Weekend Links 2.28.14

This was a long, but invigorating week!  I had some difficult times in the classroom, but even after a hard day, I find myself researching, reading and writing about early childhood into the wee hours of the morning.  I described myself as a "child development nerd" in an email to a parent this morning, and I don't know if there has ever been a statement so true.

Check out some links for your weekend, after the jump!

I'm thinking about all of the beautiful things that are for sale in the More & Co. Shop!  They certainly do have an eye for wonderful, design-y things for children that promote open-ended play.

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I'm having a bit of an existential crisis (if that is possible at 32), and I enjoyed this Brainpickings post about overcoming creative blocks.  The advice I need to follow comes from artist Trey Speegle:  "You have to set up the narrow parameters that you work in, and then within those, give yourself just enough room to be free and play."  Sounds like Early Childhood advice if I ever heard any!

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This photo has been a real source of inspiration for me as I think about promoting communication between the preschool and elementary students at school.  The main questions I'm posing to children and teachers are, How do we communicate with each other in different spaces?  How can we best express our needs in a school that promotes flexibility and motion and democracy?  

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I have been more active on twitter in the past few weeks, and I'm glad I've revisited my personal learning community there!  There are so many wonderful people sharing wonderful things - and interacting beyond the "like" button!  I'm brainstorming the possibility of an early childhood twitter chat, and you can give your two cents on the topic by filling out this short little survey!  You can follow me on twitter, even if you're not interested in twitter chats!

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Finally, I laughed so hard I cried when I read Speak, Dogs, Speak!  An Oral History of Go, Dog. Go! in McSweeney's.  After reading that book so many times, it is refreshing to see the humor that can be found when someone dissects a book written for the purpose of learning to read.

Happy Weekend!