Welcome to Brite Kids!

We are very excited to start this blog! We have some brilliant minds among us and we can hardly wait to start learning and sharing.
 Something interesting is happening in the world! Education is changing, lucky for us. There are more, and faster ways to learn than ever before. Information is available at a click of a button or available on the bookshelves in our own homes. There are many important skills that are going to be needed in the future. We want to be prepared for the great adventures that lie ahead and so we will focus our learning skills in a couple of important areas: literacy (knowledge of the world), computer skills, organizational skills, designing, working together, empathy, storytelling, play, and finding balance.
  There is a book called, A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink that talks about educating for the future and discusses many of the topics listed above. We will implement some of his ideas and add lots of our own.
  We need to be literate about our world. We will use the books, The First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, and the New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy both by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. as a jumping off point and add lots of other books, movies, and web-sites to fill in the fun!
  Computer Skills are next, and what a great experience working on typing skills, creating power points, art, and much, much more, including adding to our blog.
  We will learn organizational skills by using our notebooks and calendars to keep us on track.
  We will use design and creative thinking skills in creating posters, presentations, and games. Kids will learn planning skills: how to plan out their time, materials, etc.
  We will work together both on teams to invent new things and also to brainstorm new ideas. We will learn teamwork with each other and our families.
  How do you learn empathy? Walk a mile in someone else's shoes!  We will try on shoes from important people from around the world. We will also try on cultural costumes as we learn to appreciate people and their traditions as we learn geography.
  Storytelling is an important skill, especially while you are young! We will hear and read stories from different cultures and compare them to our own.
 We will PLAY! There are lots of different ways to learn things, and playing helps us to learn. We will create games, play new games, find cartoons about our topics.... As we look at the examples of companies that are fun to work for, we will try to incorporate their ideas into our routines. We will work hard, but can have fun too!
  We will also focus our attention on finding balance in our busy lives. Balance between learning and family and the important life lessons that come from being a part of a loving family. We will look for the beauty and joy in the journey and find meaning that will last.
  This is going to be a great year! Come join in the fun.
Miss Kari