earlobe is no different than learning about their vulva. At that age they’re excited to learn about absolutely everything, including their bodies.

Mariah: What is your advice to mothers of tweens and teens who don’t know where to start?

Joyce: My book is loaded with examples for how to have these conversations. The most important motivator for mothers is that the study reveals daughters whose mothers don’t talk to them about sexuality report feeling disappointed in their mothers, and find it creates a chasm in the mother-daughter relationship that can last a lifetime.

Mariah: What are some practical ways that mothers can start to connect with their daughters at any age?

Joyce: Listen to them. Talk with them, not at them. Look over your own sexuality and consider its importance in your life. Let your daughters know you understand their sexuality will play a role in the quality of their lives, and that it’s your honor to support them in their quest for happiness in all areas: emotional, intellectual, physical, interpersonal, and sexual.

Playful Learning: Raising Confident Women

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Simple Electric Circuit

By Mariah Bruehl, 30th December 2015

I will never forget the feeling of creating my first electric circuit. I was in third grade and my teacher introduced the concept to us and gave us the materials we needed to make it work. It took a few tries, a few adjustments were needed, but when that bulb lit up for the first time, so did my curiosity. I can remember my walk home that day, I worked through a few modifications in my mind and was elated when I finally visualized how the circuit I created that day at school was the same as the light switch in my house.

You see, children are natural tinkerers and when we give them the tools they need and the right dose of inspiration, they turn on, they light up, and they want to explore more… What more could you hope for in a day?

As I set out on a quest to develop more of these types of learning experiences for the studio, building a simple electric circuit quickly came to mind.

Materials

Copper Tape
Circuit Stickers
Lithium Coin Battery
Binder Clip
Electric Circuit Printable (below)
For further exploration try the Lights Circuit Stickers STEM Starter Kit

Steps

Read a book or watch the video in the resource section to introduce the basic concept of electricity and a simple circuit.
Next, use the KWL chart below to have your child start out the experience by writing about what they know about electricity. Then ask your child or student to think about and write what they would like to know about electricity.
Watch the video below… You can use the printable above or the one shown in the video.
When you have successfully completed your circuit, complete the experience by asking your child to reflect on what they just learned on the KWL chart.

Printables

Playful Learning: Simple Electric Circuit

Resources

Making a Circuit by Chris Oxlade
What is Electricity by Lisa Trumbauer
Explaining an Electrical Circuit (Video)
Wonderful Circuit Tutorials by Chibitronis

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Compare and Contrast: The Night Before Christmas

By Mariah Bruehl, 14th December 2015

Merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good Book…

We have an abundance of Christmas books at our house. I love Christmas, I love books, perfect harmony! Of course, we have several versions of the classic Christmas poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. This poem, originally titled A Visit From St. Nicholas, has been told and retold thousands of times in just as many variations. It presents a perfect opportunity for a holiday literary exploration comparing and contrasting different versions. Choose three different Night Before Christmas Books, use the link above to the original poem, and our handy printable to investigate the similarities and differences. Your library should have a wonderful selection of Night Before Christmas books, with a variety of reading levels, any of them would be compatible with this activity. Here are a few suggestions to inspire your picks.

These books are notable because of their beautiful illustrations and because they stay true to the original poem.

The Night Before Christmas: Jan Brett is an outstanding illustrator, and her version of the book is stunning. The main and surrounding pictures engage the reader in the poem on many levels.
The Night Before Christmas Pop Up: Robert Sabuda is known for his amazing paper art in his pop up books, and this book is no exception. An older pop up book we own (shown in the picture above) is The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Michael Hague. You may be able to find this at your local library, my daughter loves pulling the tab to send Santa up the chimney!
The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Edition: Illustrated by Charles Santore, this book is noteworthy because it has not changed the wording, and it also has a special fold out page.

If you are looking for something more unique, there are a plethora of books with distinctive twists on the original poem.

The Soldier’s Night Before Christmas: With thanks to those who protect us, the ending of this book seems perfect for our world today. “Happy Christmas, brave soldiers! May peace come to all!”
The Pirate’s Night Before Christmas: Those who know me know I love pirates. For the child in you, or your child, you just can’t go wrong with this swashbuckling book.
The Knights Before Christmas: This book is new this year, and is simply adorable. Three knights, Brave Knight, Polite Knight, and of course Silent Knight, find their castle has an invader, Santa Clause!
The Cajun Night Before Christmas: This is a book from my childhood, gifted to me by dear family friends from Baton Rouge, telling the poem through a southern cultural lens. It is a part of The Night Before Christmas Series which includes versions such as a Teachers’, Racecar Driver’s, Alaskan, Hawaiian, Librarian’s, Nurse’s , Firefighter’s, Sailor’s, Irish, Cowboy, Gullah, and many more.

After investigating several books, try adding a digital spin to your exploration. I am a huge fan of the video creation site Animoto. You can sign up for a free trial on their website, and best of all, teachers can apply for a free subscription to Animoto Plus. I have used Animoto in the classroom, and my students loved creating projects with it. Animoto is so simple. You upload your pictures, add text, select music from their database, and the website does all the challenging work, producing it into a final video presentation. There is also an Animoto app available, which makes creating projects even easier since you can upload your pictures straight from your phone or tablet. Here is a sample Night Before Christmas video that I created.

I hope these activities add some fun holiday learning to your Christmas season. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Printables

The Night Before Christmas

Playful Geometry: Turning Circles into Triangles

By Mariah Bruehl, 7th December 2015

Years ago I picked up the book A Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael Schneider. It was exactly what I had been looking for to enhance my children’s geometry lessons. Today I am sharing one of the first lessons from the book and one of my children’s favorite – making triangles from circles.

You will need:

Graph paper
A ruler or other straight edge tool
A compass with a sharpened pencil. Note – If manipulating a compass is a challenge for your child, circles can also be made using a strip of cardboard, a pushpin, and a pencil or pen as demonstrated in the photo above.

The lesson begins with your child drawing a circle around a center point (created by the compass point). A point on the graph paper is the perfect place to start. Having the center of the circle marked is important for this activity. You will see why shortly. Once the circle is drawn I like to make a pencil dot on the center point to it can easily be seen.

Now place the point of the compass (or pin on the cardboard strip) on the circumference of the circle horizontally from the center point of the circle. You can follow the line on the graph paper. Draw a second circle and again darken the center point. Each circle should cross through the center of the other.

Make a dot where the circles intersect at the top. Using the ruler, draw a straight line from the top dot to each center point. Then connect each center dot with a horizontal line. This is the birth of the triangle! How neat is that?

It doesn’t end there though. This is a great time to ask “I wonder” questions and explore deeper by adding more points to connect. Our printable will help get you started.

After completing the printable, you will see that all the triangles created are equilateral triangles. If you connect other points does a different type of triangle emerge? Do you notice other shapes?

Have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment or add your own flair!