Tag: collaboration

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Storms Have You Stuck Inside?

Within the last week, severe winter storms have hit several cities across the United States, causing many schools to close due to cold temperatures, ice, and/or snow. If schools are closed, that means kids are home– and that can sometimes leave parents or caretakers scrambling to come up with activities for their kids to do. 

If you have found yourself in this situation before, you know that it can be a bit stressful. Below are a few fun, engaging activities you can do for free (or almost free), and with very minimal prep time. These activities can be adapted for any age and ability.

  • Save the Animals! (or Legos, marbles, tiny action figures, etc.)
    Place small animals (or any object of your choice) in a muffin tin. Fill each compartment with water. Let it freeze. Once it is frozen, you can put the giant ice cube in a bowl or shallow tray, then give your child a medicine dropper or syringe and a cup of warm-ish water. Using the dropper, they can squirt water at the ice until it is melted enough to save the object inside.
  • Don’t Touch the Carpet!
    This game is similar to Floor is Lava, but won’t require your kids to jump all over your furniture. Assign a starting point and an end destination. Give each participant two small pillows, towels, pieces of paper, paper plates, etc. Using only those two objects as their safe places to step, they must make their way from the beginning point to the end point. Usually this would be done by stepping on one while placing the other in front of you, reaching back to grab the first one, then placing that one in front of you, and so on. However, kids can get creative and can problem solve to see if they can think of any other ways to accomplish their mission. This gets their brains thinking and their bodies moving!
  • Lego Task Cards
    On small pieces of paper, write the name of several objects (one per paper). Have your child choose one paper out of a bowl, then create that object. This promotes problem solving, critical thinking, and fine motor skill development. You can also turn it into a friendly competition if you have more than one child playing. 
  • Creative Crafting
    Set out construction paper, popsicle sticks, googly eyes, kid-safe scissors, pipe cleaners, glue, markers, and any other kid-friendly craft supplies you might have. Watch the magic unfold as they cut, glue, and create to their heart’s content. You’ll be amazed at what they come up with as their imaginations run wild.
  • Machine Factory
    Using extra boxes, empty paper towel or toilet paper tubes, string, scissors, and paper, glue or tape together a working machine. As the adult, you can choose what function their machine must carry out, or you can let them get creative and come up with their own idea. This is an excellent STEM activity, as it allows kids to think about logistics, function, machine parts, and how to carry out their plan. 
  • Puzzle Time
    Jigsaw puzzles are such a fun thing to do when you’re cozied up in your house (or anytime, really!). Not only are they fun for all ages, they also keep the mind active. Puzzles promote family togetherness and problem solving together. 

Those winter storms sure can be brutal, and can push your sanity to the edge, but there are so many fun things you can do with your kids when you have nowhere to go and no place to be. Being stuck inside doesn’t have to be boring– it can be fun for everyone AND can even be educational. If you’re one who has been impacted by the recent storms, I’m sending all my best wishes your way! You’ve got this!

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The Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles are, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest things ever invented. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved putting puzzles together. I have fond memories from my childhood of sitting down with my grandma, doing puzzles and chatting. She even used to gift all of her adult grandkids a puzzle every year for Christmas, which only fueled my love of puzzles. She would often set up a puzzle to work on when we’d come for Sunday dinner— she knew my husband liked puzzles, too. 

As I’ve had children of my own, I’ve always kept puzzles in our game closet. When my kids were babies and toddlers, I’d get the chunky wooden puzzles that matched shapes and colors. As they grew, we progressed to the 24-48 piece puzzles. Now that my youngest is in preschool, we’ve started doing bigger puzzles together. My 4 and 5 year olds can easily do 48-100 piece puzzles on their own, or with little help. My older kids do really well with 300-1,000 piece puzzles. They’ve provided us with lots of quality family time and memories as we’ve worked as a team to put them together. 

This morning, I sat down with my daughter and helped her do a puzzle, and it got me thinking about the many benefits that come from puzzles, and how they are more than just a quiet activity for people to do. 

