Has DON'T Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Gone Too Far?

The absence of other customers in a store, where I was shopping, this week caused me to realize the growing number of options for NOT doing-it-yourself (DIY). Enter information about your style and size on an app, and you'll receive a selection of clothes. Decide what you want to eat and a meal to help you lose weight, a pizza, or the ingredients you need to prepare your own meal will turn up at your door. If you are willing to at least drive to a store, you can email your food, toys, or discount store shopping lists and the store will gather what you need/want and have your package ready for pick-up.

     It's not just a matter of creating apps-platforms to engage attention, technology has decided how we manage our lives. Now, there even are apps telling us to stop using apps. It doesn't take a smartphone to ask young people:

• Where would you like to travel?
• What would you like to eat?
• What is your favorite outfit? 
• What world problem would you like to solve?
• How much would you like to weigh?
• What sport do you like to play?
• What kind of song would you like to hear?
• What GPA would you like to have?
• What kind of movie would you like to see? 

Then, have young people decide how to "solve" any of these questions and begin their DIY solution. Decide on a time for them to show-off their solution (on a platform?). Or, invite original thinkers to communicate and publish their DIY ideas in a zine, hand drawn (some in the form of comics) and written (possibly as music). Also, look for a local library that has a section devoted to zines or a Zinefest, where other original thinkers share their zines.

New World's Resolutions

As 2014 begins, children, parents, students, and teachers have an opportunity to find new opportunities for international, and even out-of-this-world, involvement. Here are some suggestions. (In parenthesis, there are references to related, earlier blog posts.)

     1. Prepare for the Winter Olympics, February 7-23, by going to a map or Russia to locate Sochi, where the winter games will be held. ("Wide World of Sports")

     2. Name a new doll, action figure, or plushie toy for an international icon, such as Malala or Mandela. ("What's in a Name?")

     3. Find an outgrown clothing item to pin or tape to the country on a wall map of the world where the item was made. ("Fashion Forward")

     4. Get ready to give children coins in red envelopes in honor of the cheerful and exciting Chinese Year of the Horse, which begins on January 31. ("Go Holiday Globe (S)hopping")

     5. Mark the end of September on your calendar to remember to learn if a space probe sends information back from Mars, when it lands on or comes near the planet. ("Space Explorers")

     6. Make a contribution to or plan a fundraiser for an international cause, such as Kids in Need of Desks at unicefusa.org or Operation International Children at operationinternationalchildren.com. ("Hope for the Future")

     7. Go to ePals.com to find a joint project to work on with a class in a foreign country. ("Getting to Know You")

     8. Read a book with an international theme. ("Talk With the Animals," "This We Believe," "Travel the World with Summer Reading")

     9. Get in touch with the world's environment by planting a tree. ("A Healthy Environment")

    10. Learn a few words in a foreign language. Say "Thank you" in German, danke; or greet friends in Japanese, konichiwa." By December 25, 2014, you'll be wishing everyone Milad Said (Mee-LAHD Sah-EED) in Arabic. ("How Do You Say?")