Teaching & schools:

• A great initiative in Canada that dismantles the traditional classroom.
• The secret of Europe’s top education system: lot’s of play
• A Montessori morning of a 4 year old.
• 3 rules to spark learning.
• An inspirational video for teachers: “every kid needs a champion”

Families & parenting:

• How to praise kids for effort by Carol Dweck (Standford professor)
• Have you heard of the longitudinal “Harvard Grant Study”? Success in life comes from having done chores as a kid!

Music education:

• If you want your children to make their first steps towards the Nobel Prize, begin their education not with maths or chemistry. Begin with music!
• Music as an essential part of education
• A child’s brain develops faster with exposure to music education.
• How music trumps reading for childhood development

Science & nature:

• 3 ways to help primary students love science.
• The New York Times: how walking in nature changes the brain.

Teenagers:

• What teenagers need most  from their parents.
• This is scary video. Teenagers and the risks of social media (thanks Merche for the link!)

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This was the title of a great interview to Ph.D. Sara Lazar, neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (you can read here the complete article of the Washington Post ) .

Yoga (meaning union of our body, mind and spirit) is more than a way of exercising; it’s also a way of life and is beneficial to kids in many ways.  Yoga provides a wonderful way for children to explore their bodies, hearts and minds. It also gives them the resources to lead happier and healthier lives.

Illustration by Sophie Fatus

Sometimes I feel we forget that children also encounter emotional, social and physical challenges and intentional yoga practice with breathing techniques can be incredibly valuable for them.  There are many areas where kids of all ages benefit from the practice of Yoga:

• It enhances their flexibility, strength, and body awareness
• It improves patience
• It refines balance and coordination.
• It develops focus and concentration.
• The sense of calmness and relaxation improves. Yoga calms the mind and body.
• It boosts self-esteem and confidence
• It strengthens the mind-body connection.

“My Daddy is a Pretzel. Yoga for Parents and Kids” –written by Baron Baptiste and illustrated by Sophie Fatus –   is a fabulous introduction to Yoga for children. Baron Baptiste is a world-renowned teacher who has transformed yoga teaching in the United States and Europe with his unique brand of power Vinyasa yoga.

“My Daddy is a Pretzel” is an innovative and playful book, really fun to share with children of all ages, that brings yoga into the family life. A child’s first book of yoga or a great introduction for adults who are just venturing into meditation. The book introduces 9 yoga poses that show how the practice of yoga relates to everyday life. All the poses proposed are child-friendly, and there are tips about practice and preparation, yoga life and having the right attitude.

In his introduction Baron Baptiste explains that his “goal is to present health and virtue, not as something to possess or to have, but as something to be… “

Yoga Pretzels is also a fantastic way to introduce Yoga to your kids and spend some quality time with them. “ Yoga Pretzels. 50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids & grownups” is written by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish, introduced by Baron Baptiste and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Fatus.

Tara Guber is the founder of Yoga Ed (directed by Leah Kalish) that develops health and wellness courses and materials that educate children, teachers and parents about the benefits of yoga. These 50 fun yoga activities cards are for all ages, and are divided into 9 sections: breath, game, balance, stand, forward bend, back bend, twist & stretch, partner and time in. On the back of each card the pose is broken down into 4 organized steps.

Illustration by Sophie Fatus

I am not a Yoga expert, but Yoga has teachen me above all to have more compassion. Perhaps fostering cooperation and compassion might be the greatest gift that we can give our children.

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Splat! is suitable for ages 8+ and was published this year by Thames & Hudson.

Written by Mary Richards – writer, publisher and musican- Splat! features the work  of Michelangelo, Bruegel, Caravaggio, Velázquez, Vermeer, Hokusai, Van Gogh, Picasso, Kandinsky or Dalí among many other great painters.

Splat! describes the  challenges of these painters and their historical background, including real-life stories from behind the scenes and moments that shocked the art world:

“Michelangelo imagines heaven on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,

Bruegel dares to paint peasants,

Van Gogh risks everything for  his art,

Kandinsky transforms music into paintings,

and Warhol makes art for everyone in a factory“.

Splat! covers different art movements  from the Renaissance and Impressionism to Surrealism and even Contemporary art, all very well explained for children.

It  includes many art activities for children too:  like how to paint like a pointillist, how to draw like the great masters and how to play a surrealist game.

It is a brilliant book, full of great information for kids and provides excellent insight into art history. Splat! also explains children the art that shocked the world and the artists who never knew fame.

I wish I had read Splat! as a child, because it combines great information arranged chronologically, with many visual reproductions , a complete art glossary and many interesting activities.

