Present for Mr. UpCyclist (or Jedi)?

Mr. UpCyclist has a birthday coming up.  Do you think he might like this Sphero as a present?  It isn't a bike, but really, how many bicycles can one human have?

Plus, if he doesn't like it, I think Jedi would :)  And PS - You only need to watch the first minute of the video above to get an idea of what playful Sphero does.

Jen

Love. This. Quote.

From this Pinterest Link

Need courage and time.  

Want this quote to come true.

Have advice to share with me?  Where to begin?  How to make time?  How to muster courage?

Will 2013 be the year I start writing?  Would this be better as a group effort?

Ugh.

I love this quote and idea.  Love. LOve. LOVE.

Jen

Creating an Innovator in Lil O

So, I need your help.....

If you follow Upcycled Education on Facebook or Instagram, you know I was reading the book, Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner.  I finished the book a week ago and I am now in the processing stage post-read.  Yep, I am one of those folks who needs a bit of time to process and make sense of a book's message.  It generally takes me several weeks to make sense of it all.

So far I can say, Creating Innovators is a thoughtful book - ideal for parents and teachers (and assorted allies).   Though there are several take-home messages in Wagner's book; one stands out to me immediately.  Overwhelming, it seems, most creative and innovative children and adults become passionate about something as a child.  Wagner's advice is to let kids "play" with that passion and to fuel the child's natural desire to learn more about their interest (without judgment).  

With that being said, I am looking for opportunities for Lil O to see real fashion design in person as you know that is a top interest of hers.  I've already contacting a local design and manufacturing company who specializes in women's clothing; Lil O and I are meeting the head designer and taking a tour of their factory in mid-February.  I would love to expose her to more of those real fashion opportunities.

If you have a lead, contact or "know someone" in the fashion industry in the Mid-Atlantic region, would you please share this blog post with them and/or share their contact information with me?  You (or they) can email me directly at jen at upcyclededucation.com or you (or they) can leave a comment below.

As I continue to process Wagner's work, I will share more so we can all create more innovative children and students.

My best,

Jen

PS - If you have a budding fashion designer in your class or home, Lil O really enjoys this sketchbook and stencils pictured above.

A Statuesque Occasion

Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist, Puppy Jedi and I recently went to Arlington National Cemetery to celebrate a new statue that was unveiled.  The statue is of our friend, J, who you might remember from this post and his hot pink fairy wings.

Right now, you are probably wondering, what?  A statue?  Here's the quick scoop.  The Arlington National Cemetery recently commissioned a new statue.  They wanted a bugler player from the Army Band to be represented.  Our friend, J, is not only a trumpet player in the Army Band and lovely human being - full of life and good will - but evidently, also the perfect size and proportion to be made into a statue.  See for yourself....

Here is our friend, J.....

Here is his true-to-life statue......It has eyelashes, his facial lines, a replica of his wedding ring, and all!

Need a backside-by-side view?

Crazy, isn't it?  And look how proud he is and how proud his family is of him.  I must say, our family - who adores J - is soooo proud, too.  And really, could this family be any cuter and prouder?

 The girls were happy to celebrate....

And since it was our first time to Arlington National Cemetery, we took advantage of looking around.  We saw JFK's gravesite, the eternal flame, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and friend J arranged a special time to Q and A with the tomb soldiers - those soldiers are so dedicated.

Puppy Jedi was thrilled that "well behaved" dogs are welcome at the cemetery.  He was a model dog-citizen that day and only gave the cemetery squirrels a hard time once or twice.  Is it just me, or is Lil O an illusionist with those twisty legs below?

And I must say, had I been alone at the cemetery that day, I would have cried a river.  All those tombstones.  All those soldiers who fought for freedom.  It reminded me that there is so much to be grateful for.....

Peace,

Jen

Photo Pin {for Tech Tuesday}

It's tough, these days, to not "take" images off the Internet that are copyrighted.  Photo Pin solves that dilemma.  Just go to Photo Pin and search their image database using keywords.  All the photos are from Flickr, yet have a Creative Commons license that gives you permission to use the image and not violate copyright regulations (you just need to credit the image source).

Using Photo Pin would be a great lesson for our preK-16 students - how to use images that do not violate copyright (not to mention, great lessons on Creative Commons licensing, citing sources, selecting appropriate images, etc.).

Enjoy!

Jen