Kia Ora my friends, colleagues, geeky brothers & sisters<\/p>\n
Summer is whipping past with the speed of a nor’west wind<\/a>\u00a0and I am finally ready to begin list-writing and the wrangling of ducks into rows as I contemplate my action-packed 2019.<\/p>\n Even as most of NZ has attempted varying degrees of summer holiday, there have been a great many things written, published, and shared.\u00a0 I will pass some along now!<\/p>\n I’ll begin with a link to the most recent webinar from the Children’s Screen Time Action Network<\/a>, and here is a li’l something from The Conversation, of Australia.\u00a0 These are some lessons from people who don’t use social media<\/a>, and this NY Times piece wonders what we could do with the found hours<\/a> and energy that would emerge if we put our phones down for a year.<\/p>\n This makes me suspicious: it’s about the gamification of classrooms<\/a>, and this piece from the BBC <\/a>\u00a0speaks to parents’ frustrations at the lack of ‘official’ guidelines for kids’ screen use.\u00a0 (Send the kids outside to play!\u00a0 It’s important for their eye health<\/a>).<\/p>\n I’ll change gears for a few links now, because I do geek out about a range of stuff, not just the screen dramas.\u00a0 Here is a link from Early Childhood Australia<\/a> about the value of music in children’s lives, this is a report from Harvard about an amazing study<\/a> that uses a massive data set to attempt to tease out the impact of nature\/nurture (“gene code or zip code”) on various diseases, and THIS!\u00a0 Yes, this is important.\u00a0 From The good folk at A Mighty Girl, about the folly of “he’s mean because he likes you”.<\/a><\/p>\n As a country girl and a lifelong wool fanatic (ain’t lying!) I was STOKED to read about this innovative use of a renewable resource.<\/a>\u00a0 Oh, listen … full disclosure … I have been enjoying a vegan diet <\/a>\u00a0for a couple of months now, but clearly this does not actually make me a vegan.\u00a0 My love for wool is even greater<\/em> than my love for eating a plant-based diet.\u00a0 SORRY.<\/p>\n Here is a piece from the awesome Evolutionary Parenting website, about why punishment does not work<\/a>, and I also love the work of Rick Hansen … here is a gift of a piece about letting go of unnecessary burdens<\/a>.\u00a0 Great timing as I work on a piece for my pals at OHbaby! about the risks of comparison.<\/p>\n This is a reflection from someone who often works with young people<\/a> (they’re stressed out!) and LO! we have dovetailed back to screen related topics.\u00a0 Click HERE <\/a>\u00a0to read a summary of negative effects of excessive screen on children (and what parents can do about it) … you might want to install time-limiting software?\u00a0 \u00a0Like this.<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, GOOD GOLLY I think this is really, really important from Psychology Today … it’s about the dangers associated with ‘technovoidance’,<\/a> that is, avoiding feeling the feels and instead turning to the distractions of the shiny and pingy.\u00a0 Oh, feel the feels!\u00a0 Please gaze about during wait times!\u00a0 Stare out windows!\u00a0 Be bored!<\/p>\n “Don’t just do something!\u00a0 SIT THERE!”<\/p>\n Here is a sobering piece from Scientific American about the cultural parenting hangover<\/a> left over from the flippin’ Nazis, and I’ll follow that up with something beautiful, as a palate cleanser.\u00a0 Check out these lovely pictures<\/a> from “the best shell beach, ever!”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kia Ora my friends, colleagues, geeky brothers & sisters Summer is whipping past with the speed of a nor’west wind\u00a0and I am finally ready to begin list-writing and the wrangling of ducks into rows as I contemplate my action-packed 2019. … Continue reading