I am sure it will become an essential book for any student interested in art.

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It’s a  beautiful story about a girl named Julie who lives in Paris, but she longs to walk in a beautiful country garden. When her mother takes her on a visit to rural Giverny, Julie discovers a garden owned by immortal artist Claude Monet. 

Anholt’s fine illustrations appear on every page and include reproductions of works by Monet. It is a lovely book that actually inspires children to paint their own “magic gardens”, and that was what my kids did after reading it. 

Claude Monet’s house and gardens are open daily from 09,30 am to 6 pm from March 25th to November 1st. Children up to 7 years old are free of charge.

For complete information please visit Giverny’s tourist page and the Foundation Claude Monet.

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Explore! is a fun and educational children’s book describing the real-life adventures of explorers past and present from across the world.

Children can learn about the Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World, James Cook’s journey through the Southern Seas and Amelia Earheart’s soaring adventures in the skies! And read about Mary Kingsley fighting off crocodiles in West Africa, Neil Armstrong risking everything to land on the moon, Ranulph Fiennes ignoring the dire warnings against travelling to both the South and the North Poles in a single expedition!

The book , which is easy to read and visually appealing, is packed with photographs and illustrations of the daring expeditions.

I have especially enjoyed all the background details such as expedition kits, supplies, and survival tips for the extreme conditions of each journey help children see how explorers pitted themselves against adversity to brave the wild and help shape our world.

Divided into six sections: Polar, Ocean, Land, Desert, Sky and New Frontiers, each filled with information about the world’s bravest and cutting edge explorers. From the 1400s to the late 1900s, readers can travel the world with record breaking and record setting explorers.

It is another amazing book by Deborah Kespert,  author of numerous children’s books, including Genius and Space Academy, both published by Thames & Hudson.

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Their mission includes facilitating the development and delivery of treatment therapies, educational and training programs, and sports programs as well as residential and independent living programs.

Els for Autism Golf Challenge Flying Banners. Copyright Els for Autism.

In March, professional golfer Rickie Fowler hit a ‘hole-in-one’ worth $1 million at the Els for Autism Pro-Am hosted by Cigar Aficionado and Wine Spectator. The tournament was held at the Old Palm Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

In total, the tournament raised $1.82 million (US$) for The Els Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art campus on 26 acres in Jupiter, Florida that wants to disseminate information on autism treatments and opportunities throughout the world.

LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 24, 2015: Ernie Els of South Africa during the Grande Finale of the Challenge Autism on October 24, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ernie Els

But first, here are some facts about austism spectrum disorder (ASD):

• ASD is characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities.
• Individuals with autism may have a wide range of intellectual capabilities from limited to superior abilities. Some individuals with ASD are known to excel in visual skills, music, math and art, among other areas.
• One in 68 children and one in 42 boys in the U.S. are affected by autism, and boys are 4 times more likely to have ASD than girls. Global rates of autism are thought to be similar.
• An estimated 2 million individuals in the U.S. are affected
• ASD occurs in children of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined
• Recent studies show that most children are diagnosed after age 4, despite the fact that ASD can be diagnosed much earlier. Early identification and intensive early intervention and treatment can result in significant positive outcomes for many children with ASD. Symptoms can often be detected by 18 months of age or earlier.

From left to right: Ernie Els, Ben Els. Copyright Blackshaw Photography. For editorial use only. Photographer: Bianca Blackshaw

Els for Autism Foundation was established in the spring of 2009 by Ernie Els, the Hall of Fame golfer originally from South Africa, and his wife Liezl after their son, Ben, now 13, was diagnosed with autism.

One of their first goals was to create The Els Center of Excellence, a model for the world of what should be available to children on the autism spectrum. Last summer this amazing center opened in Jupiter, located in northern Palm Beach County, Florida, with on-site education for ages 3-21, professional and medical services, state-of-the-art conference center and a golf practice facility to teach the sport to the autism community.

Construction just began on the upper school, art and sculpture plaza, research lab and the site for transition to adulthood services. Currently, the Els Center offers a digital learning platform to disseminate best practices in education and treatment to a global audience for free. There are more than a dozen modules available , and people from around the globe – including Europe, South Africa and Brazil – have been using them to increase their knowledge on autism.