People who do puzzles can benefit in the following ways:

  • Increased short-term memory
  • Reduced stress and anxiety
  • Improved fine motor skills
  • Improved spatial awareness
  • Increased problem solving abilities
  • Better mood
  • Screen-free time
  • Quality time with friends and family 
  • Time to relax and take your mind off of other things
  • Increased concentration— this is especially good for people who tend to jump from one thing to the next
  • Improved collaboration skills
  • Improved cognitive abilities
  • Increased attention to detail

I’m sure there are many more I could add to this list, but what is on the list shows just how beneficial doing puzzles can be. The best part about these benefits is that they aren’t just limited to children. People of all ages can experience these positive side effects! They are a universal tool for people of all ages and abilities. 

Puzzles don’t have to be limited to just a home activity; teachers can use them, too! Puzzles make a great activity for centers, free time, or group time. They will get students focused, having fun, and working on their critical thinking skills. Those are things I think every teacher can get behind!

The next time you’re bored, have some free time you don’t know what to do with, or just need a change of pace, grab a puzzle and get to work! I promise you will find yourself more relaxed, happier, and feeling more accomplished as you enjoy some puzzle time.

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New Logo, Who Dis?

The time has come to unveil the new branding for our scholarship! As I stepped into the role of scholarship chair and content writer, I began noticing some variations in the way that those who came before me referred to the scholarship. The original name for our scholarship was the Design A Better Future scholarship (which I’m assuming came from the fact that the projects needs to be based on the design thinking cycle). But as the years went on, it also started being referred to as the Build A Better future scholarship and both titles started being used interchangeably.

In order to *hopefully* limit future confusion, I decided to update the scholarship logo and declare one title to be the official title from now on. The HGU scholarship will henceforth be known as the Build A Better Future scholarship. I felt as though using the verb “design” was too passive and wasn’t giving our applicants enough credit. Yes, they are using the design thinking cycle but they are also going above and beyond to bring their designs to life.

design a better future scholarship high school seniors

In addition to updating the logo and title, the website has been updated with all the information needed for our 2023 scholarship! I look forward to seeing how the next group of applicants works on building a better future for their communities. If you or anyone you know is a high school senior that will be graduating in 2023, you can find more information regarding the scholarship here and here. Please email scholarship@honorsgraduation.com with any questions. Good luck!

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It’s Time to Kick Some Class! (of 2022)

Graduations across the globe are underway and thousands of students are about to enter a new chapter of their lives. Facing uncertainty can certainly be unnerving, and there are many new stressors that accompany the change. For high school students, they are figuring out which college to attend, what major they want to pursue, or if they even want to get a degree. College students are now faced with finding a lifelong career and hoping it is relevant to their degree and doesn’t turn into a dementor who sucks all the happiness from their life.

Fortunately there are plenty who have experienced graduation and lived to tell about it. Even more fortunate, I am blessed to know some pretty wise people who were willing to impart some of their wisdom with you. So for those graduating high school, college, trade school, or those who chose a different direction, these words are for you.

“Once you graduate, you quickly learn that there are two kinds of people: your friends and those who were friendly just because you had a class together that one time. And that’s okay. Treasure both friendships and learn from them.”

-Kassidy Baird (Yours Truly)

“Always expect more of yourself and take others with you on your way to the top.”

“Don’t be afraid to do something just because it seems interesting! There’s a lot of pressure to build a resume or look good for college applications or whatever, but taking time just for the things you think are cool or fun is so important in being well rounded and not getting stressed!”

“It’s okay to not have it all figured out right now, or even five years from now! Find what brings you joy, be yourself, and trust in your own personal journey.”

“Don’t rush into anything and just live in the moment. Be where you are and accept all of yourself and life will work itself out.”

“Find what you love and follow that passion. But don’t be afraid to try new things on the way. You may be surprised at what else lights your fire.”

-Twin 1

“Find something you love! So often we get caught up in ambition and what’s next, when in reality life goes so fast! Take some time for yourself to get to know what you like and what things excite you. There are so many more opportunities for your future than you could ever realize! The best part is that most people love talking about what they do and would be more than willing for you to come see their day-to-day. Explore, travel, and ask lots of questions. When what you do excites you, you will love life and make the world around you a better place.”

-Twin 2

(It isn’t super relevant that they are twins but I think it’s fun to see the similarities in their responses when they didn’t know what the other had said).

“Start applying now. And know you have more experience than you think.”

