Scratch not only develops solid problem solving skills and fosters a positive attitude toward computer technologies, it also encouraged the sharing of creative design ideas and assistance with computer skills among learners similar in age and grade level.

Did anyone read aloud to you when you were growing up? Perhaps a parent or teacher? Was it a tradition to have a story read to you at bedtime? What made that time special? Perhaps someone read aloud A Wrinkle in Time or Wind in the Willows or some other story that allowed your imagination to soar.

When my daughter was in fifth grade I approached the local public school superintendent about having her, as a homeschooled learner, join the school orchestra. I ensured the superintendent that she would be at every class and well prepared. My daughter had been playing piano since she was 4, and willingly spent long practice times preparing for her next piano lesson. She simply loved to play. My question was met with an emphatic, “No .”