"Crafting Minds" - Embark on a Journey Where Creativity Fuels Learning Unlock the joyous combination of education and imagination with "Crafting Minds," a transformative ebook that invites parents and educators into the enchanting world of craft-based learning. Let your fingertips tap into a treasure trove of activities that aren't just fun—they're stepping stones to a broader educational horizon. Chapter by chapter, you will discover how to lay the perfect foundation for a home or classroom environment that energizes young minds through hands-on activities. Start with the essentials of creating a craft-centric learning space and confidently navigate through sourcing the best materials to kick-start this wonderfully artistic academic adventure. Dive into the early stages of childhood development by integrating crafts into sensory play and fine-tuning motor skills. Watch as these crafts become the catalyst for literacy as your young ones go from mastering alphabet crafts to spinning tales with homemade puppets and crafting their very own books. Math and science leap off the pages and into reality with DIY manipulatives and captivating models that simplify complex concepts. Tie historical timelines and cultural geography into tangible learning experiences through dolls and maps crafted by your very own classroom cartographers and historians. Step boldly into digital literacy with tech-savvy crafting projects that merge the traditional with the cutting edge. As the seasons change, so can your thematic teaching approach, with crafts that celebrate the rhythm of the year through holiday and seasonal projects. Empower blossoming musicians with homemade instruments and lead them through the exploration of sounds with acoustic crafts. Ensure the holistic development of young learners by nurturing their emotional intelligence and physical education through thoughtful and active craft projects. Understand sustainability and mindfulness while upcycling and venturing outdoors, and traverse through languages, space, entomology, human physiology, and even the basics of economics—all by the magic of crafting. "Crafting Minds" is your inspiring resource to an enriching educational experience, blending the pure joy of making with the profound process of learning. It offers a myriad of projects that promise to cultivate critical thinking, connect students with nature and the world, and instill an appreciation for the richness of knowledge. Ideal for homeschool settings, classroom enrichment, or simply weekend family fun, this comprehensive ebook is poised to change the way you view education—where every lesson is an engaging, hands-on masterpiece waiting to be created. Experience the revolution of learning through crafting. Let "Crafting Minds" be the guide that leads you and your little learners to a boundless world of knowledge and creativity. Open the cover, and let the adventure begin!

When writing workshops first blossomed in classrooms, its hallmarks were genuine curiosity, individual choice, quality conversations, and engaging children's literature. A joyous hum of intention, creativity, and craft enlivened the school day. Today's teachers are often faced with a range of obstacles, as new initiatives are embraced, mandates handed down, and scripted programs are purchased. Sometimes teachers must sacrifice the original principles of the writing workshop and lose the creative venue they provide. Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop is filled with original writing challenges designed to bring back the spirit of the original writing workshop model and encourage teachers to enhance it with invention, innovation, and inspiration. Teaching creative writing is not only possible, but an important process in their instruction. Author Shelley Harwayne invites teachers to keep the workshop spirit alive by: Encouraging professional conversations on classroom ideas and methods between colleagues; Developing writing cues that allow young writers to be inquisitive, outspoken, and independent; Showing how high quality writing can make a difference; Offering an inspired and stimulating outlet for students to express their passions. Harwayne's book will help teachers encourage students to write the world around them, which can generate more critical thinking and make for a more well-rounded child.

Every leader realizes the importance of an effective communication strategy. But, how do you consistently succeed in telling the story of your brand or organization? It takes a model and a guidebook written by three authors who have spent decades learning the art and science of creating powerful stories for some of the world's best marketing organizations. Crafting Persuasion describes the ABCDE model (audience, behavior, content, delivery and evaluation) in a step by step guide that is as important to storytelling as the 4 P's are to marketing. It is a model that works in any setting. Whether you are an engineer running a start-up or an NGO trying to sway public opinion or a CEO evaluating a marketing plan or a government officer charged with communicating a critical message or policy, this book is for you. The strategic principles of Crafting Persuasion have been taught over the past decade at the U.S. State Department and other leading organizations. It is designed for those who have the responsibility to persuade an audience, but never had any formal training on how to do this. It is filled with real world examples from the business and non-profit worlds, along with an enlightening companion website (www.craftingpersuasion.com). So, regardless of your communication challenge, Crafting Persuasion will show you how to create a communication strategy to win over audiences and reach your personal and professional goals.

