Day of the Dead Event

I've always loved the Mexican Celebration of Day of the Dead - ever since I visited Oaxaca many years ago during the celebration on Nov.2. We have been helping the kids make sugar skulls, collecting stories and any other classroom resources we could find to help teachers bring this event in to their classrooms. Of course we run in to a few folks who say "ooh isn't that Satanic?" which I don't understand - it's about honoring and remembering those who have passed away - so much different than our celebration of Corn Syrup and Cheesy costumes that doesn't really celebrate anything.
This year we have decorations - which is good because it's a step towards greater awareness. If companies are starting to put out products, we might actually have a chance of making this a part of the Halloween celebration everywhere.
Our event is being held on Saturday Oct 8th this year - we do it early so teachers can take the ideas back to school with them. Join us if you are in the area 1 pm - 3 pm!

Our Rep Day is August 10th

August 10th is Rep Day and it's huge! You can talk to reps from our biggest companies, save on items that you need to start the school year, meet up with friends and have fun! The first 150 teachers through the door get goodie bags filled with product we've collected all year. Talk to friends, meet other teachers, get pumped up for the school year!

The event starts at 10 am!

Science Education Goes to Maker Fair

Newshour speculates - too bad the tickets are so expensive. I would love to see Maker Fair sponsor some scholarships so every kid has a chance to become an engineer.

Tossing Text Books

SF Tosses Workbooks

Big publishing shows its face - why would teachers toss perfectly good teaching resources? Because the administration won't let them use old, when new can be bought for top dollar from out of state publishers. And don't think these books are priced like workbooks at our store - you're looking at $30 books in this bin!

ASTRA Marketplace 2011

I'm just home from ASTRA marketplace. This is where specialty toy store owners and specialty toy manufacturers gather to plot and plan what kids will play with in the coming year! I had a great time, and I'll be posting more about what I learned and found. What I'm thinking about though is play. How can I make play more important - I make my living by retailing play, and I want it to have enormous value, because if it's valuable, people will want it.
This TED video is from TED Bulgaria, but it's very easy to just switch "America" for "Bulgaria". Play makes your brain bigger! How is that for an endorsement!

Steve Keil: A Manifesto for Play

Science and Uncertainty

From an article on BoingBoing.net
"This is scientific uncertainty--where the things we know and the things we don't know collide, and we are left to figure out how to use what we have to make decisions anyway. If we want people to understand science, we can't just give them facts to memorize. Scientific literacy isn't about being able to win a game of quiz bowl. It's about understanding how science works, and how science can be used to guide human decision-making. It's about knowing that we don't have all the answers. But it's also about knowing that "we don't have all the answers" isn't the same thing as "we don't know anything." If we pump people full of facts, but don't teach them about uncertainty, then we can't be surprised when they dismiss anything that isn't 100% certain"

Just a note that uncertainty doesn't score well on standardized tests.

Point to Happy

We are very excited to receive a new title "Point to Happy" from Workman. Here's a discussion with the authors:



It's a book designed for kids on the autism spectrum - we need more books like this!