|
Quote of the Week
"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." -- e.e. cummings
Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection
"Most girls are taught to avoid risk and failure. We're taught to smile pretty, play it safe, get all A's. Boys, on the other hand, are taught to play rough, swing high, crawl to the top of the monkey bars and then just jump off headfirst. And by the time they're adults, whether they're negotiating a raise or even asking someone out on a date, they're habituated to take risk after risk. They're rewarded for it. It's often said in Silicon Valley, no one even takes you seriously unless you've had two failed start-ups. In other words, we're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave." Follow this link, to hear Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, discuss why it is important to teach our girls to embrace imperfection.
Reading Corner
 Title: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine Author: Laura Wallmark
Ages: 5-9
Why: Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, develops her creativity through science and math. When she meets Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada understands the machine better than anyone else and writes the world's first computer program in order to demonstrate its capabilities.
"Two hundred years after her birth in 1815, the world is finally beginning to pay attention to Ada Byron Lovelace, considered by many to be the inventor of computer programming. Computer scientist and debut author Wallmark introduces her subject as a child fascinated by numbers, lucky enough to be born to a geometry-loving mother [Anne Isabella Byron] with the means and inclination to nurture her daughter's talents. She focuses on her subject's adolescence, choosing details that highlight Lovelace's development as a mathematical genius... A splendidly inspiring introduction to an unjustly overlooked woman." -- Kirkus Reviews
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be The Change
Encourage your child to brainstorm solutions for problems she encounters. No idea is a bad idea, but each can build on the one before until the enthusiasm of creating and dreaming becomes exciting and empowering. Soon your child is looking at problems as puzzles to be solved rather than obstacles. For inspiration consider the youngest attendee of the WWDC, Apple's annual developer's conference, 9-year old Anvitha Vijay who already has two iOS apps under her belt.
Kindful Kids newsletter is a resource for parents who are keen to teach children about compassion and service. It reaches 3,646 subscribers. You can unsubscribe here.
|
