Interesting article on a 45 year study on gifted kids.
The psychologist Carol Dweck has found that successful people tend to keep what’s known as a “growth mindset” as opposed to a “fixed mindset.” They view themselves as fluid, changing beings that can adapt and grow — they are not static.
Source: Things scientists learned from studying 5,000 genius kids for 45 years – Business Insider
A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.” He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.” The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”
The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.” That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy in what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more or less than you have. The person who is satisfied with what he/she has, is the happiest person in the world.
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When Kids have an emotional meltdown, it is a cry for help. Our response can squash them or build them into strong human beings. Here’s how to do the latter
Source: How to Respond to An Emotional Meltdown to Raise Strong Kids – A Fine Parent
The act of labeling an emotion distances you from it and gives you a moment to pause your reaction to it. It works for dealing with your own negative emotions, for responding to children in their meltdowns, and for dealing with everyone else. Plus, by saying “he” or “she” is feeling X emotion, you’re stating that someone else is feeling it, not necessarily yourself. Language becomes a barrier between the feeling and your thoughts and makes those feelings less overwhelming.
Source: How to Stop Other People’s Emotions from Bringing You Down
When it comes to decorating for Halloween, Christine McConnell takes the cake.
Source: This Is The Best Halloween House We’ve Ever Seen – Digg
Learn how to play mumbley peg, a classic game with pocket knives.
“There are different variations of Mumbley Peg. One version involves two opponents who stand opposite from one another, feet shoulder-width apart. The first player takes his pocket knife and throws it at the ground, so that it sticks into the ground as close as possible to his own foot. The second player take his knife and does the same. The player who sticks his knife closest to his own foot wins. A player could automatically win if he purposely stuck his knife into his own foot. What can we say, this was a time before Xbox 360. Kids needed something do.”
Google will spend the coming academic year rolling out its Expeditions project to teachers interested in taking students on virtual-reality field trips around the globe.
