TechLearning Summer 2008 Week 5 – PLAY

Our culture does not endorse playing for adults. We hardly condone it for children these days — everything is so scheduled and planned and based around Standards of Learning (SOLs) test scores. I heard a segment on NPR talking about the “gap” year that kids are taking between highschool and college. The theory is that it is becoming very popular because kids no longer experience the true joys of summer. They are too busy and too scheduled and too focused on making their academic and extracurricular record look good so that they can get into a “good” school — they no longer know how to play, to create or even how to just be still. And yet, I also repeatedly hear that the kind of person companies value are those who are creative and innovative and collaborative in their approach to work and life. Why do we stifle these tendencies and traits in our children? Especially if that is what employers are seeking?

LibraryThing

I started using LibraryThing last year prior to packing up all my books in preparation for a move. The books I have entered into LibraryThing are mainly my craft books: CristasBooks.

The Grand Essentials of Happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

I said I would never keep a blog . . .

Well, never say never, I suppose.