“It’s not about what you know. It’s about WHO you know. Network and be KIND.”

“Enjoy the day. Let your family take the pictures and celebrate the crap out of you. You deserve it.”

“Don’t get sucked into the rat race. After high school, for the first time, there’s all this flexibility and independence and it gets really easy to judge our own paths by the milestones we see other people hitting or not hitting (whether/when people are married, when people get degrees, if someone got a degree, other people who get right into working/careers). But life is flexible for a reason! You don’t have to have it all figured out, so don’t get caught up in measuring yourself against a measuring stick that doesn’t exist.“

I hope you guys enjoyed these words of wisdom! I have plenty more nuggets of advice that I will share in a future post. What advice do you have for the graduating class of 2022? Share your advice in the comments! Who knows, you could even end up being quoted in my next post.

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Scholar(ship)ly Advice: The Sequel

As the deadline for our scholarship draws near, I decided to reach out to winners from previous years to check in with them and see what advice they had to offer for this year’s applicants. For more information on our scholarship and how to apply, head here.

Ben Kim (2021)

Check out our 2021 post on the Design A Better Future project where Ben, Swetha, and Johnathan successfully developed a functioning keyboard for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to this year’s applicants, what would it be?

A: I’d advise this year’s applicants that they should not be trying to force a project into their hands–rather, they should find genuine interest and purpose to lead them forward.

Q: What has been the best thing to come from your scholarship project?

A: The best thing to come from my project has been acquiring new engineering skills and knowledge and, perhaps just as importantly, spending time with my group and making memories together.

Q: A quick update on you! What are you up to? Are you still actively involved in your project?

A: I’m currently studying engineering at Princeton University, and I am not still actively involved in the project–however, it will always be special to me.

Find genuine interest and purpose to lead (you) forward.

Did you know you can apply for our scholarship as a group? Ben, Swetha, and Johnathan submitted their application together and they won together! They had close family members with Parkinson’s and they were able to use their experiences to come up with a project that they had genuine interest in, and they knew first-hand the difference their keyboard will make. For more information on exactly what we look for in a scholarship submission, I highly recommend this post.

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Some Scholar(ship)ly Advice

As the deadline for our scholarship draws near, I decided to reach out to winners from previous years to check in with them and see what advice they had to offer for this year’s applicants. For more information on our scholarship and how to apply, head here.

Hilton Stallworth (2020)

Check out our 2020 post on Hilton and his Design A Better Future project, All the Stars Initiative.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to this year’s applicants, what would it be?

A: My best piece of advice to this year’s scholarship applicants would be to have confidence in your work and convey your passion for the issue being addressed!

Q: What has been the best thing to come from your scholarship project?

A: The best thing that has come from the project that I worked on whilst in High School was that it enabled me to encourage some of my fellow students to pursue excellence in academia. It also helped give me experience with conceptualizing and developing planning skills!

Q: A quick update on you! What are you up to? Are you still actively involved in your project?

A: I am currently enrolled at NC State University majoring in mechanical engineering. I am not currently still involved with the specific project I worked on in High School, however; I still am trying my best to encourage my peers to pursue their dreams and fight to do the best that they can!

Have confidence in your work and convey your passion for the issue being addressed.

Hilton’s advice rings true: as I’ve been reviewing the feedback forms and final submissions, you can tell when someone is genuinely passionate about their project. Passion comes through in anything that you do, and why not use that passion to better your community! For more information on exactly what we look for in a scholarship submission, I highly recommend this post.

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Feature Friday: Isiah Wright

Welcome to Feature Friday! Where we showcase a new teacher each week in an interview. For past Feature Friday interviews, go here. 

Today’s Feature Friday is highlighting Isiah Wright, a teacher in California specializing in arts and creativity. 

Tell me more about the arts and creativity initiative? What does it entail?