For maximum impact, let intention drive your actions. Leading a team means more than running meetings. It’s leading collaborative learning for continuous improvement. Like effective teachers in the classroom, skillful team leaders decide what they are aiming to achieve and make small, intentional moves to produce powerful learning outcomes for teachers and students. In this long-awaited follow-up to her best-selling book, The Skillful Team Leader, acclaimed educator Elisa MacDonald presents nearly 150 effective moves, organized by intention, for any educator who leads a team. In this book, you′ll find strategies to lead with purpose and direction, including how to: foster an inclusive environment and strengthen team trust interrupt bias and cultivate diverse perspectives navigate resistance and manage conflict facilitate data analysis lead peer observation assess your team’s collaboration and so much more! Written in a practitioner-friendly format with a light tone and relatable stories, this is a must-have book for all team leaders and those who support them in your school.

Reciting the Goddess presents the first critical study of the Svasthanivratakatha (SVK), a sixteenth-century Hindu narrative textual tradition. The extensive SVK manuscript tradition offers a rare opportunity to observe the making of a specific, distinct Hindu religious tradition. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz argues that the SVK serves as a lens through which we can observe the creation of modern 'Hinduism' in the Himalayas, as the text both mirrored and informed key moments in the self-conscious creation of Nepal as the 'world's only Hindu kingdom' in the late medieval and early modern period. Birkenholtz mines the literary historiography that is contained within the SVK text itself, chronicling the text's literary and narrative development as well as the development of the Svasthani goddess tradition. She outlines the process whereby the SVK gradually transformed into a Purana text, and became a critical source for Nepali Hindu belief and identity. She also examines the elusive character of the goddess Svasthani whose identity is tied to the pan-Hindu goddess tradition, and the representation of women in the SVK and the ways in which the text influenced local and regional debates on the ideal of Hindu womanhood. Reciting the Goddess presents Nepal's celebrated SVK as a micro-level illustration of the powerful ways in which people, place, and literature intersect to produce new ideas and concepts of identity and place, even in a historically non-literate culture.

A trio of headlines in the Chronicle of Higher Education seem to say it all: in 2013, “A Bold Move Toward MOOCs Sends Shock Waves;” in 2014, “Doubts About MOOCs Continue to Rise,” and in 2015, “The MOOC Hype Fades.” At the beginning of the 2010s, MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, seemed poised to completely revolutionize higher education. But now, just a few years into the revolution, educators’ enthusiasm seems to have cooled. As advocates and critics try to make sense of the rise and fall of these courses, both groups are united by one question: Where do we go from here? Elizabeth Losh has gathered experts from across disciplines—education, rhetoric, philosophy, literary studies, history, computer science, and journalism—to tease out lessons and chart a course into the future of open, online education. Instructors talk about what worked and what didn’t. Students share their experiences as participants. And scholars consider the ethics of this education. The collection goes beyond MOOCs to cover variants such as hybrid or blended courses, SPOCs (Small Personalized Online Courses), and DOCCs (Distributed Open Collaborative Course). Together, these essays provide a unique, even-handed look at the MOOC movement and will serve as a thoughtful guide to those shaping the next steps for open education.

Mindfulness is a powerful practice to help kids find calm in the midst of everyday stress--but how to make it accessible and fun? In Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids, kids engage in and practice mindfulness through fun and easy exercises, quizzes, crafts, and activities, with the goal of learning a deeper sense of calm, peace, joy, and connection to the world around them, all while improving emotional intelligence, boosting self-esteem, and reducing anxiety. Perfect for kids to do alone or with the help of an adult, the activities in Crafting Calm will have kids playing, tinkering, creating, and doodling their way to peaceful, balanced minds.