WORKING FOR THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS

The quality of modesty, or humility, comes naturally when we’re attentive. When we see how reactive and unkind we can be, this humbles us considerably. Instead of causing despair, however, this painful realization can connect us with the tenderness of bodhichitta [or, awakened heart]. Modesty, or humbleness, is the opposite of armoring ourselves: it allows us to be receptive and hear what others have to say.

Conscientiousness denotes diligence and honesty. With this virtuous quality we can work calmly for the happiness of others. Instead of working frantically, we pace ourselves and relax.

Pema Chödrön

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St.Anthony Today

Parent Guest Reading Session – PLC 9:30 and 1:15

Shayna Tate Art Exhibit Oct 24 – 7-9pm at 255 McKay in New Edinburgh. There is no charge

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below – a sample from the Maker Junior website – I have invited Aloson from Maker Junior to do a presentation for us at our December staff meeting.

What is an Inventors Workshop?

I’ve blogged about the Inventors Workshop that we offer through the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group before.  But what I haven’t shown you are the results! This fall we have two sessions of the Inventors Workshop. Mondays after school for the 6-8 year olds and Thursdays after school for the 9-12 year olds. We have a longer session so we have a chance to cover more aspects of the inventive process. The workshop starts next week and there’s still spots available so register now!

Inventors Notebook

At the first class I introduce the idea of the inventors notebook. It’s important for all inventors to keep track of their ideas. We date each entry as we work in our notebooks through the following weeks. It’s important to keep track of what we’re thinking of so we can show that an invention is ours. Did you know that Edison kept notebooks all over his lab? He knew how important it was to document his work. And how easy it is to forget to do it. I love the notebooks we keep in this class and how they reflect the ideas everyone is working on. Not every entry is focused on the same idea. I like to show different inventions to get everyone thinking of how to solve common problems. Here’s a great idea from the winter on how to deal with driveway clearing:

Process of Invention

There’s a lot that goes into an invention aside from the creation of the prototype itself. When we did the Young Inventor Challenge, our Workbook covered testing the prototype and turning the prototype into a product. This fall’s workshop is longer than the winter workshop, and we’ll be able to cover both the test and product phase during the class and work on making some promotional materials. Should be lots of fun!

Of course, the best part of the workshop are the inventions themselves! Building the prototype is loads of fun, and it is great to see an invention come to life. Here are some examples of inventions that have come out of previous classes.