The Els Center of Excellence – Auditorium Building
Photo credit: Crissy Easom Photography
Ernie Els, Founder, the Els for Autism Foundation
Liezl Els, Founder, the Els for Autism Foundation

When completed in 2017, The Els Center of Excellence will feature:

A Lower School*

An Upper School

An Auditorium and Conference Building*

Two playgrounds*

A golf practice facility

Gymnasium

Cafeteria

Athletic field

Swimming pool and pavilion

Sensory garden and pavilion

Play courts

A medical and professional services building

An adult services building*

* Opened August 2015

The Els team is focusing a lot of energy on the creation of employment opportunities for people on the spectrum, whose gifts are not always easily identified or matched to jobs – although in Europe, that may be further along with companies such as Specialisterne, a Danish “socially-motivated company where the majority of employees have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.” Specialisterne employees are primarily involved with software testing, programming and data entry in both the public and private sectors.

Copyright Chris Trotman. Editorial use only. The Els Center of Excellence Groundbreaking Ceremony, Jupiter, Florida. March, 10, 2014
From left to right:
Ernie Els, Founder, the Els for Autism Foundation
Liezl Els, Founder, the Els for Autism Foundation

In Palm Beach, The Els Center of Excellence is launching a partnership with the newly-renovated and world-renowned PGA National Resort and Spa.

The Hospitality Work Experience program is for adults with developmental disabilities who have completed high school. They will gain valuable work experience in a hotel or a golf course, master social skills in the workplace, and learn to write a resume and interview skills. It starts on May 10 and runs through October 20, 2016.

Photo credit: Els for Autism Foundation

There are many ways to get involved with Els for Autism. I invite you to learn more by visiting their website or by contacting the Foundation directly.

With your support Els for Autism can generate funding for scientific research aimed at understanding autism, developing knowledge-based treatment, helping create opportunities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder to find fulfilling employment and ultimately, helping them lead productive and enriching lives.

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Written by Daniel J. Siegel,  neuropsychiatrist  and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson, The Whole-Brain Child explains the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures: the upstairs and downstairs brain, the right (emotional) and left (logical) brain,  memories, feelings, thoughts, behaviours …

The Whole-Brain Child was so much more than I was expecting, and I am still fascinated by two discoveries:

•  The “upstairs brain”, which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties.
•  The right brain, especially in young children, and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain.

So, it is really important that both kids and parents “integrate the different parts of our brain”. By using both our right and left brain, by integrating our upstairs and downstairs brain, or when we integrate different kinds of memories we can live a  more balanced and meaningful life.

It is a  very practical book that can help us raise calmer and happier children.

It teaches  the child brain patterns and how to help  our children when they are struggling by using 12 simple strategies:

• Engage, don’t Enrage
• Let the clouds of Emotion Roll by
• Move it or Lose it
• Name it to Tame It
• Connect through conflict…

The book is easy to read and to understand, and there are many specific examples of how each one of those 12 techniques can be used with different age groups. There are also illustrations that you can read with your children and help them  understand some of these concepts.

I truly recommend this book if you would like your children to lead connected and creative lives.

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I find fascinating the story of this school as it is a personal homage to the memory of Maria Grazia Cutuli, but also because it is based in Afghanistan:

” The people of Afghanistan have been living in a protracted state of conflict and instability for 3 decades. In addition to uncertain security, the extreme mountain terrain and harsh climate make it difficult to access education, especially for girls. Under the Taliban regime violence and intimidation were routinely used to prevent girls and women from attending school and gaining the education that is their right.” Source: UNICEF

Afghanistan reminds me of the best-seller books by Khaled Hosseini.

In his novels “The Kite Runner” or ” A Thousand Splendid Suns” he describes  the terrible situation for women in his country and one can imagine the extraordinary impact of this blue school in such a brutal environment for women.

Credits:

DESIGN TEAM: 2A+P/A (Gianfranco Bombaci, Matteo Costanzo), Mario Cutuli, IaN+, ma0/emmeazero
PHOTO: Giovanna Silva and Antonio Ottomanelli
MODEL: Marco Galofaro – Modelab

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That time travel might be possible in the future?

That Marie Curie asked for a wedding dress that she could wear in the science lab?

Your kids can discover all this and more in Eureka!, a vivid retelling of the real-life stories behind some of the most amazing scientific discoveries.

The book, written by Dr. Mike Goldsmith, has been published last week.

Eureka! begins by exploring the captivating history of medicine, including Louise Pasteur’s cure for rabies and the discovery of DNA by Francis Crick and James Watson.

Later chapters look at the matter and energy, planet Earth, and the Universe, revealing the fascinating discoveries of Galileo Galilei and Edwin Hubble.

Dr. Mike Goldsmith was Head of Acoustics at the National Physical Laboratory from 1987 to 2007, where he researched noise, speech, language, sound and artificially intelligent machinery.  He is the author of many children’s science books.

