Entries by Sharon Smith

Art, art! It makes you smart!

Last week some of our co-workers attended a conference in California.  Over lunch they talked with a woman who runs an after school art program.  She stated that art and music are no longer part of the school day—so programs like hers are especially important for children. At the Dekko Foundation we’d heard rumors that […]

I’ve had an absolutely horrible day!

What do you want most when you’ve had a lousy day?  A cold shoulder? Or a nice warm foot rub and a five-minute personal pity party? Children have emotional needs too and, too often, busy adults minimize their needs with the equivalent of a cold shoulder.  This link will take you to a great piece about children’s emotional needs.   The […]

I GOT one!!!!!

Was your grandpa standing beside you the day that you caught your first fish?     Did you celebrate holidays by getting more frosting on yourself and your mom than on the actual sugar cookie? Childhood experiences make us the adults we become in SO many ways! It’s no surprise then, that research shows philanthropy […]

Know anyone with 80’s hair?

You know you do.  “Big” doesn’t begin to describe it. When it comes to hair there’s not much downside to being behind the times.  But when it comes to growing and developing kids, if you’re still doing what you did in the 80’s, then your kids will definitely benefit from a refresh! We believe there are a […]

Go ahead…provoke me!

“I provoke learning in my classroom!”  So says Amber Opper, preschool lead teacher from the JAM Center in Garrett, Indiana. At the Dekko Foundation we were used to provoke being used in a more common way…meaning to annoy or irritate…but Amber and her co-workers use it differently.  They use the word provoke to mean “stir up” or “awaken!” How intriguing…teachers as the awakeners […]