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A Slice of History in Hiroshima, Japan

We recently visited the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Yes, Hiroshima as in, the city the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on during WWII. The city of Hiroshima which was considered unlivable for at least 70 years after the bomb was dropped because of the radioactive dangers surrounding the area. The city of Hiroshima was alive and well and thriving. 

It was incredible to step foot where so much history was present. Our first stop was the Peace Memorial park, a vast area dedicated to the atomic bombing. 

The A-Bomb building was absolutely haunting and humbling to see. It was the only standing building after the bomb went off and is currently maintained by the city so that it will be standing forever. It’s as if the city of Hiroshima is saying, “You tried to take everything from us, but this one last thing that did survive is ours and you’re not taking it too.” 

Where we ended up spending the majority of our time was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was humbling. I had a heavy feeling in my heart from start to finish as I walked through each exhibit. 

Many parents donated their children’s items and stories to the children’s room within the museum. Many kids were on their way to school when the bomb hit and their bodies could be identified by name tags on their uniforms or by the lunch pails they were carrying. Just thinking about sending my kids to school only to have an atomic bomb drop on our city was overwhelming enough for me, I could not imagine the heartache those parents went through mourning their losses. 

It made me wonder why we have museums and memorials for heartbreaking moments in history such as the atomic bomb in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Or WWII and Holocaust museums. Why are we spending time and resources to build these museums, and then our time and resources to walk through them? 

Because history is meant to be learned from. There’s a reason history in various forms and time periods is required in most schools! If we’re always looking back on history and satisfied with how everything played out, then we’re not studying it the right way. We do better with what we know and have learned from. 

And possibly the most important reason is that these individuals’ stories are meant to be told. They suffered and mourned and lived through important turning points in history, and for that, they should not have to be silenced. They deserve to have everyone hear them loud and clear as they tell their stories giving us the slightest glimpse of their lives during these times. This goes for every survivor at any point in time. 

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was incredible and rich with information to learn and hear. It will forever be a life-changing moment for me. 

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8 Different Sensory Inputs in our Bodies

I learned in school when I was younger that there are five senses. When I realized my son was a sensory seeker, these five senses were what I had in mind when I realized I needed to give him more sensory input in his day. After more research, I realized there were actually eight sensory inputs our bodies have! 

There are professionals all over our world going to school and working in this field of study that know this information, and then mere uneducated individuals like me that are just now realizing that there’s more to our bodies than the five senses I learned in kindergarten! Wild! 

So just in case there are more of you out there like me that are new to this 8 senses game, I’m going to break down what each of the senses is in terms I understand, and hopefully you can too. 

Sight

Taste

Touch

Hearing

Smell

And then the three we don’t know as much about. 

Proprioceptive: This one is the “hard work” one in my mind. This sensory function utilizes muscles and ligaments in our bodies to move us through space. It also tells us where we are in space and in relation to other objects. Sensory seekers for this area are going to be pulling and pushing objects, carrying heavy things, or running, doing all of these things with as much force as possible. Sensory avoiders will be using their limbs and muscles the least amount possible. Things like lifting or pushing can feel very overwhelming to them. 

Vestibular: When I think of vestibular, I try to remember the “inner ear” because that’s the key point to vestibular sensory input. It’s spinning, swinging, and hanging upside down. Those that avoid vestibular input want their world to stay put. Anything that makes them dizzy or feels out of control is a no-go for this sensory input. Those that seek vestibular input are doing everything they can to throw their inner ear off balance- spinning, swinging, rolling, hanging upside down. 

Interoceptive: This is the feelings and senses that we have within ourselves. It’s within our brain letting us know how our body is doing and what we are feeling. And not just emotionally, but physically as well. This can be a headache from dehydration, it can be pain in your arm when it’s burned, or even just the feelings of a sad, broken heart. This sense can be incredibly strong for some and dull for others, meaning we all feel pain and emotion at different levels.  

I hope this mostly simplified version of the three new senses helps you understand them a little more. 

Do you have a sensory seeker or avoider in your home or your classroom?

Photo by Ameruverse Digital Marketing Media

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Let the Definitions Come Later

A teacher was doing an experiment with his students where he held a cup of water up high with a string trailing down to the second cup lower and to the side of the first cup. As seen in the video: 

The teacher asked his students to describe what was happening with the water and why it was able to go from one cup to the other without spilling onto the table. 

“Cohesion!” 

“Surface tension!”

“Anti-Gravity!” 

“Newton’s third law!” 

He just kept shaking his head saying, “Nope. Nope. Don’t think so complex. Just tell me what’s happening.” 

And then a quiet student in the back chimes in, 

“The water is sticking to the string as it travels from one cup to the next.” 

BINGO. 

