Do you ever start a project assuming it will go one way, only for it to end up turning around, doing a cartwheel and laughing at your assumptions? This project did that to me. Originally, I questioned whether or not we would be able to see a difference between the childhood books that were influential to different generations. I ended up wondering about universal themes instead.
Before working at the library, I was never really a part of any multigenerational workplaces. When working in a preschool, it was really just people relatively close to my age. When nannying, it was just me. Now I regularly work with people of all ages, from late teens to early 70s and everything in between. Because of this, I have become fascinated with the little generational differences that pop up, from how we talk to each other to our reactions to external events. Knowing that, working in a library, most of us have pretty deep connections to books, I began to wonder whether some of the generational difference I saw came from the books we consumed in our youths. With this in mind, I staged informal interviews with 20 of my coworkers, hoping to uncover trends in the responses across the different ages.
Continue reading “A Generational Look at Influential Childhood Books”
Did you know that gummy worms were invented in 1981, almost 60 years after the first gummy bear? Hans Riegel, a factory worker in Bonn, Germany (who later went on to start the Haribo company) originally made the bears with black licorice, which isn’t my jam. But that paved the way for worms, inspiring one of my favorite childhood treats: dirt and worms. Maybe that’s why this experiment grabbed my attention when I was browsing “The Curious Kid’s Science Book.” When submerged in different substances overnight, will gummy worms shrink, grow or stay the same? It’s a pretty simple setup (minimal supplies most of you already have at home) with a fun ending. Plus, there will surely be leftover worms for you to gobble up!
Original image by Willis Lam; background added
Continue reading “Shrink or Grow? Gummy Worm Experiment”
Does anyone else start to miss bright colors in January? This is the time of year I find myself thinking about dying my hair, seeking the brightest socks in the drawer and choosing the doughnuts with the most sprinkles. That is one of the reasons I chose this craft to share. The watercolor paints are so bright and cheerful. Perfect for a cold winter day.
Continue reading “Watercolor Winter Hat Craft”
Becoming the best versions of ourselves is a lifelong journey, one which I firmly believe starts with the values and habits we form growing up. And as we enter 2024, the new year feels like a clean slate — a time to take stock of the progress we’ve made and chart a path forward, not only for ourselves but for our families and children as well. If you’re an organized, goal-oriented family who thrives on checking off to-do lists, traditional New Year’s resolutions might very well work for you and your kids. But if you’re anything like me, and your resolutions get completely forgotten come February, shifting your focus towards the little steps it takes to make long-term change can take the pressure off.
I appreciated this Psychology Today article, in which the author makes a case for setting intentions rather than resolutions in the new year. Intentions require us to think more deeply about our values and priorities, the things that make us happy and give us purpose. Rather than stressing over specific tasks and strict deadlines (and feeling that dreaded sense of failure when life inevitably gets in the way), intentions allow us to refocus our efforts and take small, sustainable steps toward the person we wish to become.
Especially as kids enter their tween years, knowing oneself, gaining confidence and learning to set achievable goals become all the more important. To that end, I’ve compiled a few of my favorite titles to encourage kids on their self-improvement journey. Continue reading “New Year, New You: Self-Improvement Books for Kids”
It is almost impossible to avoid the message that products equal happiness. We are inundated with advertisements that promise health, happiness and everything in between, if only we buy what they’re selling. However, in my years of working with children, I have found that the best learning comes from the most unexpected places. You don’t always have to buy fancy new toys for your kids to have a fun time full of learning opportunities. This is where loose parts come into play. Continue reading “My Love of Loose Parts Play”
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