Boxes

Today I started re-reading a book called Get Out Out of Your Own Way by Robert K. Cooper. The subtitle is The 5 Keys to Surpassing Everyone's Expectations. I enjoyed this book the first time I read it and am enjoying it again.

One line caught my attention while I was reading today and here it is - "To get out of the box, you have to see the box."

It's so easy sometimes to feel like circumstance have boxed me in and that there is nothing I can do beyond the four walls of this box. And I can't even see out of it because the lid is closed up tight and duct taped shut.

But as I was reading I began wondering what this box is really made of. Is it really as limiting as I let myself believe sometimes. Do I really have to sit here in this box and let the world go on without me because . . . because why?

The longer I looked the more I realized that my box is made of things that I am allowing to hold me in, but that really only have the strength that I allow them to have.

Here are some of the things that I have allowed to make up the walls of my box.

1. Other People's Actions
Why is it alwasy so easy to blame my problems on the actions of the other people in my life? It's common, we all do it, but it is so pointless and self limiting. And while I am lamenting that someone else is causing me so much trouble, the other person is going on with their life, often blissfully unaware of my perception of their actions.

How much more productive it would be to take an honest look at what is going on and make a plan of action. There are several things that could be done. Approach the person, explain the problem, and ask for input from the other person's perspective. It may be that with the information given them the actions would change. Or maybe I would change my view of things when I heard the other side of the story. Maybe a win-win solution could be reached. Or, possibly I need to simply look at the situation from all angles and find a way around it, through it or even a way to use it for good. But never do I need to sit and allow another person's actions to box me in.

2. Time
Sometimes it seems time is determined to box me in. I just can't make the days any longer, or put any more minutes into the hours. But usually, if I am beginning to feel boxed in by time I need to take a long hard look at how I am spending time. And spending is the right terminology because I can't really save time, or borrow time, what I have is what I am going to get, and whether I use it properly or not, it will move on and be gone.
So taking examining how I am spending the minutes of my hours is usually the first place I need to start. A minute slips by so quietly and smoothly it is easy to lose the value that can be gained from it. Living on purpose, and making conscious decisions about how I am spending my time is the key to escaping from the time box.

3. Money
All too often I let myself blame my sitting in the box on money, or the lack thereof. But if I allow myself to embrace that mindset, I will always be limiting myself. More money could always be used, but if I'm honest with myself there are nearly always things that can be done now, whether I have the money I think I need or not, that will move me further away from my box. I can study, read, take advantage of what is available to me within my current budget and as I take these steps, following the bit of path I can see now, the rest of the way always opens before me, whether through monetary means or other. But I have to take the first step.

These are just a few of the ways that I often allow myself to become boxed in and ways I am learning, sometimes over and over, to escape from the box and dance the dance of life. I would love to read the thoughts of others on boxes and finding freedom from them.

Making Progress in Creative Learning Environment Course

I was able to put in some time this morning working on my Creative Learning Environments class. I turned in two assignments.

The first assignment was to compare two different classroom layouts and identify which one was the most functional and why. The factors to consider were - clear boundaries between centers, ease of use for the children,and clear line of sight into all areas so teachers are able to adequately supervise, and no large spaces that would encourage children to run in the classroom.

The second assignment was to "Choose two learning centers and write one goal in two different areas of development."

Here is what I turned in for this assignment

Housekeeping Center
1. Children will demonstrate how to play cooperatively in a group, including sharing and taking turns.
2. The children will role play housekeeping activities they see adults performing around them daily

Block Center
1. Children will demonstrate eye hand coordination by building, stacking and lining up blocks.
2. Children will recognize the primary colors, correctly identifying the colors of the blocks.

Aa is for Ants

I am taking a class called Creative Learning Environments and one of my assignments was to "describe a manner in which each of the eight learning styles can be promoted to learn about a single simple topic." This is the lesson plan that I turned in.

 I really enjoyed developing this plan and am planning to use this format for future lesson plans. This plan was intended to be carried out over the course of a week. The next one will be Bb for Butterflies.

 Aa is for Ants

ART

1. Goals for children's learning and development.

• practice fine motor skills
• review colors black, brown and red
• appreciate the variety of color and form in nature

2. Brief description of planned learning experiences

• look at pictures of different kinds of ant, noticing colors and other characteristics
• color pictures of ants using crayons and chalk
• make a model of an ant from egg cartons and pipe cleaners
• make a construction paper ant
• make a book of the drawn and colored pictures of ants to share with the class and parents

3. Accommodations for special needs and differences

• help and encouragement with fine motor activities as needed
• age appropriate cutting utensils
• variety of choices in activities presented 

4. Materials needed

• realistic pictures of ants
• printed pictures of ants to color
• drawing paper
• crayons/chalk
• scissors
• egg cartons
• pipe cleaners
• 3-ring binder
• sheet protectors
• construction paper
• glue sticks