She described what was happening. The teacher wasn’t looking for the scientific terms for what the water was doing or how it was happening, he was looking for an explanation. The water was simply sticking to the string. 

They observed, they took it in, they learned, and the lesson moved forward. 

Later in their readings when they came upon the definitions of adhesion and cohesion, each student made the instant connection to the water “sticking” to the string in the earlier experiment. 

Science can quickly become a list of definitions to memorize, there is a whole new language out there of scientific jargon that can easily turn into a class of “learn new vocabulary” instead of “learn about science.” 

But if you want kids to know science, to really internalize it and get excited about what science has to offer, let the definitions come later. 

Introduce them to the world of plants and animals, chemical and physical changes, rocks and clouds, and stars and chemicals. And then when they’re excited and see the world change and create in front of their eyes, taking in everything going on, then give them the word to describe it. 

Toddlers don’t learn what grass is by looking at a picture in a book and saying, “That’s grass!” repeatedly. They learn what grass is by sitting in it. Feeling it. Probably taste-testing it. And then hearing their caregiver say to them, “The grass is so soft! Don’t eat the grass, yucky! Do you like the grass?” 

Let’s change science classes from memorizing definitions and writing out vocabulary sheets into watching, seeing, observing, and getting excited about what science can offer. And then once they’re ready for the definitions, let those come with time. And they will come if you give them that time. 

Photo by MART PRODUCTION

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A Group of High Schoolers Set Out to Make Respectful Men in their Community For Generations to Come

“I live in a small, rural town that consists of a population of around 700 people. My school district is a combination of the town I live in along with another neighboring town. Their population only consists of around 500 people. The issue that I have noticed, specifically in our school district, is the decline in respect and courteousness in our young men. I am a senior in high school this year and I constantly hear stories about the way some of the grade school and middle school boys act toward others. I also witness some of these mannerisms in the high school.”

“The solution that the group of us guys has come up with is to start weekly challenges for the grade school students that would last 1-2 months and would bring out the courteous side that all of these young men have. The goals that we have come up with for the month of January are to show politeness (say please and thank you, do not chew with your mouth open, etc.), hold the door for others, and say something kind to a different person each day of the week. Our group has also already scheduled a speaker to come and present to the middle school and high school men. This presentation is called “Man2Man” and showcases the positive impact that young men can make and should play in reducing gender and relationship violence, as well as how to be a leader, and make a positive difference in the community around them. This presentation also describes how men should be encouraged to express their emotions and not feel as if they need to hide the emotions as they are pressured to do so by society.”

“Our goals from this project are to see improvement and growth of leadership and interpersonal skills in young men. Hopefully, long-term these young men will have a better understanding of what it takes to be a good leader and that being a man does not mean that they have to put on a “shell” like society may have trained them.”

“Our group has been meeting with the grade school students every Friday during the month of January to hand out fake mustaches to all of the students who completed the weekly challenge. We also describe the next week’s challenge. I feel that the steps that I take to improve my community have an impact on the world that we should take care of so dearly.”

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Discovering Our Child Was a Sensory Seeker Did Nothing But Positivley Impact Him and Our Family

My son is currently 3.5 years old. From the time he was born, I knew there was something going on that I just couldn’t put my finger on. Was it autism? A learning disability? But how can you even diagnose that at such a young age? You cannot! 

As he got older we discovered his love for music. No… not love. Obsession. 

Spending time outside digging in the dirt wasn’t just our routine, but our essential routine. 

We quickly started acquiring more and more supplies in our house such as swings, slides, crash pads, soft mats, and more. 

At 2 years old our doctor finally gave us the term sensory seeker and suddenly our lives started making more sense! 

When I started my research on a sensory seeker kiddo in a classroom, I found information on adaptive seating in classrooms. And OT time outside of the classroom. Teachers offering pencil toppers for chewing and small, quiet sensory toys to keep inside of their desks. 

But the biggest turning point for our family was when I discovered this little golden nugget of wisdom-

“Learning cannot and will not happen unless all sensory needs have been met.” 

Take out learning and swap it with any verb needed- Eating. Sleeping. Listening. Participating. Reading. Independent play. It all applies. 

Once I started learning more about the different senses in our body, touch, taste, sight, feel, hearing, vestibular, and proprioceptive, and the needs that come with each of them, it started making more sense to us. We were realizing that a lot of the behaviors we were shutting down and trying to stop were actually just him craving the sensory input his body was seeking. Now instead of dismissing his sensory needs, we’ve fully embraced them and used them to our advantage, too! 

Since then, he’s been eating better, sleeping better, playing better, and learning so much more. 

It’s fascinating what we can learn about our children in the way they learn and think and develop! And it’s even more fascinating to see what develops when we allow them the space to do so on their own terms, and not ours. 