Packed with fascinating details of the scientists’ daily lives, their experiments, equipment and lucky escapes, Eureka! is the perfect book for children aged 9+ with a budding interest in history, science and adventure.

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Today, it is my special pleasure to dedicate this post to Mumbai Smiles Foundation: an exciting project of peaceful struggle againts poverty.

Education, healthy and socioeconomic development are the main framework of action for this Foundation that has worked for over ten years together with the most underprivileged communities of Mumbai. The NGO was established  in 2005 by journalist and writer Jaume Sanllorente .

Mumbai Smiles represents an integrated program that aims at ending the poverty and to guarantee access to the fundamental Human Rights which are violated in Mumbai’s poorest communities. The Program covers Education, Health, Welfare, Awareness and Education for development.

The scope of the project is immense, but in today’s post we will focus on the educational aspect and on its extraordinary Balwadis pre-school education project for slum’s children between the ages of 1 to 6 years. From the very beginning, Mumbai Smiles has based its philosophy on defending Education as a fundamental right for each and every child as the key to end the vicious cycle of poverty and gender inequality.

The shortage of economic resources and living conditions of many families, as well as the lack of opportunities, draw such a complex picture of Mumbai slums often forcing the children to look for their own livelihood either working or begging.

This situation often gets worse, since many children work in conditions of explotation or fall into the hands of child trafficking networks. It is here where education opens doors and opportunities. The pre-school education project Balwadis has, among its main objectives, to promote the importance of school attendance from an early age, not only to ensure a good level of knowledge and development for children, appropriate to their age, but also for families to value education more than to make them work and bring money home.

Hence the work done with families through meetings and recreational activities involving them in their children’s education like drawing contests, costumes and sports is essential.

More than 700 children from Mumbai slums are cared for in the 28 Balwadis sustained by Mumbai Smiles.

Bombay Smiles applies a methodology and quality standards in their teaching materials. Through animations, books and music, children acquire their first knowledge and take contact with their environment.

More than 7,000 people have benefited from the projects sustained by Mumbai Smiles over these more than 10 years of work. The support of cooperating partners, donors and corporate partners is crucial.

Additionally, we all can do much to change things in our day to day. Believe it or not, small gestures and commitments can help to build a fairer environment. You can join this peaceful struggle in multiple ways: becoming a member, making a donation, taking part in working groups, leaving your legacy, helping to spread up their work or buying through Mumbai Smiles on line shopping store . You will find complete information at www.sonrisasdebombay.org

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Today we will travel to the amazing city of Seoul to discover a new project  by Jungmin Nam (OA-Lab): “Flower + Kindergarten“, a project that combines education, architecture and environment in the highly dense city of Seoul.

This project is located in a new apartment complex, and is designed to take advantage of the surrounding green areas and open spaces to expose children to nature. Its unique location and shape has become a landmark in the homogeneous neighborhood, where every apartment building looks the same.

To overcome the typical kindergarten’s problems in the city, the project “Flower+ Kindergarten” searched solutions for a better educational environment.

On each floor, there are three classrooms and one multi-purpose hall, that create spiral access and movement, and can also have a  diverse use of space for learning and playing.

The space created below and above the stairs is also utilized for children’s play-den at children’s scale.

Each floor is assigned with different color on its ceiling and walls so that children can recognize the space through the color difference.

And by having planting pots as its exterior façade system, the kindergarten provides opportunities for children to grow and observe the vegetation closely. Also, the facade of the building changes dramatically accross the different seasons.

The rooftop garden and sunken garden provide extra amenities for both children and teaching staff to appreciate the value of nature in their everyday life.

The rainwater is gathered in the rainwater tank in the basement through the ground and rooftop garden to reuse the water for irrigation.

Keep in touch as very soon we will be featuring another special school in Afghanistan.

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If you live in London with kids, please check their chamber zone program. It offers an amazing opportunity to experience superb chamber music performed by international artists in a beautiful concert venue.

A limited number of free tickets are available for each selected Chamber Zone concert for  8-25 year olds. These are allocated on a first come, first served basis and tickets must be booked before 6:30pm on the date of the concert. Full-price tickets can be booked at the same time for accompanying adults.

And for families with babies and toddlers, the Wigmore Hall offers an early years programme that includes a series of relaxed and informal concerts for parents/carers and their babies, one-off workshops for 1 – 5 year-olds, and even early years music-making training for teachers.

Each of their events for under 5s is carefully designed to meet the needs of this particular age group.

You can find complete information about all the activities on their  website

Photos curtesy Wigmore Hall.

Photo credit for these photos is Benjamin Ealovega.

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