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Quote of the Week
"The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence." - Rabindranath Tagore
3 Essential School Supplies - That Aren't On Your List
"Art supplies, a cool thumb-drive, and a new backpack are nothing short of thrilling in my household. We love preparing for school. And like a lot of parents, I assumed for years that success in school would be a safe route to happiness in life.
But a new study, which followed nearly 1,000 people over 32 years, makes it abundantly clear that preparing kids for academic success does not necessarily lead to happiness. You know what does predict happiness in adulthood, according to the study? Friendship. When kids have a lot of friends in childhood and adolescence, they tend to grow up to be happy adults.
I’m not suggesting we should stop helping our kids with their homework, or that we should casually send them to school unprepared to learn. Obviously not. But this study reinforces the most important thing we’ve learned about happiness in the last 100 years, across academic disciplines the world over: Our happiness is best predicted by the breadth and the depth of our relationships with others.
All of this is to say that there are a few back-to-school “supplies” our kids need that are not usually on the lists schools send home. They need tools to build social intelligence.[...]
Below are three of my favorite Toolbox school supplies, and ideas about how to send your child back to school with them." [read more]
Reading Corner
 Title: Sophie's Squash Go to School
By: Pat Zietlow Miller
Ages: 3 - 7
"Sophie goes to school for the first time and has no interest in making friends that aren’t squash. Here’s a gently humorous read-aloud that proves that making friends, just like growing squash, takes time.
On Sophie’s first day of school, nobody appreciates her two best friends, Bonnie and Baxter, baby squash that she grew in her garden. Even worse, one classmate, Steven Green, won’t leave Sophie alone. He sits by her at circle time. He plays near her during recess. And he breathes on her while she paints. Steven just wants to be friends, but Sophie isn’t interested. Still, Sophie knows that her squash friends won’t last forever. Maybe it would be nice to have some human friends after all. . . .
The final line of the book is a poignant summary, “Sometimes growing a friend just takes time.” And it’s true, friends are not always instantaneous in any situation (or at any age). It can take time, it can be awkward, it can be stressful, and that can still be okay." - Publishers
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be The Change
"Our happiness is best predicted by the length and breadth of our relationship with others." Based on this understanding, here are some really interesting ways to build more inner muscles of kindness and to truly connect with oneself along with others.
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