We still have a long way to go on this journey for him and for us, and I’m very curious to see how it plays out with school and around peers someday. But for now, we’re loving and embracing this information. 

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Falling in Love Fast and Hard. With Books.

The first chapter book I ever remember being read to me was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I can vividly recall sitting on my dad’s lap in our rocker recliner chair listening to the sound of his voice while he read to me the chapter where Harry and Ron are being chased by the troll through the hallways of the school. The picture in my mind of the scene played out just like a movie, and I hadn’t even seen the movie yet! 

It was at this moment that I knew books held something I wanted to get a hold of. 

I don’t remember the process of learning to read. I’m certain I went through the same motions every kindergartener goes through to get there, by sounding out words and working on phonics and sight words. What I do remember, though, is receiving a letter in the mail a few weeks before 1st grade started from my new teacher. It was so exciting! I asked my mom to read me the letter, I can even remember where exactly in my house I was standing as it all happened. When I tried handing the paper to my mom, she returned it to me and said, “No, you can read it! You know how to read now!” 

I doubted her, but slowly I read the letter my teacher sent, telling me how excited she was for me to join her in her first-grade classroom. She talked about all of the fun activities we would do, the things we were going to learn about, and the books we would read. I was especially excited about the books! 

After finishing the letter, I looked up at my mom with pride in my heart. This was the first time in my life I felt like I had read something. Like, really read and fully comprehended what I had read. This wasn’t a small booklet of CVC and sight words strung together to make up some dinky early reader book. This was me picking up a paper with words and meaning and reading what my teacher wanted to say to me. 

First grade ended up being magical and incredible and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we have our very first library day. They sat us down at tables in the library where our sweet librarian told us all about the Dewey Decimal system and reading levels. After our short lesson, we were free to roam the stacks and choose a book to check out and bring home to read. 

I stood in front of those bookshelves that seemed as if they were ten feet tall, completely overwhelmed by the number of options. How was I supposed to pick out the perfect book?! I searched and searched through shelf after shelf, becoming increasingly anxious that I was going to leave the library without a book to show for it. 

I ran to my teacher for help, to which she responded in the most saintly way most first-grade teachers do. 

She led me to a shelf near the back of the stacks and on the second shelf from the top to the far left, she pulled a book. Karen’s Witch by Ann M. Martin. It was the perfect reading level and the perfect genre for me. I started the first chapter as we walked back to the classroom… 

“Hi. I am Karen Brewer. I’m six going on seven years old, and I think I’m very lucky. I’m lucky because I have two families. Most people only have one. But my brother Andrew and I have two.” -Ann M. Martin in Karen’s Witch 

This was the moment my heart swelled with happiness as Karen and I became best friends. 

This was the moment that I knew books were going to mean so much more to me than just words on a page. 

It all started with the safety of being read to by trusted adults. 

It solidified itself as I found meaning behind words and reading. 

And then it really took off when I found a friend in books. 

My love for reading fell fast and hard. I was hooked from such a young age and continued to read all of Karen’s novels, as well as the Harry Potter Series, Charlie Bone, Sideways Stories From Wayside School, The American Girl Series, and more and more and more. 

This isn’t always the case for early readers. In fact, it can be the opposite most times. 

But we as teachers and parents can foster their new experiences with books by helping them find safety, meaning, and friends as they explore the literature that speaks to them. 

When was the first moment you fell in love with books? 

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A Trip to Japan And a Global Learning Experience

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Japan. This has been a ten-year goal for us to visit and experience the country of Japan, so it was exciting once we were able to make it there finally! We ended up leaving our kids home during our trip, but after only a few days in the country, we quickly agreed that we needed to set a new goal to bring our whole family back in ten years because Japan is incredible!

Here is a quick rundown of what we learned and experienced while we were there, through the eyes of a global learner-

Children independently riding and navigating the train and subway systems in the busiest parts of the city to get to and from school and extracurriculars on their own. 

Family-friendly everything. 

Many school groups out on field trips during the weekend (when they do not have school). All of them were dressed in school uniforms and acting incredibly respectful. 

Everyone having a deep respect and reverence for their cities and communities, working together to keep them clean and tidy. 

As well as students having the same respect and reverence for their schools and spending time cleaning after the school day is over. (Could you imagine that in the U.S.?! That would be incredible!) 

Very safe and clean streets, which make walking and biking very easy and accessible for adults and children alike. 

Respect from everyone in the community for the disabled and elderly or anyone that 

Students attending tutoring sessions in their free time outside of school, not just for extra help, but for extra learning hours. 

One big recurring theme I saw was the respect level for all ages and abilities from all ages and abilities. Learning about the culture and more about the school systems in Japan was so eye-opening to me and influenced how I move forward with my kids and how I view and use the educational system in the United States. 

Have you ever traveled somewhere and had it completely changed your perspective?