http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com Ongoing attempts at raising creative, curious, and happy kids. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:26:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Make Blog has an awesome post by Dan Woods on The value of a good hands on project. After observing that "Hobby, toy, and game stores" are listed as retail business currently experiencing growth (second after gas stations!), Dan attempts to explain by writing: Perhaps it's the constructive distraction of ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/12/the-making-spirit/ Jen Zug at The Pile I'm Standing In has a great post recognizing the various play styles of kids. Related to her own control issues and the tensions they create around her house, she writes: Embracing who they are and facilitating their imagination has turned everything around. Helping kids be creative while ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/12/playing-with-the-box/ The Psychology Today Beautiful Minds blog has a great interview with Joshua Waitzkin, the child chess wiz depicted in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. In the interview, Waitzkin offers some interesting advice to parents on raising resilient kids: The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/12/raising-resilient-kids-advice-from-someone-that-knows/ I was just reading an article from Fast Company titled Innovating with Meaning: You Reap What You Sow. The article describes the author's belief that business performance can be enhanced by improving core competencies in creative thinking, strategic thinking, and transformational thinking among employees in support of innovation. Interesting stuff ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/12/creativity-more-important-to-business-than-family/ After reading the Obama Administration Plan for Innovation, Science & Technology, Bruce Nussbaum feels that Barack Obama has a grasp on technology, but fails to "get" innovation. So what does he think Obama should do? ...he actually needs to appoint a Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) because change is as much about ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/11/obama-and-the-importance-of-creativity-in-schools/ More great stuff on getting your kids outside at the Free Range Kids blog. How they describe themselves: Do you ever let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk alone to school? Take a bus, solo? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/11/free-range-kids/ Making a strong argument for spending more time outside, Scott Stevens of the Blunt Perspectives blog wrote: Chill yourself out, but most importantly get out there for the kids. Let them throw rocks and hurt themselves. Let them go and explore and expend energy. Give their minds and bodies the chance ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/11/%e2%80%9chuman-nature%e2%80%9d-requires-nature/ Just ran across this post from Judith E. Glaser. When her children were in elementary school she coordinated the publication of an annual book that contained stories and pictures from all 550 students in kindergarten through 5th grade. In regards to organizing the content she writes: Something amazing seemed to drive ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/11/connecting-kids-through-creativity/ Yesterday I gave Crayola some hate for releasing simulated crayons. Today, I stumbled upon the Crayola Glow Station, which I love for two reasons: It gives kids the ability to create art at a new time (night) and in a new place (the dark). More important, the art is temporary, lasting only ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/11/throwing-away-ideas/ Parenting Experts Laura and Malcolm Gauld have a new post about the importance of qualities such as leadership, responsibility, initiative, creativity and flexibility to both parents and future employers of our children. They point out, however, that schools and parents typically fail when it comes to coordinating the education of ... http://www.thepursuitoftinkering.com/2008/11/leadership-responsibility-initiative-flexibility-maybe-creativity/