STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - gets higher notoriety and "appeal" when integrated into shows such as The Big Bang Theory. This particular bunch of nerds have close social connections with a few non-STEMs thrown in for their apparent entertainment. But, in a nod to audiences of non-STEMs, it shows how even nerds that speak a different language are attracted to an unarticulated "sexy" factor on a molecular level.
Though likely not the declared intention of big studio producers and investors, focusing on the more mundane (less scary) parts of academic life and the old-school dreams of being an astronaut bring new careers to the American living rooms. They aren't new, but since smartphones don't easily link kids to quarks the same way that games might attract their attention, it brings a level of interest and exposure to fields where America used to excel.
We need kids and adults alike to be invigorated by math and science again. Encourage imagination and playing mad scientist, even if it means the kitchen needs detoxes after the little ones make their first volcano from baking soda and vinegar. Just use your feet and move the project outside before Vesuvius erupts again.
Learn more about the fun of math and help your memory last longer in the process. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/opinion/the-importance-of-recreational-math.html Or the full screen version at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/opinion/the-importance-of-recreational-math.html
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Remember Whose You Are
Many musicians are known by the instruments they play. Keith Richards' 1950s Fender Telecaster named "Micawber". Joseph Bell's 1713 Stradivari that is only known as "he". Coltrane's saxophone, Gillespie's trumpet. The great musicians are often only half of an intimate duo. They helped create an instrument's brand and future generations try to live up to that name. When it's good, it's really good.
And the next line of that poem goes along like "and when he's bad, he's very very bad." Back in the day, kids knew if they did something out of line, that a neighbor would call their parents and before they got home, there was already a lecture coming. Parents were highly involved, neighbors had an "eye out" for the wee ones in the community.
There was no doubt in years past where you belonged and your home. If you got that lecture when stepping out of line, there was little doubt that you would be reminded that you were a reflection on your parents. You were reminded that when you were out and about, you needed to "remember whose you are." You are a direct reflection on your family name and on God (or your family's deity).
Take some time to read this article, to have your eyes open. Make your life better. Have your priorities right. Remember Whose You Are - live up to your name.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/pearls-before-breakfast-can-one-of-the-nations-great-musicians-cut-through-the-fog-of-a-dc-rush-hour-lets-find-out/2014/09/23/8a6d46da-4331-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html
And the next line of that poem goes along like "and when he's bad, he's very very bad." Back in the day, kids knew if they did something out of line, that a neighbor would call their parents and before they got home, there was already a lecture coming. Parents were highly involved, neighbors had an "eye out" for the wee ones in the community.
There was no doubt in years past where you belonged and your home. If you got that lecture when stepping out of line, there was little doubt that you would be reminded that you were a reflection on your parents. You were reminded that when you were out and about, you needed to "remember whose you are." You are a direct reflection on your family name and on God (or your family's deity).
Take some time to read this article, to have your eyes open. Make your life better. Have your priorities right. Remember Whose You Are - live up to your name.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/pearls-before-breakfast-can-one-of-the-nations-great-musicians-cut-through-the-fog-of-a-dc-rush-hour-lets-find-out/2014/09/23/8a6d46da-4331-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html
Monday, September 21, 2015
Keep the Spice in Your Life
Variety is the spice in life. Making sure you don't work too hard... or play too hard... ensures that you have balance and diversity in the things you do everyday.
But, it seems that as we do more things in the workplace and rely more on technology, we forget the basics of life. Trust the experts (that what they teach above all else in the MBA schools, as they teach you to be an expert in your field). Food sustains life. What if we balance our food plate with a variety of colors... just like we should be encouraging our workplaces to have a variety of races and ethnicities?
The basics of life, according to Maslow's hierarchy of need, is food and shelter. Most people don't forget about shelter, but the importance of the right food choices goes to the wayside. If you don't fuel your car properly, it shuts down (and is expensive to repair) and likewise for the human body!