5. Learning styles

• Visual-Spatial
• Bodily-Kinesthetic

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

1. goals for children's learning and development

• learn to follow instructions in a fun way
• children will learn to listen for different tempos in music - fast, slow - and move accordingly
• children will enjoy learning together through song

2. Brief description of planned learning activities

• learn the song "The Ants Go Marching"
• March in time to do the differing tempos in the song - slowing down and speeding up the tempos on different verses in the song
• sing the ant song and the As song together

3. Accommodations for special needs and individual differences

• children may sing along or listen as desired
• children may march to the beat or clap as desired

4. Materials needed

• song sheets
• CD player

5. Learning styles

• Bodily-Kinesthetic
• Musical
• Interpersonal
• Linguistic

DRAMATIC PLAY

1. Goals for children's learning and development

• children will reinforce learned concepts and information through play
• children will play together cooperatively or will enjoy time playing alone - understanding that both choices are acceptable ways of spending time

2. Brief description of planned learning activities

• Plastic ants in block area as well as in the sensory area (rice/bean table).
• Ant puppets in the puppet area.

3. Accommodations for special needs and individual differences

• various sizes of play ants will be used 
• children will have choices between block  play, sensory table and puppet area

4. Materials needed

• blocks
• rice/beans for sensory table
• ant toys in various sizes
• ant puppets

5. Learning styles

• Bodily - Kinesthetic
• Interpersonal
• Visual-Spatial
• Intrapersonal
• Logical-Mathematical
• Naturalistic

LIBRARY

1. Goals for children's learning and development

• to foster literacy and the joy of reading
• to reinforce tracking from left to right when reading
• to allow children to enjoy and share the class book alone and with classmates and parents

2. Brief description of planned learning experiences

• stock class library area with books, both fact and fiction, relating to ants. (Including the class book).

3. Accommodations for special needs and individual differences

• provide a variety of book types and reading levels

4. Materials needed

• a wide variety of books about ants

5. Learning styles

• Verbal-Linguistic
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Naturalistic

SCIENCE/MATH

1. Goals for children's learning and develpment

• observe and learn about ants as they work and grow in ant farm as well as in their natural environment
• practice observation and counting skills

2. Brief description of planned learning experiences

• set up and observe ant farm
• go outside and look for and count ants
• "Ants on a Log" snack - count the ants on each log

3. Accommodations for special needs and individual differences

• providing a variety of activities to ensure that different needs and learning styles are addressed
• providing assistance and direction as each child needs and desires

4. Materials needed

• ant farm
• ants
• snack supplies - celery, peanut butter, cream cheese, raisins

5. Learning styles

• Bodily-Kinesthetic
• Interpersonal
• Logical-Mathematical
• Naturalistic

Sold Out - A Passion For His Presence

My sister bought me this set of CDs for Christmas and I have really enjoyed them. It is a collection of six sermons by Jentezen Franklin.
The six sermons are titled

• The Three Crosses
• Worthy is the Lamb
• Unlawful Hunger
• The Folded Napkin
• After His Passion
• The Mysteries of the Cross

In these sermons Jentezen Franklin speaks of the incredible passion Christ has for us and the length to which He went for each of us. This is a set of CDs I am sure I will listen to many times. 

Escape From Cubicle Nation by Pam Slim - Book Review

 Escape from Cubicle Nation - From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur

Pamela Slim

I listened to this book read by Sandra Burr twice. It is recorded on ten compact discs. It is well written and well read.

Some of the topics covered are finance, health insurance, marketing, creating a business plan, and even the emotional issues involved in becoming an intrepreneur.

Pamela Slim also has a blog by the same name which can be found here - Escape From Cubicle Nation.

Say Everything by Scott Roseberg

I recently found this book at the library and brought it home to look at. I really didn't think I would read the whole book but discovered I enjoyed the author's style of writing. Scott Rosenberg has made what could be a technical, boring (at least for me) and hard to read book very readable, understandable and interesting. Basically it's a history of blogging. As I read this book I felt like I was getting an inside look into the lives and minds of some of the people who have made blogging what it is today. There is also some interesting discussion of where blogging may be going in the future.

Here are some details on the book.

Say Everything by Scott Rosenberg
Copyright 2009

Contents

Introduction: What's New

Part One - Pioneers

Chapter 1 - Putting Everything Out There

Chapter 2 - The Undedited Voice of a Person

Chapter 3 - They Shall Know You Through Your Links

Part Two - Scaling Up

Chapter 4 - The Blogger Catapult

Chapter 5 - The Rise of Political Blogging

Chapter 6 - Blogging for Bucks

Chapter 7 - The Exploding Blogosphere

Chapter 8 - The Perils of Keeping It Real

Part Three - What Have Blogs Wrought?

Chapter 9 - Journalists VS. Bloggers

Chapter 10 - When Everyone Has a Blog

Chapter 11 - Fragments for the Future

Epilogue - Twilight of the Cynics