Inside Scoop: Gearing Up For Summer

So we’re coming up on the first long holiday weekend of the season. For me that means I have one extra day with my foster kiddos,  a panic inducing thought because I’m taking care of three male teens – 16, 17 and 18. Yikes. What the heck does a middle-aged woman like me do to keep these guys entertained? The solution can be found within my badly worded question, because “entertaining” them should really not be my goal. Better for me to ask: what can I set up that will allow them to entertain themselves? Whew! That sounds much more do-able. And fun.

For all you parents, guardians, nannies, aunties, uncles and grandparents out there looking ahead to a summer of endless days filled with sun-charged children, the Handy Dad series has a new book to the rescue.  Todd Davis, TV host and extreme sports athlete, has written a book that we can all use to get our kids out of the house and into some real world adventures. Handy Dad in the Great Outdoors: More Than 30 Super-cool Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids, gives the low-down on everything from choosing the best campsite to geo-caching, including making daisy chains and playing flashlight tag.

Many of these activities can be done in the backyard or local park, and the detailed instructions and full color photos will make just about everybody feel capable of leading the summer fun. And remember: it’s not your job as elder to make their fun, or have their fun for them, but to guide them so they can make their own fun. Don’t forget to check out other books filled with exciting projects for the whole family:

Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids, by Todd Davis; Be the Coolest Dad on the Block: All of the Tricks, Games, Puzzles and Jokes You Need to Impress Your Kids, by Simon Rose; The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists, by Sean Connolly; Tree Houses and Other Cool Stuff: 50 Projects You Can Build, by David Stiles. And lastly, a book to help you conquer those parenting fears that keep you and your kids from living full-out: Free-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) by Lenore Skenazy. — Erin

What I’m Reading Now: The Drama Years – Do They Ever End?

The “drama years” – that really could describe just about any period in one’s life. It’s all a matter of perspective. But in this case it refers to a new book by Haley Kilpatrick and Whitney Joiner titled The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk About Surviving Middle School – Bullies, Brands, Body Image, and More.

If you are over the age of 25 the experience of Middle School in the 201x’s is nothing like you remember. While we may all recall the anxieties, insecurities, and difficulties of those years the pressures on current tweeners is unprecedented. In addition to all the normal stresses, these tweens are on the front-lines trying to survive the new world of sexting, internet predators, digital bullying and more. As adults it is hard not to get caught up in the drama of it all. But what these kids need more than ever are elders who understand what they are really going through so we can provide them practical advice, thoughtful guidance and loving support when it gets hard.

Haley Kilpatrick is the founder and Executive Director of Girl Talk, a national nonprofit organization through which high school girls mentor middle school girls to help deal with the trials and triumphs of the “tween” and early teen years. This book is filled with insights from actual tweens and their high school mentors and is a must-read for teachers, counselors, health-professionals, friends, moms, dads, grandparents and anyone who works with, or cares about this age group.

Another great book, filled with practical advice based on 40 years of parenting, teaching, and counseling experience, is Taking Charge: Caring Discipline That Works at Home and at School, by JoAnne Nordling. Nordling is co-founder of the Parent Support Center in Portland, OR. The advice and methods presented in this book are based on kindness and respect for children, and are designed to correct misbehaviors rather than punish “bad children”. The techniques work for children aged 2 to 20, helping you set healthy limits and curb self-indulgent behaviors, while enriching your adult-child relationship and nurturing the development of responsible, confident, caring youth. This book is for anyone who is in a position to love, care for and guide children. –Erin

Blurbs From the Branch: This is Your Brain on Creativity

Like many avid library users, I am often fascinated by things I don’t understand.  A prime example of this is neuroscience.  When I (try to) think about  neuroscience, my head hurts, and I get frustrated.  Then I wonder why I’m so frustrated, and the reason inevitably lies in the realm of neuroscience.  It’s a vicious cycle!   