Balance in your meals is important, just like balance in other areas of life. When you skip a meal, you are imbalanced. You become sluggish and unable to concentrate. When you over-indulge, you are so uncomfortable that you also are unable to concentrate (as all the blood is being used to digest your food).
What if we, in the business world, committed to working toward something better? When we are able to encourage or set good examples - either in our workplace cafeterias or when little ones watch our food choices - so that we aren't always skipping fresh veggies or don't always drown our meat in rich sauces. The same thing goes for selecting the right employees to work for our company mission.
If you don't have something from each food group representing the different nutrients you need, you will fall short. Same thing in business - if you just have one type of employee, you won't be able to creatively grow and increase your revenue. Life doesn't work when you just eat one thing, what makes us think creating and sustaining business would work that way, either?
Create and encourage more of what you need - either in food or the food of business (employees!)
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/19/441494432/the-u-s-doesnt-have-enough-of-the-vegetables-were-supposed-to-eat
But, it seems that as we do more things in the workplace and rely more on technology, we forget the basics of life. Trust the experts (that what they teach above all else in the MBA schools, as they teach you to be an expert in your field). Food sustains life. What if we balance our food plate with a variety of colors... just like we should be encouraging our workplaces to have a variety of races and ethnicities?
The basics of life, according to Maslow's hierarchy of need, is food and shelter. Most people don't forget about shelter, but the importance of the right food choices goes to the wayside. If you don't fuel your car properly, it shuts down (and is expensive to repair) and likewise for the human body!
Balance in your meals is important, just like balance in other areas of life. When you skip a meal, you are imbalanced. You become sluggish and unable to concentrate. When you over-indulge, you are so uncomfortable that you also are unable to concentrate (as all the blood is being used to digest your food).
What if we, in the business world, committed to working toward something better? When we are able to encourage or set good examples - either in our workplace cafeterias or when little ones watch our food choices - so that we aren't always skipping fresh veggies or don't always drown our meat in rich sauces. The same thing goes for selecting the right employees to work for our company mission.
If you don't have something from each food group representing the different nutrients you need, you will fall short. Same thing in business - if you just have one type of employee, you won't be able to creatively grow and increase your revenue. Life doesn't work when you just eat one thing, what makes us think creating and sustaining business would work that way, either?
Create and encourage more of what you need - either in food or the food of business (employees!)
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/19/441494432/the-u-s-doesnt-have-enough-of-the-vegetables-were-supposed-to-eat
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
How Plus Can Help Get Rid of Minus
Misery loves company. When did we start focusing on this little nugget of joy? Actually, ancient philosophers pontificated on this topic - Sophocles, around 408 b.c., used words to this effect in his writings. It appeared in the 1300 in English. And, of course there is that particular Misery where Kathy Bates definitely wanted "company" in her "home".
Back in the hunter/gatherer days, it makes sense that humans paid attention to the negative minutia as it could save lives. The direction of the wind brings a new unpleasant scent - a fire or predator could be approaching. A plant tastes bitter when we try it - because in larger quantities, it could be poison. Today, we still sniff milk around the expiration date so we don't drink sour milk; not lifesaving, but certainly saving us from an unpleasant addition to a bowl of cereal or cup of coffee.
But a "minus" is only half a "plus", and indeed, a positive effect exponentially is contagious. Harvard did a study in the workplace about how noticing small nice things at work can significantly reduce stress. People normally share horrible experiences, "this tastes awful, try it" or "then when I opened the box I found this gross..."; instead, Harvard's study said to write three pleasant things each day.
Writing and then likely sharing these positive experiences increase bonds with people. After all you want to be around happy people, not miserable people. It lifts spirits - think of all the cute animal videos that you see, and don't you typically share them? Having positive-oriented bonds with people helps reduce our stress, which also helps improve our sleep. With more and better-quality sleep, we are likely to wake up on the "right" side of the bed.
As the positives grow, the negatives decrease. We don't focus on ugly when we can choose to see and share more pretty. It also helps diffuse a toxic environment and brings you "above the pack." Perhaps this is a reason why having pictures of our family at our desks, our offices painted soothing color, hallways and bathrooms having a pleasant atmosphere.