“Every year the department of education gives out grants for arts in education. These grants are meant to supply teachers with the knowledge and supplies necessary to integrate art into classrooms. I don’t mean like a single subject teacher that teaches art either. I mean multiple subjects K-8 and getting creativity to stay with our children and even fostering it. In the grant program that I’m a part of they have taught us many things but one of the first things is about increasing engagement and asking the right questions. We go through training employing VTS or visual thinking strategy, which turned my classroom from 5 or 6 of the same kids answering everything to building the confidence of every single child in the room so that they might try to answer also. Seriously since I started using this strategy, I can get in the ’90s for student participation and engagement. That’s %, it truly is a thing to behold. They teach us great skills in hands-on art as well. Something that I had never used was oil pastels, they taught me the proper way to use and teach their use. We went through training on collaboration in school. Believe it or not, most students don’t know how to work together. Teaching them to look past their short-sighted need to get what they want every time is difficult but essential to making well-rounded adults and it is one of my favorite things to teach them. My class in general is centered around this overarching statement: Contradictory elements can and should co-exist.”

Why do you feel like arts are so important to the education of our students?

“Teaching art appreciation does more than just look at pretty pictures. Observational skills, thinking critically, attention to detail, and respectful discussion are all elements of appreciating art. Guess what? Those are all also the key elements to Common Core. I am drawing a blank on who said it but at one of my training, someone was quoted saying “If you’re not teaching art you’re not teaching the whole kid ” I think this statement is dead-on, and the age I teach it makes teaching them easier if I integrate art into every lesson I can. I have even taken up sketchnoting science and social studies because of this training. Sketch noting is an amazing way for students to remember what they are being taught. Some studies I have seen put students being able to remember 6x more information when they are just writing traditional notes instead of blending words with pictures”

How do you incorporate art into your core curriculum?

“Art is everywhere and in every subject. If you think of how an NGSS (next generation science standards) lesson starts with an anchoring phenomenon, I teach every lesson I can with that basic format but usually using art in its place. We hold class talks, starting with art but eventually branching out to math, ELA, science, social studies, and everything else. Let me tell you how a lesson I just finished looks.”

“We look at a few pieces of art from a book, this book I’m talking about is called Blockhead, which is the life of Fibonacci. as we look at some of the pages of art we hold an art talk on 5 or so pictures from all over the book. This helps because everyone wants to participate in the art talk. This will also help when I go back and read the book because students will be looking for the pages they spoke on earlier. As I stop to discuss the reading periodically students remain engaged because they bought in at the beginning. We move into a fun patterns lesson using some kids ciphers that I loved as a child. Which could go on for multiple lessons and I love to end patterns with art from nature. That is a wonderful lesson where students create art from anything and everything, depending on what lesson I employ this, kids can make a paintbrush from random things, or collect and place colorful rocks or leaves. Art from nature truly is a universal assignment that I can end many units with. My goal is always increasing student engagement and understanding of core content through arts integration and I feel like I get that every time I integrate art into my lessons”

If you could recommend one children’s book, what would it be and why?

“It really depends on the age. My kids in the upper elementary school range The Blue Witch by Alane Adams never disappoints. She is such an amazing advocate of literacy and does tons for kids in need. Most important though is it is a book that students actually want to read. I read the introduction of Odin riding Slipnir to collect a young witching and they are instantly hooked and relate to the female lead or her brainy male sidekick.  If we are talking about my personal children’s age, say 5 and under The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith. I have read it well over 200 times to thousands of kids. I have it down to a science you could say, refining my abilities over the last 8 years or so.”

How has Twitter helped and influenced you as a teacher?

“Teacher twitter is beyond the most helpful thing ever. Thousands of teachers on standby to help at a moment’s notice. Even if that help is just as simple as liking a “rough day” post. I have taken some of the best ideas in my classroom from a Twitter teacher’s bragging posts. You know what? My classroom is better because of Twitter.”

How do you use student voice in your classroom and what outcomes have you seen come from it?

“I’m an elected official so student’s voices and civics are very often at the forefront of my class. My kids’ collective wisdom is greater than my own and I recognize that. It is my belief that students have tons to teach us. I may be the most educated person in the room but their collective years of individual experience are powerful. I use that to my advantage as often as I possibly can. Every now and then we way in on current political problems and generate multiple answers to questions that adults can’t seem to figure out. Last year we had our writing prompt about solving the homeless issue in our community put in the newspaper. The kids were so excited and loved seeing their words published for all to see.”

Thanks, Isiah for your insight! He had some great thoughts on creativity and using art in the classroom.