Before I tell you the story behind the day – here’s something to help those parents who are looking for a great gift (and keen skeptic supporters out there). The intersection of art, science, math, education and origami is well known; there’s even conferences dedicated to the mathematics of paper folding.
Richard Saunders of the Australian skeptics, the Mystery Investigators show and the Skeptic Zone has an Origami DVD out! He is author of over a dozen origami books and has appeared on television and successfully lectured at the recent Dragon*Con conference on the contribution of origami to skepticism and developing advanced folding skills.
Learn how make 20 wonderful paper models, step by step with origami masters Richard Saunders and Gary Clark.With DVD Origami you can fold at your own pace and watch each step over and over again with one click of your remote control.
They are available at Maximedia Online: DVD Origami – You can order yours from here if you are outside Australia. Within Australia, it’s available at newsagencies!
Now, the title of the blog is actually from the ABC website, which recognises that today is World Philosophy Day! Kellie Tranter writes in her opinion piece about the need for philosophy and recent research:
In their report Children’s fears, hopes and heroes – modern childhood in Australia, Joe Tucci, Janise Mitchell and Professor Chris Goddard noted of children and young people aged between 10 and 14 years:
…Children’s sense of their place in the world is under threat. Children are particularly concerned about the environment. Over a half of the children surveyed are worried about not having enough water. Just over four in 10 (44 per cent) are nervous about the future impact of climate change and 43 per cent of children are worried about air and water pollution. Many are also concerned about the escalating tension in world affairs. Almost a third of children (31 per cent) are worried that they will have to fight in a war when they get much older. More than a third (36 per cent) are apprehensive about terrorism. A quarter of children are so troubled about the state of the world that they honestly believe it will come to an end before they get older.…Over a third (36 per cent) believed that adults do not care about what children think…According to the report, children believed that adults show little concern or respect for their views and opinions. Children should be consulted about what the world should be like. And adults should listen to what they say.
I note at the conclusion of the article, she mentions the report Philosophy: A School of Freedom – the UNESCO report that the West Australian Association for Philosophy in Schools contributed to; the Philosophy for Children program is a part of the WA Philosophy and Ethics course and also a core subject in B.Ed training in Queensland.
So, if you have some resources, some ideas, any networking that you’d like to do in support – check out not only the above links in the posts but get in touch with:
- The online presence of the Australian Philosophy Teachers’ Network and
- The Google Group for Critical Teaching - A mailing list for educators interested in creating skeptically-minded students.
By the way – Skeptical Parenting Crossing #2 should be out today at http://skepticdad.wordpress.com/! Go check it out too!
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