Three good things every day. You can set a timer that orients around when you may feel stress - rolling up into the office, back to your desk after work, and mid afternoon when you really just want to bug out. You can even do team building with it, that each week employees deposit "nice" things in a box and once a week you share them electronically with everyone on the team. Lead by example and start today. And you can do this with your kids, too, to help set them on the right path now.
For more on the study and results of the power of positive thinking at work, read more here: https://hbr.org/2015/09/the-powerful-effect-of-noticing-good-things-at-work
Back in the hunter/gatherer days, it makes sense that humans paid attention to the negative minutia as it could save lives. The direction of the wind brings a new unpleasant scent - a fire or predator could be approaching. A plant tastes bitter when we try it - because in larger quantities, it could be poison. Today, we still sniff milk around the expiration date so we don't drink sour milk; not lifesaving, but certainly saving us from an unpleasant addition to a bowl of cereal or cup of coffee.
But a "minus" is only half a "plus", and indeed, a positive effect exponentially is contagious. Harvard did a study in the workplace about how noticing small nice things at work can significantly reduce stress. People normally share horrible experiences, "this tastes awful, try it" or "then when I opened the box I found this gross..."; instead, Harvard's study said to write three pleasant things each day.
Writing and then likely sharing these positive experiences increase bonds with people. After all you want to be around happy people, not miserable people. It lifts spirits - think of all the cute animal videos that you see, and don't you typically share them? Having positive-oriented bonds with people helps reduce our stress, which also helps improve our sleep. With more and better-quality sleep, we are likely to wake up on the "right" side of the bed.
As the positives grow, the negatives decrease. We don't focus on ugly when we can choose to see and share more pretty. It also helps diffuse a toxic environment and brings you "above the pack." Perhaps this is a reason why having pictures of our family at our desks, our offices painted soothing color, hallways and bathrooms having a pleasant atmosphere.
Three good things every day. You can set a timer that orients around when you may feel stress - rolling up into the office, back to your desk after work, and mid afternoon when you really just want to bug out. You can even do team building with it, that each week employees deposit "nice" things in a box and once a week you share them electronically with everyone on the team. Lead by example and start today. And you can do this with your kids, too, to help set them on the right path now.
For more on the study and results of the power of positive thinking at work, read more here: https://hbr.org/2015/09/the-powerful-effect-of-noticing-good-things-at-work
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Don't Forget the Importance of Play
As adults, our focus is on responsibilities - bills, jobs, the order of things. Children, however, tend to focus on play and enjoy themselves. Turns out, we can learn from kids. Our minds still need distraction that has no other purpose but to allow a time of enjoyment. It's not just about breaking up the boredom or drudgery of the work task. It's about distracting the mind with something simple. And K.I.S.S. is important. It's not about texting or playing a smartphone game or watching cute animal videos; you need something tactile - squishing a stress ball, shaking a snow globe, even spinning a paperclip on your desktop (hopefully out of ear-shot of your boss). You need to take time for you and your brain to chill out. Don't rely on fish oil supplements or vitamins to boost your memory - K.I.S.S. and play.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/stress-toys-focus-work/398453/
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/stress-toys-focus-work/398453/
Monday, July 13, 2015
Talk of the Town
Pretty soon, information on the importance of childhood sleep habits will reemerge, preparing us for the start of school. (In the south, that occurs the second week of August, less than a month away.). But not a lot of discussion ever occurs for office workers. Sure, we know the tragedies that happen when truckers, bus drivers or train engineers are sleepy - but what about the people who work at a desk? With telecommuting and flex time as tools for employers to manage costs, start times may be another option to save money. It's a variation of flex time many employers - and employees - don't consider but maybe it's time everyone should.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248295?ctp=BizDev&src=Syndication&msc=google-editors-pick&google_editors_picks=true
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248295?ctp=BizDev&src=Syndication&msc=google-editors-pick&google_editors_picks=true
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