It’s a good thing I have books at the library to tell me what’s what.  My latest neuroscientific interest concerns how our brains affect and effect creativity…specifically, whether we can use our brains to control the art we create, or if we’re completely powerless to the impulses of nerves and our surrounding environment.  Lucky for me, there’s a new book out that explores this very subject: Imagine: How Creativity Works by veteran science writer Jonah Lehrer. 

A regular contributor to one of my favorite podcasts, Radiolab, Lehrer has just entered his 30s and has already written three successful books, mostly focusing on the connection between art and science.  While waiting on the 100+ holds queue for Imagine, check out his other titles, Proust was a Neuroscientist and How We Decide, or visit out his blog for Wired magazine, Frontal Cortex, for more brain candy.  

- Jeanie

Inside Scoop: Wax on… Wax off…

Last night I was watching the newer Karate Kid for the zillionth time (it’s a guaranteed favorite for foster kids). The training that Dre Parker goes through using the jacket and “hang it up, put it on, drop it, pick it up…” reminded me of several books I’ve cataloged recently about forming new habits and willpower, and the brain activities involved in doing this.

The field of brain science has exploded in recent years moving beyond biology to include chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, medicine and allied disciplines, philosophy, physics, and psychology and the social sciences. This is due in large part to advances in genetics, electrophysiology, computational neuroscience, and molecular biology. The implications for continued discoveries using a multi-disciplinary approach is, well… mind blowing.

We don’t break habits, we replace them with something else, and we can’t fix problems, but we can discover what’s missing that, if it were to exist, would shift us into no problem. These books might lead you to something that works for you:

The power of habit: why we do what we do in life and business by Charles Duhigg and Breaking the habit of being yourself: How to lose your mind and create a new one, by Dr. Joe Dispenza both deal with the topic of habits but from very different angles. Duhigg became fascinated with how we create habits while working as a newspaper reporter in Iraq. He learned that the military are experts on habit-formation, and that much of their methodology is used by corporations to market products to the public. Applying their techniques he has been able to lose weight, train for a marathon and produce more. 

Dr. Dispenza, a practicing chiropractor, who was also featured in the movie  What the BLEEP Do We Know!? combines research from a mix of disciplines including quantum physics, neuroscience, brain chemistry, biology, and genetics to develop a program that bridges science and spirituality.

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, is strongly recommended by Nancy here in Tech Services. This book looks at self-control through psychology, and discovers that willpower actually operates like a muscle, and can be strengthened with practice and fatigued by overuse. They also found that willpower – essentially a mental activity, is fueled by glucose, and it can be bolstered simply by replenishing the brain’s store of fuel. That’s why eating and sleeping or failing to do so can have dramatic effects on self-control. This book supports the idea that improving willpower is the surest way to a better life and conversely, most major personal and social problems center on failure of self-control. Stories are included about Eric Clapton and his love of alcohol and drugs; Stanley who discovered Dr. Livingstone, and Oprah Winfrey and Drew Carey.  — Erin

Blurbs From the Branch: Holding the Keys to the Universe

These books are fun and amusing to pass around, whether you’re looking up your own name or a family member’s. And just when you think you’ve looked up everyone you know, you’ll think of a random friend from elementary school, whose birthday party you haven’t atteneded in decades. Or maybe that’s just me…

Disneystrology- Everyone knows their zodiac sign, but do you know your Disneystrology ? Flip through this book and find out. There’s a Disney character for each day of the year.  I pulled this book out after dinner one night, and a few days later was getting texts with dates to look up!

The Secret Universe of Names: The Dynamic Interplay of Names and Destiny- Does your name suit you? Or maybe you’re in the process of picking out a name?  This book has a lengthy introduction on language, sounds and the importance of letter placement. Or you can just flip to the index and find your page number.

The Secret Language of Birthdays: Personology Profiles for Each Day of the Year- This book has been around for a while. An old friend of mine owned a copy, and use to have friends write their name in the corner of their page, which I thought was kind of cool.