Blue Mango LLC

So excited to continue to support children and families through my creative psychotherapy practice, Wild Crescent Therapy Studio 🌙

How to Cope With After-School Meltdowns Help kids cope with the overwhelming emotions that develop at the end of the school day by changing their after-school routine.

Go LEGO!

“A lack of understanding of the value of play is prompting parents and schools alike to reduce it as a priority, says Hanne Rasmussen, head of the Lego Foundation. If parents and governments push children towards numeracy and literacy earlier and earlier, it means they miss out on the early play-based learning that helps to develop creativity, problem-solving and empathy, she says.”

Children should learn mainly through play until age of eight, says Lego Toy company funds research suggesting educational development can be hindered by early formal schooling. So are UK schools getting it wrong?

Just simply changing the way you respond to your child can greatly enhance their critical thinking skills and creativity.

"What we do with little kids today will matter in 20 years," she says. "If you don't get it right, you will have an unlivable environment. That's the crisis I see."

A Plan For Raising Brilliant Kids, According To Science A developmental framework for building 21st century skills — no technology or money required.

Summer learning loss is a real concern. What should kids be doing over the summer?

"When everyone else is signing their 5 year old up for engineering camp, it's natural to feel worried about letting your child stay up late and catch fireflies barefoot in the backyard - while overdosing on a Red Dye #40 popsicle."

http://www.bluemangollc.com/what-should-children-do-in-the-summer/

Flashcards or Fireworks? Should you be concerned about summer slide? As a teacher and a mom I often get asked by parents about what they should do with their kids over the summer. With an average of 11 continuous weeks in the US without academic instruction, the sum…

"A 5-year-old today will enter a working world in 2030 that is so incomprehensible that we need an existential re-imagination of the very foundation of education."

Should schools still value memorizing facts and performing well on standardized exams over creativity, agility and empathy?
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/forget-coding-we-need-to-teach-our-kids-how-to-dream/

Forget coding, we need to teach our kids how to dream Tom Goodwin on the five key attributes we should help kids develop instead of focusing on knowledge.

Nothing can be duller than helping kids memorize facts. Here are some new, creative ways to help your kids master sight words and jump start their reading.
http://www.bluemangollc.com/beyond-flashcards-how-to-teach-sight-words-creatively/

Beyond Flashcards: How to Teach Sight Words Creatively “Sight words are boring!” They certainly can be… but they don’t have to be. When children are learning to read a huge emphasis is placed on the alphabet – working on l…

Yikes! This is my hometown. I can't believe this is still happening despite research consistently showing the benefit of unstructured outdoor free play (and harm academically, socially, emotionally and physically for cutting back recess).

Recess Debate in Upper Dublin School District Upper Dublin School District officials are considering cutting down on recess in favor of more class time for students. Some parents don't think that's a good idea however. NBC10's Keith Jones has the details...

So excited about people who are re-imagining education.

Games and the Future of Education | ABUNDANCE Learning needs to be less like school and more like Angry Birds. We need get kids addicted to learning while they are having fun. http://xprize.org ---------...

Why Listening to Podcasts Helps Kids Improve Reading Skills Ironically, listening to podcasts has prompted this teacher's students to read more.