Those of us who are both eternally imperfect and wildly optimistic tend to make New Year’s Resolutions. When I started listing my resolutions, most of them fell into one basic category:
Learn More!
What do I want to learn? Fun, useful things! Library service to children is exploding with super-cool STEAM stuff; what better excuse to boost one’s brain power and have fun at the same time than to explore it? Here are some things I want to play with (um, learn about):
- Lego robotics! I bet we’ve got some teen robotics groups that would love to share their expertise with kids (and me).
- Squishy circuits! If teeny kids can learn how to complete an electrical circuit with play dough, then so can I.
- Stop-motion animation! From SAM animation to Monkeyjam to simple flip books, there are so many ways to do this easily and cheaply.
- Common Core! The perfect excuse to read oodles of fabulous non-fiction. 2012 was a super-strong year for children’s non-fiction, and I bet 2013 will be just as good.
- Digital badges! Not only is earning digital badges a natural for, say, library summer reading programs, but creating badges builds creative and digital skills.
There is plenty more to learn about and play with – but that’s a tantalizing start to the New Year.
Happy 2013!