Let’s extend a warm welcome to the newest members of the community. I invite you to explore, ask questions, and if motivated, introduce yourself. Monday- Friday (US) I post a short education piece and a related play activity with variations by age. You can generally find those under Play Prompts. Weekends are for getting to know each other. Excited to have you here. @Kristy Allison @Jen Staniforth @Claire Amelia @Lisa Kilby @Sasha Woodall @Anna Murrietta @Monika Howerton

We’ve had so many new folks join in the last month, I think it’s time for a fun game of introductions. Now, when I’m conducting in person training, I usually do this by passing around of toilet paper and asking everyone to tear off as many sheets as they’d like. No further instructions are given. After everyone has taken their share, I then let them know it’s time to share one fact for each square (or sheet) they took. That usually gets folks talking. Since we don’t have any toilet paper, let’s roll the virtual dice instead. For each dot that you get, share something about yourself. I’ll start. PS: This is on the honor system. https://www.calculator.net/dice-roller.html

It’s been a great week of growth and adventure. Let’s extend a warm welcome to our newest members, @Kristy Allison @Claire Amelia @Jen Staniforth @Jose Guerra I’m working with Jose to improve our community orientation. I’d love to hear from old and new members alike. What would be helpful to you? Classes? Clearer onboarding? Paths to explore games and activities based on the age “bands” of the kids in your life? This community is for you so let me know!

I was having this conversation with a client today about how those of us in learning and development are continually building on the ideas of others but being totally original is a bigger challenge. Keep that in mind as you work with others. For example, we can put a lot of pressure on kids to be "original." We want them to have "their own ideas." But here’s a secret from the world of design: Everything is a remix. Most great breakthroughs aren't brand-new ideas; they are two old ideas having a baby. The "Genius" isn't the person who thinks of something from nothing; it’s the person who sees two unrelated things and realizes they belong together. I’m going to encourage you to remove the pressure to be "original" and giving yourself and the kids in your life permission to Remix. Let’s change the conversation and reinforce that creativity is a collaborative conversation with everything that already exists. When we stop trying to be "first," we start being "interesting."

Ah, pivot! One of the most overused words in business but one I don’t think is used enough when we talk about child development. Can you relate? Your kid is working on a drawing, they make one line "wrong," and they crumple the entire paper in a fit of frustration. To them, the "mistake" is a dead end. To a creative brain, however, that mistake is actually data. Let’s be real, have you ever done something similar? I know I have. Although with me, I’m usually frogging something I’m crocheting. Frogging (rip it rip it)🐸 When it comes to high-level problem solving, it’s key to remember that the best ideas often come from a "glitch" that forced a change in direction. But we rarely teach our kids how to pivot. We teach them how to get the "A" or follow the instructions so, when they can’t find the "right" answer, they stop. Here’s something to think about and then I’d love to hear your strategy. How will you show the kids in your life that there are no mistakes, only pivots? The idea is to move from a "Fixed" mindset (where an error is a failure) to a "Fluid" mindset (where an error is just a new starting point). When you lose the fear of failure, you gain the freedom to actually build something new.